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Trout Capital News |
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| Number 8 |
Published by the City of Cotter, Arkansas |
April 2001 |
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New superintendent to arrive this summer The Cotter School welcomes a new superintendent, Rick Keyes, his wife Marge, and two teen-age children. Trent will be a senior and Laura a freshman. Keyes and his family are coming from Siloam Springs, but he began his career in education at Alpena. The family is smitten with the beauty of our area (especially the White River) and will be here as much as possible before July 1. The Cotter School Board accepted the bid of T.N.T. Construction for restroom renovation in four buildings on campus at a special board meeting April 19. Work will begin immediately and will be finished before the new school year.- Evelyn Denton City wide yard sale May 12 The Cotter Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a City Wide Yard Sale on Saturday, May 12, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Those who would like to participate should sign up at Cotter City Hall. Although Cotter limits yard sales to two a year, the City Council unanimously approved a request April 19 to allow this special event not to count as one of those two. Signs for the sale will be put at both ends of town directing people from Highway 62/412 to the event. We are going to make area real estate agents aware of this project, as they may want to have an open house that day, too. We feel like this will bring travelers off the highway and into our town. They may eat, buy gas, fish, or stay a while with us after seeing what we have to offer. – Janet Latham Chamber awards scholarship Iva Duggins presented a $500 scholarship to Daniel Trimble at the Cotter Schools awards program. Daniel was chosen from a group of outstanding students. The Chamber presented its first "Tip of the Hat Award" for property improvements to Paul and Mary Miller, who recently moved to Cotter from Texas. The turnout for the Easter Egg was great, and the Chamber is grateful for the help of the Tennie Craig Guild and Carol Watson, a wonderful Easter Bunny. Colorful "rack cards" promoting Cotter have been delivered and are being distributed locally. The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism has requested 5000 cards in packs of 50 for distribution statewide. A coffee for newcomers was held before the Chamber's regular meeting. Similar events will be offered quarterly. The Chamber will sponsor a fall festival Sept. 21-22, emphasizing involvement by Cotter schools and activities for children. - Sonny Sharp Saturday Club scholarship, cemetery funds announced The Saturday Club of Cotter awarded a $150 scholarship to Neal Denton, a 2001 Cotter High School graduate who is planning to attend Arkansas State University-Mountain Home this fall. Wanda Fielding presented the award at graduation. In April, the club gave more than $2,900 to the city for maintenance of Walnut Hill Cemetery. The club's Perpetual Care Fund has been supporting the upkeep of the cemetery for more than 50 years. It also donated $125 to the Amanda Gist Elementary School library for books selected by librarian Laura Tilley. Lynn Stude said the Arkansas Art Mobile will be in Cotter for two days the week of Oct. 8. It will be open to the public from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The Saturday Club is co-sponsoring the visit with the Cotter School District. Council busy with fire, water, streets At its meeting April 19, the City Council gratefully accepted $5,000 from the Cotter Fire Department Auxiliary. Funds for the donation, presented by Carolyn Gill, came from the community-supported chili supper. The Auxiliary is now accepting donations to help Steve Leisey, a volunteer firefighter and former fire chief who suffered a shattered bone in his leg. In a related matter, the Council approved Fire Chief John Urban's proposal to apply for a federal grant for a fire truck and equipment. If the grant is obtained, the Council agreed to donate the city's 1977 truck to firefighters at Wildcat Shoals. The department answered calls to seven medical emergencies and six accidents in the past month. The Council approved the low bid, $26,911.16 from Marion County Paving for work on several Cotter streets: Hargis, Monroe, Capital, State, Sunset, Wallick, Rainbow Heights, and Virginia Lee. The council also agreed to pay one-third of the cost of paving the block of May between Lithia and Cedar, and residents of the street will pay the other two-thirds. Other streets may be added as funding permits. Water and Sewer changes The Council discussed the June 5 election on a one-cent sales tax to support expansion of the Cotter-Gassville wastewater treatment plant. If approved, the tax will go into effect after the expiration of a one-cent sales tax for street improvements at the end of September. Cotter's share of the $2.8 million expansion is $1.075 million. The Council approved a rate increase on its third reading. The rate paid by an average customer, who uses about 4,000 gallons per month, will increase by about five dollars per month (from $11.95 to 16.82). If the one-cent sales tax is not approved, that average rate will increase about $18 (from $11.95 to $29.92). The expansion will double the plant's current capacity of 250,000 gallons. With the expansion, Cotter would "be in good shape for a long time, at least 20 years," Pratt said, praising former Mayor Rex Bayless for thinking ahead when the current plant was built years ago. Pratt urged Cotter residents to vote in the election and to call him at City Hall if they have questions about the changes or the election. Tennie Craig scholarship honors Jo Thompson Agnes Cramlet presented a $150 scholarship in honor of Jo Thompson from the Tennie Craig Guild to CHS senior Neal Denton. It’s the groups’s first scholarship, President Judy Nazarenko said. The Guild also helped the Chamber of Commerce with its annual Easter Egg Hunt, stuffing more than 400 eggs. Chamber representative takes historic preservation training Sonny Sharp attended training by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program in Little Rock on April 11 on nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. The training included background information on the Register, the criteria for listings, and instructions on completing a successful application. "The training was valuable and will help us gain historic recognition for properties in Cotter. It included information about grants. Some of these could be important to properties in Cotter, because many local properties have been changed in the last 50 years, which might disqualify them for the National Register. One of the grants is specifically designed to help restore properties listed as historic in Arkansas so they will be eligible for the National Register," Sharp said. "Work will begin in the near future to identify appropriate Cotter properties, contact their owners, and begin the nomination process. The first stage will involve detailed research on each building. Properties will be submitted as a group and will include commercial and residential buildings built prior to 1951," he said. Those who would like their properties considered or who would like to volunteer to help with property research should call Sharp at 435-6757 or 492-4483. |
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This newsletter is published
monthly by the City of Cotter and focuses on organized activities. It is
compiled by Sonny Sharp and published electronically at