Please click on image to move to Flickr photo page and ENLARGE.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Butterflies for Halloween birthday!
Butterflies on birthday a lot nicer than snow I remember twice on this date in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Please click on image to move to Flickr photo page and ENLARGE.
Please click on image to move to Flickr photo page and ENLARGE.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Claire Detels' performance of samples of music of some of the Great African American composers Friday night brought support to OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology
Please click on image to move to Flickr site and ENLARGE view of Claire Detels on October 20, 2009
City Council members are to be gathering with city staff members at 8 a.m. Saturday (tomorrow) to discuss the proposed city budget for 2010
8 a.m. Saturday, October 31, Room 326 of Fayetteville City Hall
2010 Budget discussion
Be there if you want to know a bit about what may be coming up on Tuesday night at the regular Council meeting.
2010 Budget discussion
Be there if you want to know a bit about what may be coming up on Tuesday night at the regular Council meeting.
Claire Detels performs music of Great African American composers tonight; donations support OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology
OMNI folk and friends...
Tonight only! Pianist and musicologist Prof. Claire Detels performs the music of Great African American composers on Adella Gray's lovely piano. The program is attached. Please join us.
Great African American Composers
Home of Gary and Adella Gray
1681 N. Starr Drive
6:30 social hour, 7:00 performance
Directions: Take Mission Blvd. to N. Starr, turn right
$10 donation accepted to benefit OMNI Center. Please join us.
Gladys Tiffany
OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
www.omnicenter.org
Fayetteville, Arkansas USA
479-973-9049 -- gladystiffany@yahoo.com
Tonight only! Pianist and musicologist Prof. Claire Detels performs the music of Great African American composers on Adella Gray's lovely piano. The program is attached. Please join us.
Great African American Composers
Home of Gary and Adella Gray
1681 N. Starr Drive
6:30 social hour, 7:00 performance
Directions: Take Mission Blvd. to N. Starr, turn right
$10 donation accepted to benefit OMNI Center. Please join us.
Gladys Tiffany
OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
www.omnicenter.org
Fayetteville, Arkansas USA
479-973-9049 -- gladystiffany@yahoo.com
State legislative committee in Northwest Arkansas for Hog football game and will hear public comment on water issues today and Saturday
THE ARKANSAS GENERAL ASSEMBLY JOINT PERFORMANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE
Chairmen: Senator Denny Altes and Representative Lindsley Smith
invite you to a pair of legislative meetings in Rogers next week (Oct. 30 and 31) to study water quality and quantity issues.
Below is the agenda for Friday afternoon's Legislative Joint Performance Review Committee meeting and for Saturday's Joint Performance Review Committee meeting. We hope you will come, and please inform others about this important issue of water quality and quantity.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites, Rogers, 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Grand Ballroom 9-10
A. Call to Order.
B. Approval of Minutes—October 5, 2009
C. Disposal of water used during drilling in the Fayetteville Shale Gas and the possible impact on underground aquifers and wells.
1. Comments by Ms. Joyce Hale, League of Women Voters
2. Comments by Mr. Tim Snell, The Nature Conservancy
3. Comments by Ms. Debbie Doss, Arkansas Canoe Club
4. Comments by Mr. Larry Bengal, Director, Oil and Gas Commission
5. Comments by Ms. Teresa Marks, Director, ADEQ
6. Discussion by Committee Members
D. Discussion of the Illinois River Watershed and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), also MS4 and stormwater regulations-Reg 2 changes.
1. Comments by Ms. Delia Haak
2. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
3. Comments by Mr. Evan Teague, Arkansas Farm Bureau
4. Comments by Dr. Brian Haggard, Director, Arkansas Water Resources Center
5. Comments by Ms. Teresa Mark, Director, ADEQ
6. Discussion by Committee Members
E. Adjournment
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Center for Nonprofits at St. Marys--1200 West Walnut Street in Rogers.
A. Call to Order.
B. Discussion of the White River Watershed Protection Plan and sediment turbidity in Beaver Lake.
1. Comments by Mr. Alan Fortenberry, Beaver Water District
2. Comments by Mr. Mike Malone, Northwest Arkansas Council
3. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
4. Comments by Ms. Teresa Marks, Director, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
5. Discussion by Committee Members
C. Discussion of the Watershed Management Plan for the State of Arkansas
1. Comments by Mr. Tony Rimack, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
2. Comment by Mr. Ken Smith, Executive Director, Audubon Arkansas
3. Comments by Ms. Joyce Hale, League of Women Voters
4. Discussion by Committee Members
D. Update on the 2010-2011 Biennium Plan of Work for the Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal and Pollution Abatement Facilities General Obligation Bond Program.
1. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
2. Discussion by Committee Members
E. Adjournment
Chairmen: Senator Denny Altes and Representative Lindsley Smith
invite you to a pair of legislative meetings in Rogers next week (Oct. 30 and 31) to study water quality and quantity issues.
Below is the agenda for Friday afternoon's Legislative Joint Performance Review Committee meeting and for Saturday's Joint Performance Review Committee meeting. We hope you will come, and please inform others about this important issue of water quality and quantity.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites, Rogers, 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Grand Ballroom 9-10
A. Call to Order.
B. Approval of Minutes—October 5, 2009
C. Disposal of water used during drilling in the Fayetteville Shale Gas and the possible impact on underground aquifers and wells.
1. Comments by Ms. Joyce Hale, League of Women Voters
2. Comments by Mr. Tim Snell, The Nature Conservancy
3. Comments by Ms. Debbie Doss, Arkansas Canoe Club
4. Comments by Mr. Larry Bengal, Director, Oil and Gas Commission
5. Comments by Ms. Teresa Marks, Director, ADEQ
6. Discussion by Committee Members
D. Discussion of the Illinois River Watershed and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), also MS4 and stormwater regulations-Reg 2 changes.
1. Comments by Ms. Delia Haak
2. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
3. Comments by Mr. Evan Teague, Arkansas Farm Bureau
4. Comments by Dr. Brian Haggard, Director, Arkansas Water Resources Center
5. Comments by Ms. Teresa Mark, Director, ADEQ
6. Discussion by Committee Members
E. Adjournment
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Center for Nonprofits at St. Marys--1200 West Walnut Street in Rogers.
A. Call to Order.
B. Discussion of the White River Watershed Protection Plan and sediment turbidity in Beaver Lake.
1. Comments by Mr. Alan Fortenberry, Beaver Water District
2. Comments by Mr. Mike Malone, Northwest Arkansas Council
3. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
4. Comments by Ms. Teresa Marks, Director, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
5. Discussion by Committee Members
C. Discussion of the Watershed Management Plan for the State of Arkansas
1. Comments by Mr. Tony Rimack, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
2. Comment by Mr. Ken Smith, Executive Director, Audubon Arkansas
3. Comments by Ms. Joyce Hale, League of Women Voters
4. Discussion by Committee Members
D. Update on the 2010-2011 Biennium Plan of Work for the Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal and Pollution Abatement Facilities General Obligation Bond Program.
1. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
2. Discussion by Committee Members
E. Adjournment
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Hillside ordinance up for study and possible revision; it needs to go back to pre-veto version and be strenghtened EVEN MORE! Can you say true enforcement?
I was spending most of my time in Little Rock when the tree ordinance was first passed in the 80s, I think?
Anyway, I wasn't seeing local news stories on it, just an occasional short on it in the LR papers where I was employed as outdoor editor. When I moved back to Fayetteville full time one and a half years after the Gazette was bought and closed by the Democrat, I thought the ordinance was actually a strong one. I assumed all cutting of trees required a special tree-by-tree permit anywhere in the city. Then I saw people taking out trees on their own lots for no logical reason and developers removing acres of trees with no concern about erosion or flooding. The the Hillside ordinance was proposed and worked on for years and finally approved by the council only to have the most significant parts vetoed by Mayor Coody.
Boy, I must have been really naive to believe that Fayetteville was really going to protect its urban forest!
Second chance time is now with a new administration guided by people who really care about the local environment.
Hillside ordinance reviewed - once again
By Robin Mero
Thursday, October 29, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE — Discussion was resurrected Tuesday about the city’s Hillside Ordinance, passed in 2006 after four years of debate.
The Fayetteville City Council’s Ordinance Review Committee met to discuss the ordinance, because several aldermen asked city staff to reviewsome aspects. Another discussion is planned, but no date was set.
It’s too soon to evaluate overall success of the ordinance, Karen Minkel, director of strategic planning and internal consulting, said. That will take five years of data, particularly since development has slowed.
Minkel did recommend two revisions, oneto a part of the ordinance vetoed by former Mayor Dan Coody. She suggested the city require that design professionals review plans for new foundations, and that building projects not involving a roof line be exempt from a tree preservation plan requirement.
Several people spoke against the first suggestion for being unnecessary and expensive.
Passed in 2006, the city’s hillside ordinance sets a specific overlay district, spread throughout the city, based on hill slopes. It was intended to control problems with erosion and runoff.
The ordinance is actually a series of amendments to existing ordinances governing grading, drainage, storm water and treepreservation. The amendments govern about 3,000 acres of hillsides and hilltops.
When building takes place within the district, requirements arise involving trees.
For instance, if someone plans to build a single-family home or add to a home, a permit is required - including review of a tree preservation plan. The plan can be drawn by hand, Director of Development Services Jeremy Pate said.
The plan identifies the existing tree canopy, and details what trees will be removed and preserved. The planting of new trees may be required to meet minimum canopy requirements, which range up to30 percent.
The ordinance took four years to perfect. When passed, it included two requirements that Coody vetoed three days later.
Those two requirements:
◊That foundations in the district be designed by licensed engineers. Drawings had to be submitted to the city to ensure, among other reasons, that drainage wouldn’t adversely affect neighbors.
“A lot of conversation had to do with soils. We have bad soils throughout the city. A concern was why shouldn’t we regulate someone else with bad soil [not on a hillside],” Pate said. “The counter-side is that a hillside compounds the problem. There’s more likelihood it could affect a neighbor.”
Minkel said that staff now suggests requiring a design professional to review, not create, the plans. This may cost the property owner, but most are doing this anyway so they don’t have to go back and fix problems, she said. It makes foundation failures less likely.
Bob Caulk spoke, representing the League of Women Voters of Washington County - which was heavily involved in crafting the ordinance.
He expressed concern that involving engineers will increase costs.
“You’re basically saying there will be no more affordable housing in the hillside overlay district. Period.” Caulk said.
◊Setting requirements for tree preservation.
If a builder or home owner reduced the tree canopy on a lot, whatever was saved would be permanently protected. Further trees could never be removed.
Minkel said staff doesn’t recommend pursuing the preservation requirement. Neighbors could have differing requirements, which would be unfair and difficult to enforce.
Minkel had one other suggestion, which she said would remove ambiguity and reduce a burden for residents.
