Batesville Council: Crews praised during water line issue; officers promoted; more

By Andrea Bruner, White River Now

A project for the new water treatment plant resulted in a temporary break in the line earlier this week, but the city was never without water, despite some people claiming otherwise.

That was the report at the Batesville City Council meeting Tuesday night, as Public Works Engineer Damon Johnson explained that as crews were laying new raw water lines Monday, there was a break in the line.

“They’re encountering quite a bit of rock, but it’s Batesville – if you do anything, you encounter quite a bit of rock.”

Chaney Drive is closed while the work is being done, and as crews were breaking rock underneath a 24-inch water main, an excavator “bumped a hole in it.”

“This is the main water line that feeds everything; it’s a very important line,” Johnson continued. “It was an intense few hours last night while we worked on that. A final solution has not been put in place, but there’s a temporary clamp on there. … Those kinds of parts aren’t just sitting around, you either have to have it specially made or cut out the defective pipes.”

Johnson said they hope to have a permanent fix by the end of this week or early next week and praised those who worked extensively to repair the break.

“I was really impressed with the young water department employees who were down in the hole trying to solve the problem,” he said.

Johnson also said there were some rumors on social media that were not accurate and assured the council that the city was “never out of water and the industry was not even shut down. We were watching the tanks closely, and had we gotten in a situation, we would have communicated with the public.

“Otherwise, construction is continuing as scheduled. … We’ll see progress soon as structures begin to come out of the ground,” he said.

Alderman Landon Reeves asked about the timeline for the new water treatment plan.

Johnson said work started in January 2025 and is expected to be completed by the winter of 2027-28 before the plant is fully operational.

“The current plant is really testing our capabilities sometimes,” he added. “We’re having to be mindful of the existing plant. It’s showing signs of age, but our people are doing a great job of keeping everything flowing.”

He also said the city was shorthanded this week because it sent water and street crews to Cave City to help with that disaster. “We’re fortunate Batesville did not have much damage, but we want to help our neighbors.”

Johnson said the street department is working in the Riverwood addition off Gap Road, as the recent rains have caused drainage issues.

“They (the street department) are having to make repairs they shouldn’t have to do in what you would consider a new subdivision,” Johnson said.

He went on to say that after that subdivision was built, the city passed new regulations that require developers to follow minimum standards. Johnson said the city had subdivision codes in place, “but they didn’t have enough teeth and detail,” and now the city is having to rebuild box tops to help alleviate issues.

The street department is also continuing to work on railroad crossings in the downtown area, but the Main Street repaving project is done except for the striping, Johnson said.

The project at Riverside Park “is coming along well,” he noted. “We hope to see earthwork and demo in the next 30 days. We went today to look at finishings proposed for the event center, and that was exciting. … It’s a clean design, built to be durable as we anticipate lots of traffic.”

Johnson said the proposed event entry is the longest “build out” of all the components of the parks project.

Meanwhile Tuesday night, Independence County Veterans Service Officer Josh Morrison came before the council to request space be reserved at Riverside Park for a new veterans memorial.

Mayor Rick Elumbaugh said Morrison and Vietnam veteran Joe Dry approached him about possibly building a veterans memorial alongside the White River near The River restaurant, where a flagpole is already located.

Morrison said there is another memorial in progress of fundraising at Batesville High School that is being organized by Bo Boykin, and this project does not want to compete with Boykin’s. In fact, Morrison said they completely support the one at BHS and will not be raising money for it until Boykin has wrapped up his fundraising.

“I want this memorial to be something of significance … a place where it provokes emotion and someone can be with thoughts,” Morrison said in his remarks to the council.

He said the idea is to do something similar to Branson and other cities that have built something deliberate, something that appropriately honors the very people who have sacrificed so much to serve their country and deserve so much appreciation.

Morrison said his job is more than helping veterans file for disability. Often times, he is there helping find resources and connections for veterans like 84-year-old Dry, who was needing transportation to treatments for Agent Orange. Morrison was able to find a driver in Greg Taylor, and the two soon started meeting weekly for coffee at McDonalds.

Morrison said he asked if he could join them on a regular basis, and they decided to invite other veterans.

“When we got to seven, we decided to move locations so we could hear one another,” Morrison said.

“Now we have at least 30 veterans who show up at Whistle Stop each Friday morning. Some are there at 6 o’clock,” he continued with a laugh.

The meeting has grown into a support group, an outreach committee, and a place where people can grow socially, he continued. “As we’ve conjured up ways on how to help veterans, this is where the idea originated.”

Morrison said military service takes a toll and can leave scars that are not only physical, but mental as well. “You don’t always see the suffering, but that doesn’t mean it’s not always there,” he told the council.

He presented architectural drawings to the council, with the memorial to be centered on the flagpole that is currently there, but said the plans will likely have modifications as time goes on.

