At their May 14^th meeting in City Hall the Cotter Planning and Zoning Commission reconfirmed that an approved building permit is required for construction or placement of any structure in the City of Cotter. Applications can be obtained at city hall.

The Commission deferred approval of a building permit application for a replacement garage, pending further information. A request to close State Street between 8^th and 9^th was approved and referred to the City Council.

Commission members for the remainder of this year are Gil Stammer, Chairman; Bill Jennings, Vice-Chairman; Grant Dearmore, Secretary; Jeff Magness; Keith Simmons; Drew Pierce; and Larry Knight. The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet the second Tuesday of the month or at the call of the chairman.

At their May 9^th meeting at the Spring House the Cotter Care Crew set their major agenda for this year. Events include a soup and sandwich dinner at the June 13^th meeting. The price will be $3.00 and the food and fellowship will be outstanding. A ham and bean potluck will be conducted on July 4^th and the annual Pig-In-A-Poke Barbeque will be conducted on Sept 28^th. More details will follow.

In other matters, the park project is proceeding. The bronze statue is completed and 120 memorial bricks are being done at the monument facility in Gainesville, Mo. A date for park dedication is pending.

Officers for the year are Lynn Stude, president, Doris Anglin, vice-president, Peggy Dunn, secretary, and Fern Morris, treasurer.

June Calendar:

At their May 16^th meeting the Cotter City Council authorized Mayor Pratt to enter the City of Cotter into agreement with the City of Gassville and J & L Construction of Huntsville, Arkansas, for expansion of the Wastewater Treatment Plant. J & L Construction= s winning bid was $2,050,000. The groundbreaking ceremony will be June 7, at 2:30 p.m. at the Wastewater Treatment Plant on East Cotter Road. A preconstruction meeting will be held also on June 7^th and completion of the project is expected in 2004.

In other business Lynn Stude, President, Cotter Care Crew, updated the council on the park project. She advised that the gazebo has been completed and one of the two cabooses has been moved to the park. Work on that one is on-going and movement of the Missouri Pacific caboose near the youth center is expected in the near future. An information platform will be added near the west side of the display area.

The Mayor advised that the agreement for repayment by David Crownover of tuition assistance to the City of Cotter is still being worked by the city attorney and should be completed soon. Councilman, Bill Jennings, advised the council of a meeting to be conducted in Mtn. Home on May 21^st by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The meeting was to gather public input on proposed changes to fishing limits and procedures that will affect trout fishing in the Cotter area.

The June meeting of the Cotter City Council will be held on June 27^th to enable attendance by members at a Municipal League meeting in Little Rock.

Look Closely! (Click picture for large color version.)

Work continues on the bridge restoration.

The yard sale was credited for bringing a large number of visitors to Cotter. The fall yard sale will be conducted on Sept 14, 2002.

Preliminary planning has begun for the third annual fall festival Art, Antiques and Architecture...A Cotter Open House. The event will include a fish fry and dance at the pavilion Friday evening Sept 27^th. The festival will be conducted in the historic downtown area on Saturday, Sept 28, 2002. Festival kick-off will be a parade at 10 a.m. and major attractions will include an antique and classic car show, kids games, an art show, and a variety of other exhibits and attractions.

In 1911, an Embroidery and Social Club was founded in Cotter. In 1916, with a desire to increase their interests, the group became affiliated with the General Federation of Women's Clubs, an organization dedicated to volunteer work.

After Bull Shoals Dam was completed and danger of flooding was past, the Club and community started the cleaning of the City Park. Over $1,100.00 was made by serving noon meals two days a week in a vacant store building.

The maintenance and beautification of the Cotter Cemetery is a project that saw its beginning when Cotter was only eight years old. It was a wild and rugged area. In 1975 a trust fund with the City of Cotter, the Saturday Club and Peoples Bank and Trust Company was formed called the Cotter Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund. The interest from this fund is paid yearly to the Cotter Cemetery Maintenance Fund. The most recent payment this spring was over $3,700.

Officers for the 2002-2003 club year are: Wanda Fielding, President; Anne Ramey, Vice-president; Judi Sharp, Secretary; and Helen Lacefield, Treasurer.

The objectives of the club are city betterment, the school libraries, and the city cemetery. If you are interested in volunteer work centered in Cotter, won't you consider joining us? Contact any of the officers for more information.

For some months quiet restoration has been going on in several parts of the historic area of downtown Cotter.

A major milestone will occur at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 13, 2002, with the opening of Rainbow Bridge Treasures at Second Street and McLean Avenue. The large white structure best known as  the old bank building was built in 1905-06, after the September 1905 fire, and housed the Baxter County Bank and The Bank Hotel. The part of the building that fronts Second Street was the hotel. The endeavors shared a common wall and have been combined into a single property.

The building has been largely dormant for many years. Restoration to date has centered around the first floor interior of the building, and it is a truly remarkable work.

Owner, Sharon Peters, plans to offer "antiques and more" plus other surprises. Restoration work will continue in other areas of the building after the opening.

Sharon will host a preview party at the building at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12^th, to thank everyone for their hospitality and warm welcome to Cotter. Everyone in Cotter is invited.

Youth Center Pottery Class