Currently, remodeling sections of a building, such as a bathroom, requires submission of an abbreviated tree preservation plan.
Minkel suggested exempting work that wouldn’t affect a roofline.
Alderman Matthew Petty asked staff ifthey considered what’s involved to require abbreviated tree preservation plans throughout the city, not just in the hillside district.
Pate said that could overwhelm staff, and that option was eliminated before the ordinance passed. Review of the plan requires a site visit.
Petty said he wants the public to know the city does “quite a bit for trees in every development, even outside the hillside district.”
Coody attended the meeting and spoke during public comment.
“The hilltop ordinance was the most progressive and far-reaching development ordinance in the state of Arkansas, and I think it did a lot of good,” Coody said.
Alderman Sarah Lewis seemed interested in expanding the tree preservation process throughout the city, not just in the hillside district. She suggested requiring a permit to cut down a tree.
“If you’re doing a development, you need to be protecting the trees on that lot. The difficulty comes when you’re writing the law. How do you word that and how do you staff that? Do we need a tree preservation plan for individual lots, or can itbe a request to remove trees?” Lewis said. “I also think our whole town has enough soil problems that we should be looking at soil tests.”
News, Pages 1 on 10/29/2009
Anyway, I wasn't seeing local news stories on it, just an occasional short on it in the LR papers where I was employed as outdoor editor. When I moved back to Fayetteville full time one and a half years after the Gazette was bought and closed by the Democrat, I thought the ordinance was actually a strong one. I assumed all cutting of trees required a special tree-by-tree permit anywhere in the city. Then I saw people taking out trees on their own lots for no logical reason and developers removing acres of trees with no concern about erosion or flooding. The the Hillside ordinance was proposed and worked on for years and finally approved by the council only to have the most significant parts vetoed by Mayor Coody.
Boy, I must have been really naive to believe that Fayetteville was really going to protect its urban forest!
Second chance time is now with a new administration guided by people who really care about the local environment.
Hillside ordinance reviewed - once again
By Robin Mero
Thursday, October 29, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE — Discussion was resurrected Tuesday about the city’s Hillside Ordinance, passed in 2006 after four years of debate.
The Fayetteville City Council’s Ordinance Review Committee met to discuss the ordinance, because several aldermen asked city staff to reviewsome aspects. Another discussion is planned, but no date was set.
It’s too soon to evaluate overall success of the ordinance, Karen Minkel, director of strategic planning and internal consulting, said. That will take five years of data, particularly since development has slowed.
Minkel did recommend two revisions, oneto a part of the ordinance vetoed by former Mayor Dan Coody. She suggested the city require that design professionals review plans for new foundations, and that building projects not involving a roof line be exempt from a tree preservation plan requirement.
Several people spoke against the first suggestion for being unnecessary and expensive.
Passed in 2006, the city’s hillside ordinance sets a specific overlay district, spread throughout the city, based on hill slopes. It was intended to control problems with erosion and runoff.
The ordinance is actually a series of amendments to existing ordinances governing grading, drainage, storm water and treepreservation. The amendments govern about 3,000 acres of hillsides and hilltops.
When building takes place within the district, requirements arise involving trees.
For instance, if someone plans to build a single-family home or add to a home, a permit is required - including review of a tree preservation plan. The plan can be drawn by hand, Director of Development Services Jeremy Pate said.
The plan identifies the existing tree canopy, and details what trees will be removed and preserved. The planting of new trees may be required to meet minimum canopy requirements, which range up to30 percent.
The ordinance took four years to perfect. When passed, it included two requirements that Coody vetoed three days later.
Those two requirements:
◊That foundations in the district be designed by licensed engineers. Drawings had to be submitted to the city to ensure, among other reasons, that drainage wouldn’t adversely affect neighbors.
“A lot of conversation had to do with soils. We have bad soils throughout the city. A concern was why shouldn’t we regulate someone else with bad soil [not on a hillside],” Pate said. “The counter-side is that a hillside compounds the problem. There’s more likelihood it could affect a neighbor.”
Minkel said that staff now suggests requiring a design professional to review, not create, the plans. This may cost the property owner, but most are doing this anyway so they don’t have to go back and fix problems, she said. It makes foundation failures less likely.
Bob Caulk spoke, representing the League of Women Voters of Washington County - which was heavily involved in crafting the ordinance.
He expressed concern that involving engineers will increase costs.
“You’re basically saying there will be no more affordable housing in the hillside overlay district. Period.” Caulk said.
◊Setting requirements for tree preservation.
If a builder or home owner reduced the tree canopy on a lot, whatever was saved would be permanently protected. Further trees could never be removed.
Minkel said staff doesn’t recommend pursuing the preservation requirement. Neighbors could have differing requirements, which would be unfair and difficult to enforce.
Minkel had one other suggestion, which she said would remove ambiguity and reduce a burden for residents.
Currently, remodeling sections of a building, such as a bathroom, requires submission of an abbreviated tree preservation plan.
Minkel suggested exempting work that wouldn’t affect a roofline.
Alderman Matthew Petty asked staff ifthey considered what’s involved to require abbreviated tree preservation plans throughout the city, not just in the hillside district.
Pate said that could overwhelm staff, and that option was eliminated before the ordinance passed. Review of the plan requires a site visit.
Petty said he wants the public to know the city does “quite a bit for trees in every development, even outside the hillside district.”
Coody attended the meeting and spoke during public comment.
“The hilltop ordinance was the most progressive and far-reaching development ordinance in the state of Arkansas, and I think it did a lot of good,” Coody said.
Alderman Sarah Lewis seemed interested in expanding the tree preservation process throughout the city, not just in the hillside district. She suggested requiring a permit to cut down a tree.
“If you’re doing a development, you need to be protecting the trees on that lot. The difficulty comes when you’re writing the law. How do you word that and how do you staff that? Do we need a tree preservation plan for individual lots, or can itbe a request to remove trees?” Lewis said. “I also think our whole town has enough soil problems that we should be looking at soil tests.”
News, Pages 1 on 10/29/2009
Ducks Unlimited Northwest Arkansas fund-raising dinner TONIGHT: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Please click on image to go to Flickr site and ENLARGE view of two hens and ducklings in July 2007.
SWEPCO rate-increase public hearing in Fayetteville to be shown on CAT 18, Fayetteville's Public Access Channel and simultaneously on Cat's video stream
Recent SWEPCO Rate Increase Hearing before the Public Service Commission
in Fayetteville will air on COX Cable channel 18 and on the Internet at http://www.catfayetteville.org five times Sunday through Thursday Nov. 5
Sunday, Nov. 1 at 9pm
Monday, Nov.2 at 2:30pm
Wed, Nov 4 at 1:30am & 2pm
Thurs, Nov 5 at 9pm
Thanks Everyone,
-Sky
in Fayetteville will air on COX Cable channel 18 and on the Internet at http://www.catfayetteville.org five times Sunday through Thursday Nov. 5
Sunday, Nov. 1 at 9pm
Monday, Nov.2 at 2:30pm
Wed, Nov 4 at 1:30am & 2pm
Thurs, Nov 5 at 9pm
Thanks Everyone,
-Sky
Fayetteville Unified Development Code may be revised improperly if Council doesn't carefully consider what should be rubber-stamped by staff members and what should be submitted to public perusal
Please click on each image to go to Flickr site to ENLARGE view of single-family lot split and large houses approved for each new lot without any consideration of where the silt would be kept out of the Spout Spring Branch 150 feet down South College Avenue.
Possibility of loud barking by dogs cited in Planning commission denial of approval for a dog-boarding facility on Old Farmington Road.
Residents of the area didn't speak at the meeting. But lobbyists for the hotel industry spoke about fearing the loss of business because of dogs barking. They weren't even talking about only existing hotels but about MORE HOTELS that might be built in the future.
Those hotels have destroyed a lot of wildlife habitat. Not long ago, only a few years ago, coyotes were hunting mice and other tiny creatures for food on the prairie and hilldside areas where the hotels have been built and where more are expected.
If hotel rooms aren't reasonably soundproof, there should be research into who planned them, who approved their construction and who manages them. Those hotels with their massive parking lots are truly nuisances.
But NO residents of the area spoke at the October 26, 2009, meeting on this subject: Only hotel enthusiasts or peopele with a vested interest in acquiring the property for more hotels rather than rural or suburban activities such as boarding kennels or a few scattered houses in a suburban setting.
Commissioner Christine Myres spoke in favor in the project and voted for it. The planning commission routinely approves projects that will send thousands of dump truck loads through existing neighborhoods without even discussing the noise damage to the people who live along the routes to the site and adjacent to the sites and allows enormous environmental damage without considering such consequences.
How in the world could they have taken seriously the arguments that hotels would lose business because of a dog-boarding facility more than 100 yards away.
On the other hand, the commission did vote to improve oversight of smaller projects. Single-family homes, however, are still immune from city supervision. That's why you will continue to see mud running down the streets where single-family houses are being built.
If you care about air, water and soil quality, start paying attention to these meetings and see that some stronger ordinances are created soon. Northwest Arkansas is a bad actor in the effort to protect natural resources. If you own a hotel, just keep doing what you are doing, because your profit is all that matters.
Biggest unasked question in this discussion of ordinances for project approval: Why would ANY project be approved administratively, even with a 7-day public-comment period?
IF someone in the neighborhood somehow notices a project is in the works, seven days isn't enough time to get organized to study the proposed project and then inform other neighbors and decide what to think of it.
It all has to be made public: the big, medium, small and tiny projects: aka, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Open government is important for all.
Commissioner James Graves stood up for the public's right to know what the staff has approved without going before the planning commission.
Possibility of loud barking by dogs cited in Planning commission denial of approval for a dog-boarding facility on Old Farmington Road.
Residents of the area didn't speak at the meeting. But lobbyists for the hotel industry spoke about fearing the loss of business because of dogs barking. They weren't even talking about only existing hotels but about MORE HOTELS that might be built in the future.
Those hotels have destroyed a lot of wildlife habitat. Not long ago, only a few years ago, coyotes were hunting mice and other tiny creatures for food on the prairie and hilldside areas where the hotels have been built and where more are expected.
If hotel rooms aren't reasonably soundproof, there should be research into who planned them, who approved their construction and who manages them. Those hotels with their massive parking lots are truly nuisances.
But NO residents of the area spoke at the October 26, 2009, meeting on this subject: Only hotel enthusiasts or peopele with a vested interest in acquiring the property for more hotels rather than rural or suburban activities such as boarding kennels or a few scattered houses in a suburban setting.
Commissioner Christine Myres spoke in favor in the project and voted for it. The planning commission routinely approves projects that will send thousands of dump truck loads through existing neighborhoods without even discussing the noise damage to the people who live along the routes to the site and adjacent to the sites and allows enormous environmental damage without considering such consequences.
