Please click on image to ENLARGE view of staff members and residents of Fayetteville in the first Jordan transition meeting.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Northwest Arkansas Times reports first Jordan transition meeting
NWAT on first transition meeting
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of staff members and residents of Fayetteville in the first Jordan transition meeting.
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of staff members and residents of Fayetteville in the first Jordan transition meeting.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Lioneld jordan meets with transition team
Please click on image of Lioneld Jordan in first meeting with transition team on December 11, 2008.
Transition team meets with mayor-elect to plan long-term goals
The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Jordan Transition Team Holds First Meeting
By Skip Descant
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE -- Lioneld Jordan's transition team will spend the next month studying four key elements from his campaign to give the new Fayetteville mayor distinct goals and objectives to help guide the city through the first year of his administration.
"We want to try to capture that same momentum and energy here on a city level," Don Marr, transition team leader, told the group at its first meeting Thursday. Marr recalled a campaign that attracted broad cross-sections of interests and people.
"We want to make sure that we have multiple stakeholders at the table," Marr added.
The group identified four subgroups, and the 12 members divided themselves among those areas. Each group will establish its own set of goals, objectives and output.
Economic development is a subgroup with high priority because one of Jordan's campaign promises was to have an economic development strategy in the first 90 days of taking office.
"We're not going to come up with the plan, but we do want to come up with goals, ideas and priorities," said Eva Madison, a lawyer and a member of the transition team.
Another area of study is infrastructure and the environment. Another group will look at Fayetteville's budget concerns by reviewing the 2009 budget and past audit reports. And a lastly, is a subgroup to explore communication. This area explores not only how the mayor can better interact with residents, but to also address internal communication among employees.
"If I'm an employee right now, I'm uncertain," remarked transition team member Cathy Foraker, a manager with AT&T.
"There's a natural nervousness there," said Steve Davis, a transition team member and former finance director for the city of Fayetteville.
A next stage for the transition team is gathering the documents it needs to study the various areas. It will review current projects in place by the city, as well as broad-reaching plans such as City Plan 2025, the 2007 citizen survey and the economic development strategy plan to be presented Monday afternoon by Eva Klein and Associates. The firm was contracted by the city and the University of Arkansas to come up with an economic development strategy for Fayetteville.
And indeed, the heads assembled around the table Thursday for the first organizational meeting was a collection of who's who in areas such as law, corporate management, education and other areas to represent a diverse cross-section of Fayetteville.
"I seem to really have an ability put together people who are smarter than myself," remarked Jordan when the meeting broke. "And I think that's a good thing."
AT A GLANCE
Transition Team Subgroups
• Economic Development: Eva Madison, Cathy Foraker, Rob Leflar and Mary Beth Brooks
• Infrastructure and Environment: Rob Leflar, Dede Peters, Louise Mann and Ernestine Gibson
• Communication: Michele Halsell, Walt Eilers and Ernestine Gibson
• Budget: Suzanne Clark, Steve Davis and Adam Motherwell
Source: Staff Report
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Jordan Transition Team Holds First Meeting
By Skip Descant
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE -- Lioneld Jordan's transition team will spend the next month studying four key elements from his campaign to give the new Fayetteville mayor distinct goals and objectives to help guide the city through the first year of his administration.
"We want to try to capture that same momentum and energy here on a city level," Don Marr, transition team leader, told the group at its first meeting Thursday. Marr recalled a campaign that attracted broad cross-sections of interests and people.
"We want to make sure that we have multiple stakeholders at the table," Marr added.
The group identified four subgroups, and the 12 members divided themselves among those areas. Each group will establish its own set of goals, objectives and output.
Economic development is a subgroup with high priority because one of Jordan's campaign promises was to have an economic development strategy in the first 90 days of taking office.
"We're not going to come up with the plan, but we do want to come up with goals, ideas and priorities," said Eva Madison, a lawyer and a member of the transition team.
Another area of study is infrastructure and the environment. Another group will look at Fayetteville's budget concerns by reviewing the 2009 budget and past audit reports. And a lastly, is a subgroup to explore communication. This area explores not only how the mayor can better interact with residents, but to also address internal communication among employees.
"If I'm an employee right now, I'm uncertain," remarked transition team member Cathy Foraker, a manager with AT&T.
"There's a natural nervousness there," said Steve Davis, a transition team member and former finance director for the city of Fayetteville.
A next stage for the transition team is gathering the documents it needs to study the various areas. It will review current projects in place by the city, as well as broad-reaching plans such as City Plan 2025, the 2007 citizen survey and the economic development strategy plan to be presented Monday afternoon by Eva Klein and Associates. The firm was contracted by the city and the University of Arkansas to come up with an economic development strategy for Fayetteville.
And indeed, the heads assembled around the table Thursday for the first organizational meeting was a collection of who's who in areas such as law, corporate management, education and other areas to represent a diverse cross-section of Fayetteville.
"I seem to really have an ability put together people who are smarter than myself," remarked Jordan when the meeting broke. "And I think that's a good thing."
AT A GLANCE
Transition Team Subgroups
• Economic Development: Eva Madison, Cathy Foraker, Rob Leflar and Mary Beth Brooks
• Infrastructure and Environment: Rob Leflar, Dede Peters, Louise Mann and Ernestine Gibson
• Communication: Michele Halsell, Walt Eilers and Ernestine Gibson
• Budget: Suzanne Clark, Steve Davis and Adam Motherwell
Source: Staff Report
First meeting of Lioneld Jordan's transition team draws standing-room-only crowd
Please click on image to ENLARGE photo of first transition-committee meeting for the Jordan administration.
Susan Thomas being honored by fellow members of city staff today
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Susan Thomas after her final presentation in a Fayetteville City Council agenda-setting session on Monday, December 6, 2008. Dr. Thomas has accepted a position in Sherman, Texas, as director of a regional public agency.
