Cotter Schools Ready for 2003-2004 School Year

According to Cotter Superintendent Don Sharp, results from school choice applications are to be finalized throughout Arkansas on July 31, 2003. Cotter Schools expect a net gain of 15 students.

Transfer requests to enter Cotter Schools include 24 from Mtn. Home, 6 from Flippin, and 3 from Yellville. Requests to transfer out of Cotter include 14 to Mtn. Home, 2 to Norfork, and 2 to Flippin.

The yearly calender published in Update, the Cotter schools' bi-monthly newsletter, includes the following dates for the first semester:

The administrative staff includes: Superintendent Don Sharp, 435-6171; High School Principal Dennis Copeland, 435-6323; and Elementary Principal Airl Cheek, 435-6655.

Community volunteers were hard at work recently in the amphitheater area of Dillard Park at Second & McLean. Other work this year is expected to include the planting of a community Christmas tree.

Chamber of Commerce Keeps
Fall Festival Downtown

After hearing an engineering report assessing the safety of the historic "Cannady Building" at Second and McLean, the Cotter Area Chamber of Commerce voted to retain the fall festival in the downtown area.

The alternative proposal had been to move the annual celebration to Big Spring Park until the condition of the building was resolved. The report identified the building as beyond economic repair but not an imminent threat to public safety. The festival will retain the Friday evening, all day Saturday format and is set for September 26 & 27.

Thanks were offered to all who helped with the Hooked on a Cure fishing tournament to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Inquiries will be made to see if the event can be merged with the Great Cotter Trout Festival in May 2004.

Fire chief John Urban, Mayor Bill Jennings and Police Chief Jack Burkhart admire Cotter's new fire truck. The old truck has been reassigned to the new sub-station at Wildcat Shoals access.

Mayor's Minute

What a great time to live in Cotter! There are so many positive things happening because of so many people working to make Cotter a better place to call home.

As we drive down the street and see an overgrown lot here and there or some trash piled on the corner of a lot, we tend to forget that just a few short years ago, tall weeds, trash and abandoned vehicles were the rule and not the exception. I am so proud of all the folks here in Cotter who have worked so hard to make our town so clean and neat.
It is in this vein that I want to call your attention to a portion of the existing "Trash" ordinance, number 4-77. Most of the ordinance has been in effect since 1977 and was updated by amendment in 1996:

"Section III: It shall be the duty of every person owning, managing, operating, leasing or renting any premises where refuse accumulates, to place the filled container and bundled refuse at the edge of the street pavement in a place accessible to the collector, not more than 12 hours previous to scheduled collection. The empty container must be removed from public property to a place on private property not visible from the street, no longer than 12 hours following collection."

There is nothing that would take as little effort on our part, that would make as big a difference in the appearance of our town. I want to commend the folks who have been moving their trash cans and bags to the edge of the street for pickup and then moving the empty containers back out of sight for the rest of the week. For the month of August, we are going to warn our citizens to comply. In September, we are going to start enforcing the ordinance.

If you have not done so, drive down State Highway 345 (Cotter Road) and look at the progress being made on the big building for Contractor's Truss Services. While you are in that area, go on down and see the new additions to our waste water treatment plant. That project will be completed within 60 days. The beautiful views of the river along the way are the result of several days of hard work by the work crews of the Department of Corrections at Calico Rock.

Don't you agree that it is truly a great time to live in Cotter?

Master Plan for Cotter

Preliminary work has begun to develop a master plan for the future of Cotter. With 100% support of the city administration a diverse mix of individuals are being gathered to identify Cotter's strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for progress.

A spokesperson for the group described an organizational meeting held on July 30, 2003.

"The purpose of the meeting was to itemize all the current projects now in process for the betterment of Cotter. The list numbered 23 separate activities. This list is to form an idea of where we are so that we can best determine where we need to go in the journey of how Cotter can be enhanced and made better."

The group will meet again at City Hall on Wednesday, August 6, at 7:00 p.m. All those interested are invited to attend.

The Cotter 2025 study developed by the University of Arkansas Community Design Center in the summer of 1999 will be a prominent resource. The study made a broad range of recommendations for Cotter's development over a 25 year period but has not been acted upon. The entire Cotter 2025 study can be seen on-line at http://www.cotter2025.com.

Town hall style meetings are also envisioned to obtain further input from citizens.

City Takes on Water Lines

At their monthly meeting on July 17th, the Cotter City Council voted 6-0 to support additional water line needs of the new Contractor's Truss Systems plant under construction on the site of Cotter's roundhouse.

The work will extend an 800 ft. ditch and place a 6 inch water line at a cost of $9500. Baxter County is also participating by providing the base gravel for the line.

In an ensuing discussion the council voted to add $1-2k per month to the waterline replacement account and agreed to re-emphasize waterline and drainage needs.

Focal point for much of the discussion was a long range proposal, developed by Alderman Chuck Flowers and key city employees, for correction of drainage problems in Cotter. Major problems identified were lack of conformity in size of culverts, culverts stopped up with trash, crushed culverts, no ditches or grass growing over asphalt.

The proposal was to start with Tyler Street and work each street up the hill. The work would create new ditches with sloped sides on both sides and replace all culverts. Additional work would address clearing of some alleys to ensure parking for residents. Actual costs are yet to be determined.

In other action the council voted to re-zone two areas residential R-1 to be consistent with surrounding zoning. One area is located approximately between Fifth and Seventh Streets and McLean and South. The other is just east of Big Spring Park

The council also voted to revise rates and rules for use of facilities at Big Spring Park. The new rates are as follows:

Reservations must be made in advance and will take precedence over non-scheduled use. A refundable clean-up deposit of $25 must be made at the time of completing the reservation form. If the facility is left in proper order it will be refunded the next working day.

Local service organizations such as scouts, guilds, and the Cotter Area Chamber of Commerce will have the fee waived but still reserve the property to insure its use. Clean-up must be made by the end of the day.

Reservations may be completed at City Hall. All park rules must be observed when using park facilities. Funds received from park rental will be used for future park maintenance or improvements.