How in the world could they have taken seriously the arguments that hotels would lose business because of a dog-boarding facility more than 100 yards away.
On the other hand, the commission did vote to improve oversight of smaller projects. Single-family homes, however, are still immune from city supervision. That's why you will continue to see mud running down the streets where single-family houses are being built.
If you care about air, water and soil quality, start paying attention to these meetings and see that some stronger ordinances are created soon. Northwest Arkansas is a bad actor in the effort to protect natural resources. If you own a hotel, just keep doing what you are doing, because your profit is all that matters.
Biggest unasked question in this discussion of ordinances for project approval: Why would ANY project be approved administratively, even with a 7-day public-comment period?
IF someone in the neighborhood somehow notices a project is in the works, seven days isn't enough time to get organized to study the proposed project and then inform other neighbors and decide what to think of it.
It all has to be made public: the big, medium, small and tiny projects: aka, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Open government is important for all.
Commissioner James Graves stood up for the public's right to know what the staff has approved without going before the planning commission.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Green Groups Guild meeting Sunday November 1 at 711 Storer Street
G^3 Meeting!!!
From: Green Groups Guild (ggg@listserv.uark.edu) on behalf of ggg (ggg@UARK.EDU)
Sent: Wed 10/28/09 10:25 PM
To: GGG@LISTSERV.UARK.EDU
1 attachment
Green Gro...docx (11.6 KB)
Meeting will be held at Amy Graves Residence! This Sunday Nov. 1st. At 711 Storer St.
This IS a pot luck so please feel free (but not obligated) to bring drinks or food.
GROUPS THIS MEETING IS FOR YOU! BRING YOUR PROJECTS/IDEAS and SOLICIT HELP!
Also BE A PART OF THE BICYCLE LEGISLATION WRITE UP!
The email didn't set a time. Maybe it will be resent with more detail.
From: Green Groups Guild (ggg@listserv.uark.edu) on behalf of ggg (ggg@UARK.EDU)
Sent: Wed 10/28/09 10:25 PM
To: GGG@LISTSERV.UARK.EDU
1 attachment
Green Gro...docx (11.6 KB)
Meeting will be held at Amy Graves Residence! This Sunday Nov. 1st. At 711 Storer St.
This IS a pot luck so please feel free (but not obligated) to bring drinks or food.
GROUPS THIS MEETING IS FOR YOU! BRING YOUR PROJECTS/IDEAS and SOLICIT HELP!
Also BE A PART OF THE BICYCLE LEGISLATION WRITE UP!
The email didn't set a time. Maybe it will be resent with more detail.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Goody bags of 5K runners to include patriotic pins on commemorative cards
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of a sample of items that will be in the goody bags of the first 300 runners who sign up for the Nov. 7, 2009, Veterans 5K.
If you live within a few miles of the Botanical Garden in far northeast Fayetteville maybe you have time to get there and be the final speaker before 8 p.m. So go help save LEE CREEK, again!
David Orr wrote (while I was far away from a computer):
Sorry for the last minute notice...
Please attend a public hearing tonight and register your support for keeping Lee Creek (runs through Devils Den State Park) a free-flowing stream forever!
6-8 pm at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks (Carl Totemier Center) at 4703 N. Crossover Road, adjacent to Lake Fayetteville.
This hearing is sponsored by the US Army Corps of Engineers, on behalf of water developers in Crawford County. Please attend and bring a friend!
Here are some articles of interest:
http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2009/10/27/news/news102709_01.txt
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/10/25/news/102609trleecreek.txt
http://www.nwanews.com/news/2009/oct/27/study-re-evaluate-lee-creek-damming-20091027/
(this content from NW Ark. Times is available by subscription only; visit "Lee Creek, Arkansas-Oklahoma" page on facebook for full text)
Thank you,
David Orr
Sorry for the last minute notice...
Please attend a public hearing tonight and register your support for keeping Lee Creek (runs through Devils Den State Park) a free-flowing stream forever!
6-8 pm at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks (Carl Totemier Center) at 4703 N. Crossover Road, adjacent to Lake Fayetteville.
This hearing is sponsored by the US Army Corps of Engineers, on behalf of water developers in Crawford County. Please attend and bring a friend!
Here are some articles of interest:
http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2009/10/27/news/news102709_01.txt
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/10/25/news/102609trleecreek.txt
http://www.nwanews.com/news/2009/oct/27/study-re-evaluate-lee-creek-damming-20091027/
(this content from NW Ark. Times is available by subscription only; visit "Lee Creek, Arkansas-Oklahoma" page on facebook for full text)
Thank you,
David Orr
Monday, October 26, 2009
Ward 4 meeting Monday evening included discussion of status of Red Oak Park and South Pass park plus excellent presentation on bicycling in Fayetteville by Laura Kelly of the Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks
Please click on image to go to Flickr site and ENLARGE view of bicycling expert Laura Kelly of the Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks presenting to Ward 4 meeting at Fayetteville City Hall on October 26, 2009.
Transportation Department brings its bad-management practices to South Duncan Avenue on a rainy Monday morning
Grassy swale being destroyed and pipe put in that will speed flow directly downstream and threaten two houses.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Senate and House Chairmen of joint-performance committee of the Arkansas General Assembly invite public to attend meeting in Rogers on Oct. 20-31, 2009, to hear Northwest Arkansas comments on watershed issues
THE ARKANSAS GENERAL ASSEMBLY JOINT PERFORMANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE
Chairmen: Senator Denny Altes and Representative Lindsley Smith
invite you to a pair of legislative meetings in Rogers next week (Oct. 30 and 31) to study water quality and quantity issues.
Below is the agenda for Friday afternoon's Legislative Joint Performance Review Committee meeting and for Saturday's Joint Performance Review Committee meeting. We hope you will come, and please inform others about this important issue of water quality and quantity.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites, Rogers, 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Grand Ballroom 9-10
A. Call to Order.
B. Approval of Minutes—October 5, 2009
C. Disposal of water used during drilling in the Fayetteville Shale Gas and the possible impact on underground aquifers and wells.
1. Comments by Ms. Joyce Hale, League of Women Voters
2. Comments by Mr. Tim Snell, The Nature Conservancy
3. Comments by Ms. Debbie Doss, Arkansas Canoe Club
4. Comments by Mr. Larry Bengal, Director, Oil and Gas Commission
5. Comments by Ms. Teresa Marks, Director, ADEQ
6. Discussion by Committee Members
D. Discussion of the Illinois River Watershed and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), also MS4 and stormwater regulations-Reg 2 changes.
1. Comments by Ms. Delia Haak
2. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
3. Comments by Mr. Evan Teague, Arkansas Farm Bureau
4. Comments by Dr. Brian Haggard, Director, Arkansas Water Resources Center
5. Comments by Ms. Teresa Mark, Director, ADEQ
6. Discussion by Committee Members
E. Adjournment
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Center for Nonprofits at St. Marys--1200 West Walnut Street in Rogers.
A. Call to Order.
B. Discussion of the White River Watershed Protection Plan and sediment turbidity in Beaver Lake.
1. Comments by Mr. Alan Fortenberry, Beaver Water District
2. Comments by Mr. Mike Malone, Northwest Arkansas Council
3. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
4. Comments by Ms. Teresa Marks, Director, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
5. Discussion by Committee Members
C. Discussion of the Watershed Management Plan for the State of Arkansas
1. Comments by Mr. Tony Rimack, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
2. Comment by Mr. Ken Smith, Executive Director, Audubon Arkansas
3. Comments by Ms. Joyce Hale, League of Women Voters
4. Discussion by Committee Members
D. Update on the 2010-2011 Biennium Plan of Work for the Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal and Pollution Abatement Facilities General Obligation Bond Program.
1. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
2. Discussion by Committee Members
E. Adjournment
Guess having such meetings in Fayetteville isn't likely because there could be an angrier, larger crowd on hand and demanding to add comment.
Chairmen: Senator Denny Altes and Representative Lindsley Smith
invite you to a pair of legislative meetings in Rogers next week (Oct. 30 and 31) to study water quality and quantity issues.
Below is the agenda for Friday afternoon's Legislative Joint Performance Review Committee meeting and for Saturday's Joint Performance Review Committee meeting. We hope you will come, and please inform others about this important issue of water quality and quantity.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites, Rogers, 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Grand Ballroom 9-10
A. Call to Order.
B. Approval of Minutes—October 5, 2009
C. Disposal of water used during drilling in the Fayetteville Shale Gas and the possible impact on underground aquifers and wells.
1. Comments by Ms. Joyce Hale, League of Women Voters
2. Comments by Mr. Tim Snell, The Nature Conservancy
3. Comments by Ms. Debbie Doss, Arkansas Canoe Club
4. Comments by Mr. Larry Bengal, Director, Oil and Gas Commission
5. Comments by Ms. Teresa Marks, Director, ADEQ
6. Discussion by Committee Members
D. Discussion of the Illinois River Watershed and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), also MS4 and stormwater regulations-Reg 2 changes.
1. Comments by Ms. Delia Haak
2. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
3. Comments by Mr. Evan Teague, Arkansas Farm Bureau
4. Comments by Dr. Brian Haggard, Director, Arkansas Water Resources Center
5. Comments by Ms. Teresa Mark, Director, ADEQ
6. Discussion by Committee Members
E. Adjournment
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Center for Nonprofits at St. Marys--1200 West Walnut Street in Rogers.
A. Call to Order.
B. Discussion of the White River Watershed Protection Plan and sediment turbidity in Beaver Lake.
1. Comments by Mr. Alan Fortenberry, Beaver Water District
2. Comments by Mr. Mike Malone, Northwest Arkansas Council
3. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
4. Comments by Ms. Teresa Marks, Director, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
5. Discussion by Committee Members
C. Discussion of the Watershed Management Plan for the State of Arkansas
1. Comments by Mr. Tony Rimack, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
2. Comment by Mr. Ken Smith, Executive Director, Audubon Arkansas
3. Comments by Ms. Joyce Hale, League of Women Voters
4. Discussion by Committee Members
D. Update on the 2010-2011 Biennium Plan of Work for the Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal and Pollution Abatement Facilities General Obligation Bond Program.
1. Comments by Mr. Randy Young, Executive Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
2. Discussion by Committee Members
E. Adjournment
Guess having such meetings in Fayetteville isn't likely because there could be an angrier, larger crowd on hand and demanding to add comment.
Larry Foley, Susan Foley and Lioneld Jordan after Ed Begley Jr.'s presentation on October 23, 2009, at the Fayetteville, Arkansas, public library
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Larry Foley, Susan Foley and Lioneld Jordan at the Fayetteville, Arkansas, public library on October 23, 2009.