Contractors, suppliers can be poor neighbors during construction process
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of trailer backed on Town Branch neighbor's lawn by trucker delivering construction material to Hill Place student-apartment complex contractors on December 9, 2008.
Just one of the risks of living in an area under siege by massive infill project.
Just one of the risks of living in an area under siege by massive infill project.
Watershed group report from The Morning News interesting
The interesting part is that few or none of the people who attended the first meeting are listed among those who are voting on which policy choice to make.
Why? Because many apparently were culled despite their knowledge in favor of people in positions of power who might slow the process of creating a plan to protect the watershed.
If this isn't true, maybe someone will provide a more accurate assessment of the situation.
If the whole process isn't a greenwash in favor of the "develop at any (environmental) cost" group, what is it?
A truly progressive group of cities and counties would enforce the strongest possible regulations for their own good. Otherwise, they might as well remove the dam and let the White River flow. When Beaver Dam was built, its existence implied a responsibility to protect what it provides, because building the dam sacrificed a truly magnificent river for growth in Northwest Arkansas. Treat it with respect or lose it. Keep the rainwater where it falls and the topsoil where the creator put it.
If a person will benefit from anything less than the strongest possible protection of the watershed, he should not be on a small list of people who can decide how to protect the watershed. Let everyone decide: The ratepayers who must buy the water in four counties rapidly having their wells and springs polluted should count for more than those who may profit from minimal regulation.
The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Watershed Group To Consider Three Management Plans
By Caleb Fort
THE MORNING NEWS
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/12/10/news121108rzwatershed.txt
Watershed group considers options for Beaver Lake
An advisory group agreed Wednesday to look into three possible ways to manage the Beaver Lake Watershed.
The first option would be based on voluntary measures, including education about environmentally friendly development and pasture management.
The second option would be full implementation and enforcement of water requirements set forth by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, including an ordinance that would require low-impact development techniques.
The third option would be the same as the second, plus additional requirements, including erosion control at construction sites and stricter requirements for wastewater treatment within 600 feet of Beaver Lake.
All three options would include measures to preserve natural habitat near streams, control erosion of pastureland and upgrades to the West Fork and Huntsville wastewater treatment plants.
The Beaver Lake Watershed Policy Advisory Group, created by the Northwest Arkansas Council, is trying to create a management plan to preserve the watershed and the lake. Environmental consulting firm Tetra Tech is helping to guide the process.
"We're at a threshold," said Kimberly Brewer, associate director of Tetra Tech. "If we do something now, (the lake) will be good for years to come."
It has had four meetings, the first three of which were focused on identifying which issues a plan would have to address and how to measure success.
Now the group has to focus on drafting a plan to address those issues, said Mike Malone, executive director of the council. The group is supposed to have a completed strategy in June.
Juliet Richey, a member of the advisory group representing the Washington County Planning Board, raised questions about requiring or encouraging low-impact development techniques without further research.
Those techniques, such as improved drainage systems, are a way to minimize the effect development has on pollution.
Richey said she was concerned those techniques were not developed with Northwest Arkansas' geography and geology in mind.
Why? Because many apparently were culled despite their knowledge in favor of people in positions of power who might slow the process of creating a plan to protect the watershed.
If this isn't true, maybe someone will provide a more accurate assessment of the situation.
If the whole process isn't a greenwash in favor of the "develop at any (environmental) cost" group, what is it?
A truly progressive group of cities and counties would enforce the strongest possible regulations for their own good. Otherwise, they might as well remove the dam and let the White River flow. When Beaver Dam was built, its existence implied a responsibility to protect what it provides, because building the dam sacrificed a truly magnificent river for growth in Northwest Arkansas. Treat it with respect or lose it. Keep the rainwater where it falls and the topsoil where the creator put it.
If a person will benefit from anything less than the strongest possible protection of the watershed, he should not be on a small list of people who can decide how to protect the watershed. Let everyone decide: The ratepayers who must buy the water in four counties rapidly having their wells and springs polluted should count for more than those who may profit from minimal regulation.
The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas
Watershed Group To Consider Three Management Plans
By Caleb Fort
THE MORNING NEWS
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/12/10/news121108rzwatershed.txt
Watershed group considers options for Beaver Lake
An advisory group agreed Wednesday to look into three possible ways to manage the Beaver Lake Watershed.
The first option would be based on voluntary measures, including education about environmentally friendly development and pasture management.
The second option would be full implementation and enforcement of water requirements set forth by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, including an ordinance that would require low-impact development techniques.
The third option would be the same as the second, plus additional requirements, including erosion control at construction sites and stricter requirements for wastewater treatment within 600 feet of Beaver Lake.
All three options would include measures to preserve natural habitat near streams, control erosion of pastureland and upgrades to the West Fork and Huntsville wastewater treatment plants.
The Beaver Lake Watershed Policy Advisory Group, created by the Northwest Arkansas Council, is trying to create a management plan to preserve the watershed and the lake. Environmental consulting firm Tetra Tech is helping to guide the process.
"We're at a threshold," said Kimberly Brewer, associate director of Tetra Tech. "If we do something now, (the lake) will be good for years to come."
It has had four meetings, the first three of which were focused on identifying which issues a plan would have to address and how to measure success.
Now the group has to focus on drafting a plan to address those issues, said Mike Malone, executive director of the council. The group is supposed to have a completed strategy in June.
Juliet Richey, a member of the advisory group representing the Washington County Planning Board, raised questions about requiring or encouraging low-impact development techniques without further research.
Those techniques, such as improved drainage systems, are a way to minimize the effect development has on pollution.
Richey said she was concerned those techniques were not developed with Northwest Arkansas' geography and geology in mind.
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