Board of Directors - Regular Meeting

Good morning. I want to welcome everyone to our City of Little Rock Board of Directors agenda meeting to set the agenda for July 7, 2026. I also want to remind members of the board we'll have an official retirement recognition giving Chief Helton's retirement medallion on next Tuesday based on his schedule. So we look forward to that. Any questions? On the agenda. Director Miller.

Thank you, Mayor. This is on resolution number three. It talks about, you know, completing phases two and three of the South East Trail and talks about a memorandum of understanding. Could someone just tell me briefly, give me the high level contents of the memorandum of understanding any financial impact, anything like that?

Yes, sir. Will do. Good afternoon, everyone. Director Miller, this is a project that is being led by Pulaski County Road and Bridge. As you're aware, a first phase of that trail was constructed. It was finished last year. That was a partnership. There was an MOU for that project as well. In that project, there was some fiscal impact for the city. We shared some of the funding for that project. This phase is solely being funded by Pulaski County. This resolution basically allows us to get into an MOU for that project because it is in the city limits.

And the MOU is just general language. It's not any, you said it's not any fiscal impact on us or anything?

Correct. That will clearly explain what each entity will do, what the county is responsible for and what the city is responsible for. And it'll talk about who's going to pay for the project, how the maintenance is going to happen and those kinds of things.

Okay. And I guess city manager, mayor, when we, next week we approve this, then it doesn't come back to us. We've authorized the city manager to sign this on behalf of the city. So we don't review this. Not that I want to review it, not really. But I want to make sure we're in good shape.

We will, if I may, so we will review the language in it and we will make sure that the city attorney's office has an opportunity to review it and then only it will be signed.

And then anybody on the city board that wants to take a look at it before it's signed, you'd send it to them too? We'll be happy to do that. Okay, I would suggest you might as well just send it to them. We'll do it. Send it to us. We will do it. Okay, thank you. All right. Thank you. Thank you. I got number four.

You also got another question, Director Miller?

Yeah, this is on resolution number four. It's about the neighborhood resource center. Tell me where this is. This appears to be right in front of Central High School. It's one of these houses. So where is the parking going to be? Is it going to be in the back? Yes, sir. Go into a little detail about this.

Yeah, this is the site map. And it's the, of course, you know, it's right across the street from Central High School. It's the 1419 Little Rock 9 way. And we have a driveway that goes on the north side of the house and the parking lot will be in the rear. How many cars is it going to be?

I believe you can get 12 spots in there.

Okay.

Now you know with these neighborhood resource centers, we have a number of them. And sometimes neighbors or residents are saying they're not staffed all the time, eight to five. Maybe that's something that we're going to take care of with this. So do we have the personnel? to actually staff this and since this is, I guess, right across the street from a national historic site, We'll probably anticipate getting a lot of out-of-state or just business period that will wander in this. What's going to be the hours of this? Again, you're saying we got the staff, where would it come from?

Yeah, eight to five is staffing. We currently, and it's been a blessing just in my department, we have 38 code officers now. And so we've never been staffed fully in the CODA division as well as the neighborhood resource specialist. So we did, you know, we lost the Central High Neighborhood Resource Center that we currently previously had there that was on Park Street. It was across 12th Street. And so we lost it. And also we had another resource center that was shut down. So we do have a a lot of staff currently at Wright Avenue, and we have a lot of staff at 33rd, which I just recently met with the South End group because they said we had a lot of code officers. I never heard this before. We said we had a lot of code officers at the Resource Center. So we had to do that because we had a lot of influx of code officers that we hired recently. which I'm thankful for the board for allowing us to have those additional code officers. But we do have to find a location for them to go, so we would move them around to that location.

So you're going to be able to move personnel from 33rd Street, which the South End Neighborhood Group has been wanting some more space. and you'll be able to put them over at this place. Now, it's going to have 12 parking spaces, so how many is the staff going to take up?

Well, in that diagram right there, you do have the driveway where people can park to as well, but we'll be able to at least have at least three or four code officers at their location, as well as other staff members and a neighborhood resource specialist. And I'll be coming back to the board to ask for additional neighborhood resource specialists at their location.

What's that mean? Money? Yes. Okay. You said personnel just sounded like money. Yes. Okay. Well, thanks. And of course, we've already visited with Central High School, Little Rock School District, the National Park Service. Everybody knows we're coming. The neighbors, we're going to be a good neighbor. Everybody wants us to be there. They're aware of We put in a neighborhood resource center in this location.