Larry Foley is a professor of broadcast journalism and head of the University of Arkansas television operation, Susan Foley is the director of development for the Fayetteville Public Library and Lioneld Jordan is the mayor of Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Larry Foley is a professor of broadcast journalism and head of the University of Arkansas television operation, Susan Foley is the director of development for the Fayetteville Public Library and Lioneld Jordan is the mayor of Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Sedge's three-sided stem makes it subject of interesting scientific studies
Please click on image to go to flickr site to ENLARGE and find related photos of tiny sedge buds and flowers.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sunset October 24, 2009, in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Please click on image to go to Flickr site to ENLARGE photo of sunset in south Fayetteville, Arkansas, on October 24, 2009.
Mayor John Gray of Greenland serves as host of OMNI book forum on October 23, 2009, at Greenland Community Center
Please click on image to go to Flickr site to Enlarge photo and to see other photos from Friday night environmental conservation events in Northwest Arkansas on Friday October 23, 2009, including Ed Begley's lecture at Fayetteville Public Library.
Fayetteville Climate Change Action begins at 2 p.m. at Dickson Street and Campbell Avenue next to Bordinos
Fayetteville Climate Change Action begins at 2 p.m. at Dickson Street and Campbell Avenue next to Bordinos.
March and Rally - Fayetteville will join with over 4,000 others world-wide. We hope you will come to learn more about Climate Change and show solidarity. Join with fellow citizens of NW Arkansas at 2:00pm at Dickson and Campbell Streets (next to Bordinos)...the march will begin there and head to the Square. There will be speakers, music and information on how we can make a difference affecting the December treaty in Copenhagen. This is the most pressing universal issue that concerns us all...It's a chance for all of us to Stand up for Action on Climate Change. The event is sponsored by 350.org and 1 SKY. For more information call 530-7786.
A one day screening of The AGE OF STUPID in Fayetteville at the UA Union Theater from 6-9 pm on October 24th.
All of the community is encouraged to attend this FREE screening! Parking free in Union Parking Lot.
After the International Climate Day of Action (2:00 pm beginning on Dickson by Bordinos)
March and Rally - Fayetteville will join with over 4,000 others world-wide. We hope you will come to learn more about Climate Change and show solidarity. Join with fellow citizens of NW Arkansas at 2:00pm at Dickson and Campbell Streets (next to Bordinos)...the march will begin there and head to the Square. There will be speakers, music and information on how we can make a difference affecting the December treaty in Copenhagen. This is the most pressing universal issue that concerns us all...It's a chance for all of us to Stand up for Action on Climate Change. The event is sponsored by 350.org and 1 SKY. For more information call 530-7786.
A one day screening of The AGE OF STUPID in Fayetteville at the UA Union Theater from 6-9 pm on October 24th.
All of the community is encouraged to attend this FREE screening! Parking free in Union Parking Lot.
After the International Climate Day of Action (2:00 pm beginning on Dickson by Bordinos)
Audubon Arkansas, Sierra Club, Village Commons and 1 Sky climate-action rally from 2 to 5 p.m. today in Little Rock
Subject: Come to Little Rock 350 Climate Action Rally & Concert!
1Sky, Audubon Arkansas, Sierra Club, and Village Commons will host Little Rock 350 Climate Action Rally & Concert, Saturday, October 24, 2009, from 2 to 5 pm at MacArthur Park in Little Rock. Rally will feature local musicians, speakers and educational booths.
State Representative Kathy Webb will be our keynote speaker. She will give us an update on the Governor's Commission on Global Warming. Glen Hooks, Regional Director, Sierra Club, will talk about coal and climate change. Thompson Murray, Senior Pastor, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, will talk about creation care.
The following organizations will have a booth at the event: Audubon Arkansas, Green Faith Alliance, Greenway, Keep Little Rock Beautiful, Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas, The Root Cafe and Village Commons.
Juggernaut Glitch and Paul Morphis with Damn Bullets will play. Drumming will be provided by Thompson Murray and friends.
Clean energy T-shirts giveaway!
Join millions of people across the world in celebrating International Day of Climate Action! Come to Little Rock 350 Climate Action Rally & Concert!
For more information or to RSVP, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=316846080007&index=1.
--------------------
To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/readmessage.php&t=1228455680691&mid=14c9b80G5b0f1197Ge3a06dG0
1Sky, Audubon Arkansas, Sierra Club, and Village Commons will host Little Rock 350 Climate Action Rally & Concert, Saturday, October 24, 2009, from 2 to 5 pm at MacArthur Park in Little Rock. Rally will feature local musicians, speakers and educational booths.
State Representative Kathy Webb will be our keynote speaker. She will give us an update on the Governor's Commission on Global Warming. Glen Hooks, Regional Director, Sierra Club, will talk about coal and climate change. Thompson Murray, Senior Pastor, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, will talk about creation care.
The following organizations will have a booth at the event: Audubon Arkansas, Green Faith Alliance, Greenway, Keep Little Rock Beautiful, Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas, The Root Cafe and Village Commons.
Juggernaut Glitch and Paul Morphis with Damn Bullets will play. Drumming will be provided by Thompson Murray and friends.
Clean energy T-shirts giveaway!
Join millions of people across the world in celebrating International Day of Climate Action! Come to Little Rock 350 Climate Action Rally & Concert!
For more information or to RSVP, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=316846080007&index=1.
--------------------
To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/readmessage.php&t=1228455680691&mid=14c9b80G5b0f1197Ge3a06dG0
Ed Begley autographs copies of his new book for more than an hour after the end of his lecture at the Fayetteville, Arkansas, public library on October 23, 2009
Please click on image to go to Flickr site and ENLARGE view of Ed Begley preparing to sign copies of his book after lecturing on the environmentally friendly lifestyle at the Fayetteville Public Library on October 23, 2009.
The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Begley Points Way To Green, Sustainable Living
By Charles Huggins
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — A quick rundown of Ed Begley Jr.'s Studio City home would make the most ardent of environmentalists green with envy.
The actor's cozy but eco-friendly house boasts solar power, a wind turbine, low-flush toilets, a toaster powered by a stationary bike and a new product called GreenSwitch that wirelessly conserves phantom power to electrical devices in stand-by or off modes, just to name a few features.
Outside he waters his drought-tolerant plants and vegetables with a 550-gallon greywater system filtered from his home's wastewater. He often cooks using a solar oven, and the white picket fence surrounding his home is made from recycled plastic milk containers.
Begley Jr. walks the walk when it comes to green living and reducing his family's carbon footprint, evident in his manic, often off-beat delivery he shared with about 500 people Friday at the Fayetteville Public Library.
Even though he remains hopeful, Begley doesn't shy away from the environmental problems our world faces.
"We can do this. Never let anybody tell you we can't. There's many challenges that we have but we can do this because we've shown time and again we can. ... There's so many opportunities to prosper. I believe there can be green-collar jobs and lots of them," Begley said.
Begley began small in the 1970s, doing what he could afford to lead a green lifestyle before it was en vogue. He was inspired by his father, Oscar-winning actor Ed Begley Sr., who lived a conservative life despite his success.
"I did a lot of these things as much to honor him as anything. He never used the word environmentalist, but he was one," he said.
In his recently published book "Ed Begley Jr.'s Guide To Sustainable Living" and in his reality TV show "Living With Ed," Begley chronicles what anyone with the most meager of means can do to live green and save some green in their wallets.
"I think anybody can afford energy-efficient lightbulbs," Begley Jr. said, adding that home energy audits, weather stripping, bike riding and home composting also benefits the environment. "Every single thing I just mentioned is very cheap."
Begley toured the library Friday afternoon and was impressed with its cistern that catches rainwater for irrigation, waterless urinals and lighting control systems that harness natural light. The building is the first in the state to be LEED certified, a national standard for green, sustainable buildings.
"I've come here to Fayetteville and seen things I've never seen in any other library," Begley Jr. said. "You have much here, and of course, the wonderful LEED certification for this building that is not only good for the environment, it's good for the bottom line of this library in the long run."
Sandy Morris of Springdale attended the event not just for herself but for her son, Staff Sgt. Parker Morris, a Begley fan stationed oversees in the Army. She bought one of the actor's books to get it autographed for him.
"I'm sure (Begley) is doing what we all should be doing," Morris said.
The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Begley Points Way To Green, Sustainable Living
By Charles Huggins
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — A quick rundown of Ed Begley Jr.'s Studio City home would make the most ardent of environmentalists green with envy.
The actor's cozy but eco-friendly house boasts solar power, a wind turbine, low-flush toilets, a toaster powered by a stationary bike and a new product called GreenSwitch that wirelessly conserves phantom power to electrical devices in stand-by or off modes, just to name a few features.
Outside he waters his drought-tolerant plants and vegetables with a 550-gallon greywater system filtered from his home's wastewater. He often cooks using a solar oven, and the white picket fence surrounding his home is made from recycled plastic milk containers.
Begley Jr. walks the walk when it comes to green living and reducing his family's carbon footprint, evident in his manic, often off-beat delivery he shared with about 500 people Friday at the Fayetteville Public Library.
Even though he remains hopeful, Begley doesn't shy away from the environmental problems our world faces.
"We can do this. Never let anybody tell you we can't. There's many challenges that we have but we can do this because we've shown time and again we can. ... There's so many opportunities to prosper. I believe there can be green-collar jobs and lots of them," Begley said.
Begley began small in the 1970s, doing what he could afford to lead a green lifestyle before it was en vogue. He was inspired by his father, Oscar-winning actor Ed Begley Sr., who lived a conservative life despite his success.
"I did a lot of these things as much to honor him as anything. He never used the word environmentalist, but he was one," he said.
In his recently published book "Ed Begley Jr.'s Guide To Sustainable Living" and in his reality TV show "Living With Ed," Begley chronicles what anyone with the most meager of means can do to live green and save some green in their wallets.
"I think anybody can afford energy-efficient lightbulbs," Begley Jr. said, adding that home energy audits, weather stripping, bike riding and home composting also benefits the environment. "Every single thing I just mentioned is very cheap."
Begley toured the library Friday afternoon and was impressed with its cistern that catches rainwater for irrigation, waterless urinals and lighting control systems that harness natural light. The building is the first in the state to be LEED certified, a national standard for green, sustainable buildings.
"I've come here to Fayetteville and seen things I've never seen in any other library," Begley Jr. said. "You have much here, and of course, the wonderful LEED certification for this building that is not only good for the environment, it's good for the bottom line of this library in the long run."
Sandy Morris of Springdale attended the event not just for herself but for her son, Staff Sgt. Parker Morris, a Begley fan stationed oversees in the Army. She bought one of the actor's books to get it autographed for him.
"I'm sure (Begley) is doing what we all should be doing," Morris said.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Mayor Lioneld Jordan and hundreds of other Fayetteville conservationists welcome Ed Begley to Fayetteville Public Library on October 23, 2009
Please click on individual images to go to Flickr site and ENLARGE view of people at ED BEGLEY'S lecture on Friday October 23, 2009, at Fayetteville Public Library.