“I know we’re famous for Mark Martin, the White River, and Christmas lights, but I want this to be a part of that,” Morrison said.

The council voted to move forward with the project.

In other business Tuesday night:

–Police Chief John Scarbrough announced that four officers have been promoted to patrol corporals. He said all four went through a board of interviews, and selections were made based on the officers’ work ethic and knowledge.

The four officers are Hutton Grace, Miguel Romero, Jason Santizo, and Stephen Schlotzhauer.

From left: Miguel Romero, Stephen Schlotzhauer, Hutton Grace, Jason Santizo

Despite being the shortest month of the year, police recorded a high number of reports in February, with 1,114 calls for service (compared to 860 calls in January and 1,036 in December), 28 accidents (35 in January and 63 in December), 27 arrests (21 in January and 27 in December), 52 incident reports (53 in January and 58 in December), 174 citations (71 in January and 54 in December), and 261 warnings (81 in January and 106 in December).

Last month, Scarbrough attributed the significant decrease in traffic accidents to officers working more traffic enforcement.

All department officers were recertified in CPR and completed a “Stop the Bleed” refresher.

Investigator Brenda Bittle was signed up as a Task Force Officer with the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. She has started the required training, Scarbrough said.

He also said the new policies have started to roll out, and officers have begun reviewing them.

Lt. Rob Leonard is also applying for a state grant to equip each patrol unit with an AED.

–Code Enforcement Officer Chad McClure gave an update on the nine properties that were condemned last November.

He said of the nine, five have seen some progress, but four have not, nor have the owners of those four had any contact with the city.

Of the other properties, one has been demolished to the foundation, and that is the home at 1465 Edith St., owned by Magdaleno Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, the home at 431 River St., owned by Diana Baca Islas, has seen improvements made on the exterior, but McClure said the family has communicated to him “they are at a financial stopping point.”

A carport that was falling in at 2230 Neeley St., owned by the late Bobbie Hall, has since been replaced.

At 715 Central Ave., the former Crowell Cleaners now owned by Osneldi Figueroa, “They have been good at communicating (with the city), they’ve cleaned up the debris from perimeter, and now they’re waiting on a loan,” McClure said.

The property at 1065 Boswell St., formerly owned by Shonda King, has been sold and McClure said the new owner is currently working on renovations.

The four that have not had any progress are 441 River St., 467 River St., and 577 Bayou St., all owned by Sharon Sanders, and 250 Hawkins St., owned by Mack Caldwell.

All four properties were also condemned in 2020, and McClure said he is not of the opinion that the city needs to bulldoze structures if the owners are working towards a positive resolution, but at the same time, the city does have codes to uphold.

“I see no reason why we shouldn’t move forward,” Alderman Robb Roberts said and made a motion to condemn those four properties that have had no progress and no contact from the owners.

McClure said the city will send another notice to the property owners letting them know their time has expired.

Elumbaugh said a lien will be placed against the properties as well, so then, if any future buyers will have to settle the debt with the city before taking ownership.

City Attorney Tim Meitzen said if the debt is very large, the city could force a sale.

The council voted 7-0 to approve the motion to have the four structures razed.

–The council approved an ordinance to rezone the lot at the corner of 30th and Harrison streets from single-family residential (R-2) to commercial community (C-1), currently home to Rich Realty.

The city planning commission approved the rezoning request on March 3 before sending it to the council for final approval. McClure said the property was originally zoned C-2, but the city had eliminated that zoning designation. At that time, the property reverted to R-1, “so this is more or less a clean up since there is a commercial business on there, and it’s absolutely in the commercial corridor.”

–Following a brief executive session, the council readjourned but took no action on a personnel matter.

–The Batesville Pioneer 2025 swim team (below) was recognized for winning the 5A state championship.

–Elumbaugh also asked the council to make and approve a motion authorizing the city to take $17,000 from its perpetual fund to replace an HVAC system at the community center that was damaged by lightning.

–Elumbaugh also announced the next council meeting will be April 8. The motion passed.

–During liaison reports, Alderman Lackey Moody said the planning and zoning commission is “going plat by plat,” reviewing uses of property to make sure they are consistent with the city zoning map. The commission, which has three new members, is doing some training and also looking at the zoning, so there may be more “clean up” ordinances come before the council, he said.

Furthermore, Moody said the commission will start including minutes from its own meetings (that have been accepted by the commission the month after the meeting) in the council packets so the council can learn more about what the planning commission is doing.

–During council comments, Alderwoman Brittany Bennett thanked those helping with recovery efforts following Friday night’s tornadoes that swept through communities surrounding Batesville.

There were no citizens’ comments. Alderwoman Julie Hinkle was absent.

Images: White River Now