Dr. Hershey Garner and Melissa Terry of Fayetteville on October 23, 2009
Fran Alexander and Louise Schaper of Fayetteville on October 23, 2009
Fayetteville urban forester Greg Howe speaks with friend after Ed Begley's lecture at the Fayetteville Public Library on October 23, 2009
Mayor Lioneld Jordan listens to friends discuss Ed Begley's lecture on October 23, 2009
Dr. Hershey Garner and Melissa Terry of Fayetteville on October 23, 2009
Fran Alexander and Louise Schaper of Fayetteville on October 23, 2009
Fayetteville urban forester Greg Howe speaks with friend after Ed Begley's lecture at the Fayetteville Public Library on October 23, 2009
Mayor Lioneld Jordan listens to friends discuss Ed Begley's lecture on October 23, 2009
Piping water underground only goes so far
Please click on image to go to Flickr to ENLARGE view and see related photos.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Walker Park Trail built through formerly thick grove of trees in the riparian zone of Spout Spring Branch, resulting in hideous erosion of stream banks and dangerous spots for people using the trail: curb and gutter and piping upstream on Government Ave. will make problem worse!
Please click on each image to go to Flickr site and see full photos.
Sponsors sought for Nov. 7, 2009, 5K veterans' memorial race to benefit effort to acquire property to expand Fayetteville National Cemetery
Please click on image to move to Flickr site and ENLARGE for easy reading. The Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corporation needs to add sponsor names to the file for the race T shirts and the brochures so that printing can begin. Already, Tyson Foods has donated at the Medal of Honor level and has challenged others to join them at the top of the list, thanks to the effort of RNCIC Secretary Peggy McClain.
Also, Hogeye Inc. has become a sponsor at the Distinguished Service level. The Bank of Fayetteville and other local businesses have come aboard as a Bronze Star sponsor. Hugo's Restaurant and other local businesses have donated prizes and goody-bag stuffers of value.
Please click on image to go to Flickr page to Enlarge logos of first two major sponsors of the Veterans' 5K race set for November 7, 2009, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Also, Hogeye Inc. has become a sponsor at the Distinguished Service level. The Bank of Fayetteville and other local businesses have come aboard as a Bronze Star sponsor. Hugo's Restaurant and other local businesses have donated prizes and goody-bag stuffers of value.
Please click on image to go to Flickr page to Enlarge logos of first two major sponsors of the Veterans' 5K race set for November 7, 2009, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Grasshopper on milkweed at Pinnacle Prairie on October 21, 2009
OK, grasshopper on milkweed on October 21, 2009, see if you can start the chain of photos moving forward on FACEBOOK!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Limestone mining and red-dirt mining more than an irritation to neighbors: Such activities create a new source of pollutants all over the watershed
Plenty of people are grateful for the Fayetteville City Council's brave vote to regulate the mining of red dirt and limestone in and around the city. But misuse of the products of that work also needs to be discussed.
Here is an example of misuse of red dirt in Northwest Arkansas.
A man speaking late in Tuesday, October 20, 2009, meeting of the Fayetteville City Council presented an example of how important it is to be able to operate his red-dirt farm when a quick job is needed. He said that his company had to put 8,000 yards of red dirt in the outfield of the Razorback baseball field at the last minute so that they season could begin.
Many people have heard me say that the only land I have ever VOLUNTARILY MOWED in my life was the 3-lot vacant space next to my home when I was a youngster. I mowed it because we played baseball there. So I love baseball and would consider mowing space to play ball on now. But filled an outfield with red dirt isn't something I would do or support others doing.
Baum Stadium and the new George Cole Field (and the old one a mile to the north) were built on wet prairie land. So we know there was filling to level it a bit and we know the turf there isn't native tallgrass. But bringing in red dirt is not something to brag about.
Please click on image to go to Flick site to ENLARGE view of runoff from pile of limestone gravel into the watershed of the West Fork of the White River. Similar examples may be found in the watershed of the Illinois River.
One major thing that the Fayetteville City Council has not talked about during all the discussion of regulating the mining of red dirt and limestone is trying to limit the amount of those substances used in various kinds of construction in Northwest Arkansas.
Demanding that such material be put only where it may really be needed, under roadbeds BUT NOT ALONG ROADSIDES, is important, more important in the long term than the noise and dust and danger of the process of mining and delivering the substances.
Moving soil or burying soil under anything must be recognized as a threat to the future of mankind's survival.
John Brummett, political columnist, gets warm reception at Senior Democrats' meeting in Springdale, Arkansas, on October 20, 2009
Please click on image to go to Flickr site and ENLARGE view of John Brummett after his speech at the Senior Democrats' meeting on October 20, 2009.
David Whitaker discusses his candidacy for Congress with members of the Washington County, Arkansas, Democratic Central Committee on October 19, 2009
Please click on images to ENLARGE view of David Whitaker at October 19, 2009, meeting of the Washington County Democratic Central Committee in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Northwest Arkansas green-infrastructure group to meet from 5:30-7 p.m. today with Green Drinks group at Smiling Jack's off Dickson Street
Green Drinks will be held Monday, October 19th from 5:30-7:00 PM at Smiling Jack's Fresh Foods, just off Dickson St in Fayetteville.
We will have the pleasure of hosting friends from the Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association at Monday's Green Drinks. They have been working on several maps which describe in great detail the varyious ecosystems, land types, and watershed areas in Washington County. The maps do a great job of helping us understand the karst areas in the County, which will help guide development priorities, assuming ample community support. The maps will be available Monday for those that would like to view them and learn more about how we can protect natural resources in Fayetteville and Washington County.
We will have the pleasure of hosting friends from the Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association at Monday's Green Drinks. They have been working on several maps which describe in great detail the varyious ecosystems, land types, and watershed areas in Washington County. The maps do a great job of helping us understand the karst areas in the County, which will help guide development priorities, assuming ample community support. The maps will be available Monday for those that would like to view them and learn more about how we can protect natural resources in Fayetteville and Washington County.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Native of Mexico, mist flower provides pollen in fall in Northwest Arkansas
Please click on image to go to the Flick photo site and enlarge view of wooly bear caterpiller and view detail. Flower is the mist flower.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Democratic women of Washington County offer barbecue and live music and and auction starting at 4 p.m. Saturday
Bonnie Cook reports:
Washington County Democratic Women will have their Annual BBQ Event on October 17 (this Saturday) at the Randall Tyson Recreation Complex. It's from 4 to 8 P.M. They will have a band, and auction and lots of other things. I think (I'm not quite sure) that admission for adults is $25 and $10 for children. If you have questions email Laura at LLaur20@aol.com
Senior Democrats of Northwest Arkansas will meet on Tuesday, October 20th at 11:30 A.M. at Western Sizzlin in Springdale. John Brummett a popular newspaper columnist and blogger will be guest speaker. YOU are invited to come and bring all your friends for a buffet luncheon.
Benton County Democratic Women will meet on Monday, October 26 at the Clarion Inn at 11:30. Laura Kellams --Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families will be guest speaker. You need a reservation for that. Questions--email me and I'll look up who to call.
Political Animals will meet on Wednesday, November 11th at 7A.M. at the Clarion Inn in Fayetteville. John Camp a retired CNN reporter will be guest speaker.
Washington County Democratic Women will have their Annual BBQ Event on October 17 (this Saturday) at the Randall Tyson Recreation Complex. It's from 4 to 8 P.M. They will have a band, and auction and lots of other things. I think (I'm not quite sure) that admission for adults is $25 and $10 for children. If you have questions email Laura at LLaur20@aol.com
Senior Democrats of Northwest Arkansas will meet on Tuesday, October 20th at 11:30 A.M. at Western Sizzlin in Springdale. John Brummett a popular newspaper columnist and blogger will be guest speaker. YOU are invited to come and bring all your friends for a buffet luncheon.
Benton County Democratic Women will meet on Monday, October 26 at the Clarion Inn at 11:30. Laura Kellams --Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families will be guest speaker. You need a reservation for that. Questions--email me and I'll look up who to call.
Political Animals will meet on Wednesday, November 11th at 7A.M. at the Clarion Inn in Fayetteville. John Camp a retired CNN reporter will be guest speaker.
Free trees to be available to people with water bill and driver's license to prove Fayetteville residency early Saturday morning
Please click on image to move to Flickr site to ENLARGE for easy reading.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
City Council faces tough decisions on the red-dirt mining and limestone quarrying but the real point hasn't been made by anyone
Red dirt and limsstone should not be mined. Period. The environmental damage of blasting out limestone is incalculable. This is all in an area where the karst geology dictates no more growth if growth can't happen without limestone quarrying and red-dirt mining. Red dirt should not be placed on the surface. Red-dirt runoff takes decades to settle out of our waterways.
Two pubic officials have asked me why I haven't spoken on this subject in a public meeting. What I have to say is so obvious and has been so long established in Northwest Arkansas that I can't imagine that no one has failed to understand it and I really don't enjoy saying the obvious over and over.
I am glad that the council and its committees are trying to deal with this. The dumptruck tailgates and the dangerous traffic exactly as described by residents of the area near the mining and quarrying area were things we lived with daily throughout the destruction of 30 acres of wooded and prairie wetland in the Town Branch neighborhood for the Aspen Ridge project and then more another year during construction of the Hill Place apartments. The council never noticed all that was going on right up here between 11th Stree and Martin Luther King Boulevard because we seldom complained. Oh, sure, I documented a bit of it online, but that isn't the same as bringing in a crowd to dominate public meetings. Our neighbors were cursed and threatened by people afraid their high-wage jobs would be thretened by any complaints about the noise, dust, mud and silt running into the Town Branch. Thanks to our previous mayor, some council members actually thought that dredging and filling wetland to allow apartment or condo construction was "the best thing that could happen to our neighborhood." I think that the majority of council members now realize that he was wrong.
More and more people step forward now to say that they are sorry they didn't speak up before. And new owners of homes along the Town Branch are asking how the city could ever have approved such inappropriate construction.
Two pubic officials have asked me why I haven't spoken on this subject in a public meeting. What I have to say is so obvious and has been so long established in Northwest Arkansas that I can't imagine that no one has failed to understand it and I really don't enjoy saying the obvious over and over.
I am glad that the council and its committees are trying to deal with this. The dumptruck tailgates and the dangerous traffic exactly as described by residents of the area near the mining and quarrying area were things we lived with daily throughout the destruction of 30 acres of wooded and prairie wetland in the Town Branch neighborhood for the Aspen Ridge project and then more another year during construction of the Hill Place apartments. The council never noticed all that was going on right up here between 11th Stree and Martin Luther King Boulevard because we seldom complained. Oh, sure, I documented a bit of it online, but that isn't the same as bringing in a crowd to dominate public meetings. Our neighbors were cursed and threatened by people afraid their high-wage jobs would be thretened by any complaints about the noise, dust, mud and silt running into the Town Branch. Thanks to our previous mayor, some council members actually thought that dredging and filling wetland to allow apartment or condo construction was "the best thing that could happen to our neighborhood." I think that the majority of council members now realize that he was wrong.
More and more people step forward now to say that they are sorry they didn't speak up before. And new owners of homes along the Town Branch are asking how the city could ever have approved such inappropriate construction.
School-board members hear apparently logical recommendation from the new administrator
The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
District May Drop Millage Increase
By Steve Caraway
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville School District will drop the idea of a millage increase to build a high school if the school board follows the recommendation of its administration.
Administrators recommended the district use money from the Qualified School Construction Bond program to improve Fayetteville High School. The recommendation came in a special work session of the school board on Thursday.
The state allocated $52.3 million from the construction bond program to Fayetteville, originally to be used in conjunction with money from an 4.9-mill property tax increase. Voters rejected the increase in September.
The proposal recommended Thursday by administrators would make $45.3 million available for the high school. The remainder of the state construction bond will pay for part of the new Happy Hollow Elementary School.
The board needs to vote on its intent to use the construction bond allotment at its Oct. 22 meeting, said Lisa Morstad, district chief financial officer.
The board is also in the middle of picking an architect and construction company. If the board makes its choice in November, the architect would have about two months until the board meeting in January to make plans for high school renovations. The board would need to approve the proposal in January to issue bonds by March, Morstad said.
"We wouldn't have a complete set of plans by then, but we should know what $45.3 million would buy," said Vicki Thomas, superintendent. "That would let the board have an idea of the scope of the project."
The district received notice the state allotted the bonds in September, days after the millage increase was rejected 6,382 to 3,672. Fayetteville's portion of the bonds was 46 percent of Arkansas' total project funds.
The construction bond program is a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Those buying the bonds receive tax credits in place of the interest the district would usually have to pay.
The district will pay back the construction bond with $5 million in stimulus money the district previously received, $2 million in second lien funds, $6 million in capital reserve, a reduction in debt payment after refinancing in January and a $2.5 million reduction in the budget for the life of the bonds. The expected payoff for the bonds is 16 years.
"This is an opportunity you see once in a long time," Morstad said. "Maybe once in a lifetime."
FAST FACT
Fayetteville Schools Election Survey
The district is still accepting survey cards it mailed to voters after the failed millage election. The district has received about 3,000 responses from the 10,054 who voted.
Source: Fayetteville Public Schools
AT A GLANCE
Architect and Construction Companies
The Fayetteville School Board shortened the lists from which it plans to select an architect and a construction manager.
Architects
• Allison Architects of Fayetteville partnering with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting of Charlotte, N.C.
• Crafton, Tull, Sparks of Rogers partnering with Perkins+Will of San Francisco
• Hight-Jackson Associates of Rogers partnering with DLR Group of Overland Park, Kan., and Marlon Blackwell of Fayetteville
• Polk Stanley Wilcox of Fayetteville partnering with Concordia LLC and Fanning Howey of New Orleans
• Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson of Fayetteville partnering with Perkins Eastman Architects of New York
Construction Firms
• Baldwin Shell of Rogers
• CDI Contractors of Johnson
• Crossland Construction Co. of Rogers
• Flintco of Springdale
• Nabholz Construction of Rogers
Source: Fayetteville Public Schools
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
District May Drop Millage Increase
By Steve Caraway
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville School District will drop the idea of a millage increase to build a high school if the school board follows the recommendation of its administration.
Administrators recommended the district use money from the Qualified School Construction Bond program to improve Fayetteville High School. The recommendation came in a special work session of the school board on Thursday.
The state allocated $52.3 million from the construction bond program to Fayetteville, originally to be used in conjunction with money from an 4.9-mill property tax increase. Voters rejected the increase in September.
The proposal recommended Thursday by administrators would make $45.3 million available for the high school. The remainder of the state construction bond will pay for part of the new Happy Hollow Elementary School.
The board needs to vote on its intent to use the construction bond allotment at its Oct. 22 meeting, said Lisa Morstad, district chief financial officer.
The board is also in the middle of picking an architect and construction company. If the board makes its choice in November, the architect would have about two months until the board meeting in January to make plans for high school renovations. The board would need to approve the proposal in January to issue bonds by March, Morstad said.
"We wouldn't have a complete set of plans by then, but we should know what $45.3 million would buy," said Vicki Thomas, superintendent. "That would let the board have an idea of the scope of the project."
The district received notice the state allotted the bonds in September, days after the millage increase was rejected 6,382 to 3,672. Fayetteville's portion of the bonds was 46 percent of Arkansas' total project funds.
The construction bond program is a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Those buying the bonds receive tax credits in place of the interest the district would usually have to pay.
The district will pay back the construction bond with $5 million in stimulus money the district previously received, $2 million in second lien funds, $6 million in capital reserve, a reduction in debt payment after refinancing in January and a $2.5 million reduction in the budget for the life of the bonds. The expected payoff for the bonds is 16 years.
"This is an opportunity you see once in a long time," Morstad said. "Maybe once in a lifetime."
FAST FACT
Fayetteville Schools Election Survey
The district is still accepting survey cards it mailed to voters after the failed millage election. The district has received about 3,000 responses from the 10,054 who voted.
Source: Fayetteville Public Schools
AT A GLANCE
Architect and Construction Companies
The Fayetteville School Board shortened the lists from which it plans to select an architect and a construction manager.
Architects
• Allison Architects of Fayetteville partnering with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting of Charlotte, N.C.
• Crafton, Tull, Sparks of Rogers partnering with Perkins+Will of San Francisco
• Hight-Jackson Associates of Rogers partnering with DLR Group of Overland Park, Kan., and Marlon Blackwell of Fayetteville
• Polk Stanley Wilcox of Fayetteville partnering with Concordia LLC and Fanning Howey of New Orleans
• Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson of Fayetteville partnering with Perkins Eastman Architects of New York
Construction Firms
• Baldwin Shell of Rogers
• CDI Contractors of Johnson
• Crossland Construction Co. of Rogers
• Flintco of Springdale
• Nabholz Construction of Rogers
Source: Fayetteville Public Schools
Ducks Unlimited Banquet October 29, 2009, in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Please click on images to move to Flickr site and use magnifying tool above photo to ENLARGE for easy reading.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Monarchs plentiful on southwest corner of Fayetteville square again on October 14, 2009
Please click on image to go to Flickr site and ENLARGE view of pair of monarchs on flowers in the garden on the Fayetteville AR square on October 14, 2009.
Arkansas Times shares excellent interview with Dr. Hershey Garner of Fayetteville
Says insurance companies just get in the way.
Published 10/15/2009
About 60 percent of Dr. Hershey Garner's patients are on Medicare, and they're the ones who are happiest with their health care, he says. It's the patients covered by Blue Cross, and other private insurers, who have the big problems, according to Garner. They're the ones who are informed that their insurer won't pay for certain treatment, the ones told to bring thousands of dollars to the hospital the next day if they want a procedure that's already been scheduled.
And that's why Garner, a Fayetteville oncologist, wants a “Medicare for everybody” sort of health-care reform. His support for this sort of reform, and his willingness to talk about it publicly, got him an invitation to the White House for a meeting with President Obama on health care last week. Garner, a member of a pro-reform group called Doctors for America, was one of four physicians who appeared on-stage with Obama, and whose pictures were widely disseminated by the news media. A group of a hundred or so doctors, representing various groups, sat in the audience and heard an address from Obama.
Observers speculated that Garner was chosen for the elite group because he's from Arkansas, and U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which is working on health care legislation, and she has not been supportive of the kind of bill that Obama wants. Garner said the White House didn't ask him to try to influence Lincoln and other members of the Arkansas congressional delegation, but the White House didn't need to.
“I've been writing letters to Blanche and making phone calls for the last couple of months, since she's been so backward on health care,” Garner said. He's made contact with all the members of the Arkansas congressional delegation, in fact, except for his own congressman, U.S. Rep. John Boozman of the Third District. Boozman, the only Republican in the delegation, is opposed to substantive health-care reform. Garner said he hadn't talked to Boozman because “That's kind of a lost cause, as far as I can tell.”
Although Garner's first choice would be a single-payer, “Medicare for everybody” kind of health care, he's come to believe that an alternate proposal, the “robust government option,” is “probably the best we can hope for at this point.” This proposal would allow the government to offer health insurance in competition with private insurance companies. The insurance companies are violently opposed, and they have allies in Congress, including Lincoln and U.S. Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas's Fourth District.
“Nobody can explain to me what the insurance companies add to the health-care system,” Garner said, “except to get in between me and my patients.”
Garner recently appeared on a news program with a former American Medical Association president “who wanted to just give the insurance companies more customers,” but he said that few practicing physicians are sympathetic to the private insurers. He cited a recent survey of doctors conducted for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The survey showed that 10 percent of doctors want a single-payer plan in lieu of private insurance, and 63 percent favor the “robust public option.” In other words, three-fourths of doctors want major change in the present health-care system.
The Senate health-care bill omits the government option. Legislation from the House of Representatives includes the government option. Garner said that after his meeting with Obama, “I'm a lot more optimistic than I was last week.”
“I'm hoping that we'll get something more progressive out of the reconciliation committee,” Garner said. “I hope the House will stand up for the people. I know the senators are going to stand up for the insurance companies. I can tell where their loyalties lie.”
Garner, 56, grew up in Little Rock and earned his medical degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
http://www.arktimes.com/articles/articleviewer.aspx?ArticleID=1b0b6554-ea04-4df8-a457-277955af6407
Published 10/15/2009
About 60 percent of Dr. Hershey Garner's patients are on Medicare, and they're the ones who are happiest with their health care, he says. It's the patients covered by Blue Cross, and other private insurers, who have the big problems, according to Garner. They're the ones who are informed that their insurer won't pay for certain treatment, the ones told to bring thousands of dollars to the hospital the next day if they want a procedure that's already been scheduled.
And that's why Garner, a Fayetteville oncologist, wants a “Medicare for everybody” sort of health-care reform. His support for this sort of reform, and his willingness to talk about it publicly, got him an invitation to the White House for a meeting with President Obama on health care last week. Garner, a member of a pro-reform group called Doctors for America, was one of four physicians who appeared on-stage with Obama, and whose pictures were widely disseminated by the news media. A group of a hundred or so doctors, representing various groups, sat in the audience and heard an address from Obama.
Observers speculated that Garner was chosen for the elite group because he's from Arkansas, and U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which is working on health care legislation, and she has not been supportive of the kind of bill that Obama wants. Garner said the White House didn't ask him to try to influence Lincoln and other members of the Arkansas congressional delegation, but the White House didn't need to.
“I've been writing letters to Blanche and making phone calls for the last couple of months, since she's been so backward on health care,” Garner said. He's made contact with all the members of the Arkansas congressional delegation, in fact, except for his own congressman, U.S. Rep. John Boozman of the Third District. Boozman, the only Republican in the delegation, is opposed to substantive health-care reform. Garner said he hadn't talked to Boozman because “That's kind of a lost cause, as far as I can tell.”
Although Garner's first choice would be a single-payer, “Medicare for everybody” kind of health care, he's come to believe that an alternate proposal, the “robust government option,” is “probably the best we can hope for at this point.” This proposal would allow the government to offer health insurance in competition with private insurance companies. The insurance companies are violently opposed, and they have allies in Congress, including Lincoln and U.S. Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas's Fourth District.
“Nobody can explain to me what the insurance companies add to the health-care system,” Garner said, “except to get in between me and my patients.”
Garner recently appeared on a news program with a former American Medical Association president “who wanted to just give the insurance companies more customers,” but he said that few practicing physicians are sympathetic to the private insurers. He cited a recent survey of doctors conducted for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The survey showed that 10 percent of doctors want a single-payer plan in lieu of private insurance, and 63 percent favor the “robust public option.” In other words, three-fourths of doctors want major change in the present health-care system.
The Senate health-care bill omits the government option. Legislation from the House of Representatives includes the government option. Garner said that after his meeting with Obama, “I'm a lot more optimistic than I was last week.”
“I'm hoping that we'll get something more progressive out of the reconciliation committee,” Garner said. “I hope the House will stand up for the people. I know the senators are going to stand up for the insurance companies. I can tell where their loyalties lie.”
Garner, 56, grew up in Little Rock and earned his medical degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
http://www.arktimes.com/articles/articleviewer.aspx?ArticleID=1b0b6554-ea04-4df8-a457-277955af6407
Stillwater, Oklahoma, City Council turns down same student-apartment development group that recently was turned down in Fayetteville
Published: October 13, 2009 04:12 pm in the Stillwater NewsPress
Council says no to Campus Crest
Monique Headley
Stillwater City Council denied the request of Campus Crest developers to build local luxury student housing in a four-to-one vote Monday.
Mayor Nathan Bates cast the only vote in favor of Campus Crest.
Councilors determined the proposed site to be incompatible with the Stillwater comprehensive plan. The planned development of multifamily commercial property was considered excessively dense for the single-family residential area.
Developers said the future may yield another construction bid elsewhere in the city.
Councilors said if certain issues were resolved or alternate location selected, a subsequent Campus Crest request could prove successful.
Campus Crest had asked to rezone property located at 717 E. Hall of Fame Ave. and 1000, 1118, 1120 and 1202 E. Virginia Ave. The company planned to build a clubhouse and eight multifamily, four-story dwellings that would be 50 feet tall.
The hearing room overflowed with about 90 people for and against the planned unit development called The Grove.
Residents said that, if approved, the development would plunge property values, not allow sufficient transition space between the structures and increase traffic and the potential for crime.
Several strongly suggested councilors heed the wishes of residents or risk election retribution.
Regardless of such veiled threats, which Vice Mayor Tom Dugger said he found offensive, “we take resident concerns seriously.”
With the dismissal of developers, resident Glenda Roe said, “I am very glad about the decision. I just really trusted councilors to represent the citizens all over town.”
Development opponent Kevin Campbell was excited about the decision.
“I feel like we followed the rules, listened and communicated. I am pleased with the council vote,” he said.
Campus Crest also brought seven to 10 residents of a Grove property in Wichita, Kan., to the meeting. According to Chief Marketing Officer Shannon King, the company gave them only a free bus ride and lunch in exchange for their presence at the meeting.
None of the imported cadre addressed councilors. Several, like Cameron Bedel and Donnie Chauncey, privately expressed support for the Grove as a great place to live.
Recently, 700 signatures in support of development were collected and provided to the council, Crest staffer Alex Eyssen said.
“I am sad and disappointed that the city did not see the benefit the development would provide to residents and university students,” King said.
Further consideration would be given to another site location in Stillwater, she said.
“I am not surprised by resident reactions. I am surprised by the City Council,” she said.
According to King, all planned unit development and city requirements were met.
Councilors did not feel likewise.
“When you look at the comprehensive plan, people do have a right to be concerned. It did not offer transition,” Councilor Chuck Hopkins said.
If alternate solutions had been presented prior to a vote, sub-issues like drainage and necessary roadwork to accommodate additional density could have been resolved.
Bates said, “I believe there is support in the community for Campus Crest. We have to try to find the right location.”
Additional areas with proximity to Oklahoma State University have been provided by council to developers, he said. Stillwater remains in favor of development and additional housing, he added..
Nearby Hampton Inn and Suites owner Joe Martin concurred.
Martin said the area should allow for future commercial development and a no vote would significantly impact neighboring businesses.
“The growth of Stillwater and OSU is important to me,” he said.
Several councilors commended Campus Crest staffers on their professionalism.
Council says no to Campus Crest
Monique Headley
Stillwater City Council denied the request of Campus Crest developers to build local luxury student housing in a four-to-one vote Monday.
Mayor Nathan Bates cast the only vote in favor of Campus Crest.
Councilors determined the proposed site to be incompatible with the Stillwater comprehensive plan. The planned development of multifamily commercial property was considered excessively dense for the single-family residential area.
Developers said the future may yield another construction bid elsewhere in the city.
Councilors said if certain issues were resolved or alternate location selected, a subsequent Campus Crest request could prove successful.
Campus Crest had asked to rezone property located at 717 E. Hall of Fame Ave. and 1000, 1118, 1120 and 1202 E. Virginia Ave. The company planned to build a clubhouse and eight multifamily, four-story dwellings that would be 50 feet tall.
The hearing room overflowed with about 90 people for and against the planned unit development called The Grove.
Residents said that, if approved, the development would plunge property values, not allow sufficient transition space between the structures and increase traffic and the potential for crime.
Several strongly suggested councilors heed the wishes of residents or risk election retribution.
Regardless of such veiled threats, which Vice Mayor Tom Dugger said he found offensive, “we take resident concerns seriously.”
With the dismissal of developers, resident Glenda Roe said, “I am very glad about the decision. I just really trusted councilors to represent the citizens all over town.”
Development opponent Kevin Campbell was excited about the decision.
“I feel like we followed the rules, listened and communicated. I am pleased with the council vote,” he said.
Campus Crest also brought seven to 10 residents of a Grove property in Wichita, Kan., to the meeting. According to Chief Marketing Officer Shannon King, the company gave them only a free bus ride and lunch in exchange for their presence at the meeting.
None of the imported cadre addressed councilors. Several, like Cameron Bedel and Donnie Chauncey, privately expressed support for the Grove as a great place to live.
Recently, 700 signatures in support of development were collected and provided to the council, Crest staffer Alex Eyssen said.
“I am sad and disappointed that the city did not see the benefit the development would provide to residents and university students,” King said.
Further consideration would be given to another site location in Stillwater, she said.
“I am not surprised by resident reactions. I am surprised by the City Council,” she said.
According to King, all planned unit development and city requirements were met.
Councilors did not feel likewise.
“When you look at the comprehensive plan, people do have a right to be concerned. It did not offer transition,” Councilor Chuck Hopkins said.
If alternate solutions had been presented prior to a vote, sub-issues like drainage and necessary roadwork to accommodate additional density could have been resolved.
Bates said, “I believe there is support in the community for Campus Crest. We have to try to find the right location.”
Additional areas with proximity to Oklahoma State University have been provided by council to developers, he said. Stillwater remains in favor of development and additional housing, he added..
Nearby Hampton Inn and Suites owner Joe Martin concurred.
Martin said the area should allow for future commercial development and a no vote would significantly impact neighboring businesses.
“The growth of Stillwater and OSU is important to me,” he said.
Several councilors commended Campus Crest staffers on their professionalism.
Doug Thompson's The Morning News report on the Public Service Commission's barely publicized public hearing in Fayetteville on October 13, 2009
The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Electric Rate Increase Stokes Coal Concerns
By Doug Thompson
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — A proposed electric rate increase for Swepco customers received statements of support from customers as far away as Mena at a public comment hearing on Tuesday.
Seven of the 12 comments made, however, were pleas for exploring alternative energy and opposition to the utility's plans for a new coal-fueled plant in Hope. That proposed new powerplant is not part of this increase request, attorneys for the PSC, the state attorney general's office and the Southwestern Electric Power Company said.
Tuesday hearing by the state Public Service Commission, which sets electric rates, concerned a proposed rate hike that would raise the average home's electric bill by 5.17 percent. The company requested the increase because operating costs have increased said utility attorney David Matthews of Lowell.
"Our belt tightening is down to its last notches," he told the commissioners at the hearing.
This would be the first increase in Swepco's base rate since 1985, although other fees and charges required by the federal and state governments have gone on consumers bills during that time. The three-member commission will hold a hearing on the request on Nov. 2 at its headquarters in Little Rock and is expected to reach a decision by December, according to commission staff.
"I can certainly say I don't want a rate increase at this time, but Swepco's been a great corporate citizen to Mena," said James Turner, a resident of that city. Mena and many of the rest of Swepco's 114,000 customers suffered from an ice storm early this year. Mena was also hit by tornadoes in the spring. Swepco did an excellent job of restoring service to that town and deserves credit for holding down rates for years, residents of that town said. About 30 people attended the 6 p.m. hearing.
Fayetteville business owner Moshe Newman was among the seven residents attending the meeting who said they want to see the utility explore more options for energy and oppose the further use of coal. Paul Suskie of North Little Rock, commission chairman, said the agency had asked each utility company at an earlier meeting what they were doing to adopt renewable energy and that the records of that are available from the commission.
The proposed increase totals about $17.8 million. If approved, the average Swepco home electric bill with an estimated usage of 1,000 kilowatt hours per month would see an increase of $3.84 per month from a current average base electric charge of $74.27 per month, according to PSC figures.
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Electric Rate Increase Stokes Coal Concerns
By Doug Thompson
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — A proposed electric rate increase for Swepco customers received statements of support from customers as far away as Mena at a public comment hearing on Tuesday.
Seven of the 12 comments made, however, were pleas for exploring alternative energy and opposition to the utility's plans for a new coal-fueled plant in Hope. That proposed new powerplant is not part of this increase request, attorneys for the PSC, the state attorney general's office and the Southwestern Electric Power Company said.
Tuesday hearing by the state Public Service Commission, which sets electric rates, concerned a proposed rate hike that would raise the average home's electric bill by 5.17 percent. The company requested the increase because operating costs have increased said utility attorney David Matthews of Lowell.
"Our belt tightening is down to its last notches," he told the commissioners at the hearing.
This would be the first increase in Swepco's base rate since 1985, although other fees and charges required by the federal and state governments have gone on consumers bills during that time. The three-member commission will hold a hearing on the request on Nov. 2 at its headquarters in Little Rock and is expected to reach a decision by December, according to commission staff.
"I can certainly say I don't want a rate increase at this time, but Swepco's been a great corporate citizen to Mena," said James Turner, a resident of that city. Mena and many of the rest of Swepco's 114,000 customers suffered from an ice storm early this year. Mena was also hit by tornadoes in the spring. Swepco did an excellent job of restoring service to that town and deserves credit for holding down rates for years, residents of that town said. About 30 people attended the 6 p.m. hearing.
Fayetteville business owner Moshe Newman was among the seven residents attending the meeting who said they want to see the utility explore more options for energy and oppose the further use of coal. Paul Suskie of North Little Rock, commission chairman, said the agency had asked each utility company at an earlier meeting what they were doing to adopt renewable energy and that the records of that are available from the commission.
The proposed increase totals about $17.8 million. If approved, the average Swepco home electric bill with an estimated usage of 1,000 kilowatt hours per month would see an increase of $3.84 per month from a current average base electric charge of $74.27 per month, according to PSC figures.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Morning News reports that Mayor Jordan says green-job training program coming to NWACC sites in Fayetteville and Bentonville
The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Green Job Training Center Coming To Fayetteville
By Skip Descant
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville will be a site for a green collar job training center, the mayor announced Tuesday.
"This is a huge thing for us, to be able to train workers for these green jobs," Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan said.
Two training centers will be located in the state, as part of a U.S. Department of Energy grant. One will be administered by NorthWest Arkansas Community College. The other will be run by Pulaski Technical College in Little Rock.
The programs will train energy auditors, energy raters and weatherization professionals.
"We were fortunate that federal stimulus dollars are available for these types of things," said Karen Minkel, director of strategic planning and internal consulting for the city of Fayetteville, speaking at a summer meeting of the Fayetteville Forward Economic Accountability Council, Green Economy Group. At the time, the group was charged with brainstorming a range of green job creation options. The training center idea was still in its infancy.
The $1.3 million grant going to the community college is not intended for bricks and mortar facilities, but is intended to develop curriculum, officials said.
Some courses will be offered at the Bentonville campus, but a majority will likely be taught at a Fayetteville location, Jordan said.
"Though we don't know where just yet," Jordan said. "That's part of the negotiations that still have to happen."
Numerous details are yet to be worked out about the center.
Fayetteville hopes that being a recipient of the energy grant positions it to also receive a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to pay tuition costs.
"You see, that's real important. If you're unemployed in south Fayetteville, there's a good chance you can't afford these types of things, and this labor grant could help," Jordan said.
The project is a months-long coordinated effort among Fayetteville, NWACC, the University of Arkansas and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. It represents a central theme to the kinds of jobs Jordan wants to see formed in Northwest Arkansas.
"I truly believe that we would not have it in Fayetteville if he had not pulled everyone together," said Don Marr, Jordan's chief of staff.
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Green Job Training Center Coming To Fayetteville
By Skip Descant
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville will be a site for a green collar job training center, the mayor announced Tuesday.
"This is a huge thing for us, to be able to train workers for these green jobs," Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan said.
Two training centers will be located in the state, as part of a U.S. Department of Energy grant. One will be administered by NorthWest Arkansas Community College. The other will be run by Pulaski Technical College in Little Rock.
The programs will train energy auditors, energy raters and weatherization professionals.
"We were fortunate that federal stimulus dollars are available for these types of things," said Karen Minkel, director of strategic planning and internal consulting for the city of Fayetteville, speaking at a summer meeting of the Fayetteville Forward Economic Accountability Council, Green Economy Group. At the time, the group was charged with brainstorming a range of green job creation options. The training center idea was still in its infancy.
The $1.3 million grant going to the community college is not intended for bricks and mortar facilities, but is intended to develop curriculum, officials said.
Some courses will be offered at the Bentonville campus, but a majority will likely be taught at a Fayetteville location, Jordan said.
"Though we don't know where just yet," Jordan said. "That's part of the negotiations that still have to happen."
Numerous details are yet to be worked out about the center.
Fayetteville hopes that being a recipient of the energy grant positions it to also receive a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to pay tuition costs.
"You see, that's real important. If you're unemployed in south Fayetteville, there's a good chance you can't afford these types of things, and this labor grant could help," Jordan said.
The project is a months-long coordinated effort among Fayetteville, NWACC, the University of Arkansas and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. It represents a central theme to the kinds of jobs Jordan wants to see formed in Northwest Arkansas.
"I truly believe that we would not have it in Fayetteville if he had not pulled everyone together," said Don Marr, Jordan's chief of staff.
Another female burrowing crayfish carrying her young offers photo opportunity on October 9, 2009
Please click on image to go to Flickr stie and ENLARGE view of female burrowing crayfish with not-quite-ready-for-primetime infants hanging beneath her body on October 9, 2009.
Green Groups Guild meeting Thursday
From: Green Groups Guild (ggg@listserv.uark.edu) on behalf of ggg (ggg@UARK.EDU)
Sent: Tue 10/13/09 2:31 PM
To: GGG@LISTSERV.UARK.EDU
Meeting 10/15/09 7:00 p.m.
209 Thompson Ave. Three Sisters Bldg on Dickson above Fez Hookah Lounge.
Patrick Kunnecke
GGG President
ASLA Vice President
4th Year Landscape Architecture Student
479-544-1906
Sent: Tue 10/13/09 2:31 PM
To: GGG@LISTSERV.UARK.EDU
Meeting 10/15/09 7:00 p.m.
209 Thompson Ave. Three Sisters Bldg on Dickson above Fez Hookah Lounge.
Patrick Kunnecke
GGG President
ASLA Vice President
4th Year Landscape Architecture Student
479-544-1906
The Morning News reports death of teenage boy riding ATV
Boy Dead In ATV Accident
By THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — A Washington County boy died Sunday after flipping an all-terrain vehicle.
Dillon Thurman, 15, was found pinned between a four-wheeler and a tree in a creek bed about 10 p.m. Sunday, police said.
Thurman had left his home on the family's 2,000-acre farm in northwest Washington County about 2 p.m. Family members called for help about 8:20 p.m. when he hadn't returned.
Thurman apparently attempted to climb a 4-foot embankment out of the creek bed when the ATV flipped over backwards, trapping him, said Kelly Cantrell, a sheriff's office spokeswoman.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thurman's death was the first fatal ATV accident in the county since June 27, 2008, when a man hit a culvert while riding along Cincinnati Road, just a few miles from the Thurman farm.
By THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — A Washington County boy died Sunday after flipping an all-terrain vehicle.
Dillon Thurman, 15, was found pinned between a four-wheeler and a tree in a creek bed about 10 p.m. Sunday, police said.
Thurman had left his home on the family's 2,000-acre farm in northwest Washington County about 2 p.m. Family members called for help about 8:20 p.m. when he hadn't returned.
Thurman apparently attempted to climb a 4-foot embankment out of the creek bed when the ATV flipped over backwards, trapping him, said Kelly Cantrell, a sheriff's office spokeswoman.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thurman's death was the first fatal ATV accident in the county since June 27, 2008, when a man hit a culvert while riding along Cincinnati Road, just a few miles from the Thurman farm.
Renewable energy organization invites all to gather to protest plan that would force Arkansans "to buy contested coal plant for Christmas"
Renewable invited you to "SWEPCO RATE INCREASE @ CITY HALL 6pm TODAY" today.
Renewable says, "Print a letter and bring it to the Town Center. Come to city hall and sign one of ours. Bring a sign. Bring an elephant. Come to the Town Center tonight or hold your peace. First, tell people about this.".
Event: SWEPCO RATE INCREASE @ CITY HALL 6pm TODAY
What: Rally
Start Time: Today, October 13 at 11:20am
End Time: Today, October 13 at 2:20pm
Where: Arkansans to buy contested coal plant for Christmas!!
Renewable says, "Print a letter and bring it to the Town Center. Come to city hall and sign one of ours. Bring a sign. Bring an elephant. Come to the Town Center tonight or hold your peace. First, tell people about this.".
Event: SWEPCO RATE INCREASE @ CITY HALL 6pm TODAY
What: Rally
Start Time: Today, October 13 at 11:20am
End Time: Today, October 13 at 2:20pm
Where: Arkansans to buy contested coal plant for Christmas!!
Monday, October 12, 2009
When will the riparian ordinance and the ordinances involving curb and gutter requirements go to the council?
Please click on image to go to Flickr and ENLARGE photo of sidewalk, curb and gutter work on South Government Avenue on October 12, 2009.
This is an example of work authorized in past years that is continuing even as new, progressive rules are being considered. Millions of dollars in needless paving and creation of exactly backward stormwater-management structures are being built.
Talking about "drainage problems" is out of date. Finding ways to keep the water where it falls is the task of today's stormwater engineers.
See the big pipes in one of the photos? Those will take stormwater from the streets directly to the Tanglewood Branch, which flows under South College at Ninth Street and already causes huge bank erosion as it joins the the Spout Spring Branch at the edge of Walker Park, where the riparian zone was denuded of timber a few years ago for creation of a trail, leaving nothing to protect it from erosion. On the way, it helps back floodwater up Locust Avenue into yards and potentially into houses.
It is past time to pass a strong riparian ordinance and begin negotiating with developers for a wider swath of property for trail building and park land. There is no excuse for construction of our wonderful trails at the expense of the riparian vegetation, quality of water in our streams, shade trees to protect living things in our streams and the beauty of the trailsides. And paving in a stream's overflow area or the so-called floodway is WRONG. Calling a trail a part of the "transportation system" and building it where it may be under fast-flowing water exactly when someone needs to travel on it is patently stupid.
This is an example of work authorized in past years that is continuing even as new, progressive rules are being considered. Millions of dollars in needless paving and creation of exactly backward stormwater-management structures are being built.
Talking about "drainage problems" is out of date. Finding ways to keep the water where it falls is the task of today's stormwater engineers.
See the big pipes in one of the photos? Those will take stormwater from the streets directly to the Tanglewood Branch, which flows under South College at Ninth Street and already causes huge bank erosion as it joins the the Spout Spring Branch at the edge of Walker Park, where the riparian zone was denuded of timber a few years ago for creation of a trail, leaving nothing to protect it from erosion. On the way, it helps back floodwater up Locust Avenue into yards and potentially into houses.
It is past time to pass a strong riparian ordinance and begin negotiating with developers for a wider swath of property for trail building and park land. There is no excuse for construction of our wonderful trails at the expense of the riparian vegetation, quality of water in our streams, shade trees to protect living things in our streams and the beauty of the trailsides. And paving in a stream's overflow area or the so-called floodway is WRONG. Calling a trail a part of the "transportation system" and building it where it may be under fast-flowing water exactly when someone needs to travel on it is patently stupid.
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