Yes, we did meet with the Central High Neighborhood Association and we did let them know that that's what that space will be for. I'm talking about the institutional neighbors. We'll meet with those two as well once we get ready. We'll have a grand opening and have everybody a part of it.

Yeah.

Central High School. Yes. And the National Park Service. Yes, sir. Okay. Thank you. But they were aware because when we first started construction, they knew what was going on there. Well, the house is already there. When you say already started... Yeah, the construction has been going on for a while, so... I got you.

I think I know exactly what you're talking about. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Yes, sir.

Director Phillips. Thank you, Mayor. This is number six. Just wanted to kind of get an update for someone about what actual improvements that we're making to the boardwalk. Oh, there's Layla. Leland likes sitting over there so he can have a dramatic walk up.

I'll move around a little bit. Director Phillips, appreciate it. Good evening board, mayor and city manager. So, this project has just been long in coming. We received some TREX material a long time ago when TREX originally moved here and we've been working to figure out how to get the trex on there. And what I mean by that is originally the structure that's there wasn't built to support trex. And so we've worked with this group here to tear out some of the existing and replace the decking with trex material and as well as the handrail. And the scope of this project is from the farthest pavilion out towards the river all the way around to the concrete or where we have a pump that feeds the pond above. And it's replacing all the decking. This material is all that's there today is all wood. It goes underwater a few times a year, if not more. and so we have a lot of rot. We constantly are replacing wood and this is to go in and do a deeper dive and repair.

Okay, good deal. And do we know how long timeline?

I do not have a definite timeline I can get you that information. This has been a while getting this information here for you all to approve, but I can determine a time frame once we get it finalized.

Okay, good deal. I think that's in I'm down there a lot, so I know exactly what you're talking about and know that we needed to get some attention there for all our visitors who are down in the River Market area. So I'm supportive of it. I just wanted to make sure I understood what was happening. Thank you. Yes, thank you. That's all I have, Mayor.

Director Adcock.

Yes. Item number five. This is naming a dog park, MacArthur Park dog park after two individuals. How does a citizen get a building or someplace in the city named after them?

You want me to take that? So in this process here, this started some time ago. This is the Mack Park group started a process where they did a competition for a design competition for a shade structure for the MacArthur Dog Park. They've helped raise funds and have worked in the MacArthur Park for over 20 years and raising funds and we're greatly appreciative of their effort there. This group was picked for this shade structure that we're putting into the park. I'm getting to the naming aspect of it. AMR was the architectural firm that actually did the work for the shade competition. It's actual frisbee. And so then the Mack Park group actually worked to raise the funds to support this project. Total cost of the project is approximate $285,000. And I don't know the exact history of where this family, how they got involved. And I actually have Tim Hypel here, who represents the Mack Park Group, who can speak to that if we want to know that history. But they and their fundraising efforts coordinated with this family and this family wanted to donate a hundred thousand dollars to the project been working through this board has already approved one aspect of the construction of this project and there's a little bit of an oversight on our part we wanted to make sure that the naming rights was approved by this board as well and that's why we're here tonight okay i would like more information on on the family tim could you help This is Tim Hypel. He's part of the Mack Park Group and has been active for many years in it. So hopefully you can give us some of the history.

Yeah, Jonah, I don't really know the particulars of this, but I do know that they stepped forward in an early fundraising process. They came forward and said they would like to donate $100,000 in the name of their deceased son. And so we kind of tried to work through the city attorney's office in Leland and again, following pretty much the city attorney's direction on how to make that happen. As far as what they had to do, I'm not privy to. But but hopefully the attorney's office can answer that. They simply said we as a condition of our gift, we would like to name it's it's really just a dog park. as you understand, but it's not anything more in the park. It's just as simply and with the dog park does not have a name. It's just the McArthur Dog Park at this point. So it's really to receive the $100,000 from them to name the dog park.

Okay, thank you. Tom, did you have anything to add?

No. When the proposal came up, I think it was you that I got in touch with, because state law limits what you can name after an individual. And there's very strict limits to any living individual. So we got that covered. And then we talked about the design and what was there and what was going to be done. And after I said, well, you know, you can do this and work with Leland. And I haven't heard anything until today. So they did exactly what I told them. Yeah, that's exactly right. They agreed to everything that she used to.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mayor, I'd like to have one on 11 to please.

Before before we do that, Director Adcock will go to Director Miller. He wants to follow up on item number five. So Leland, come back, please. And Director Webb also follow up on item five as well.

Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am.

I'm sorry about that.

Thanks, Mayor. I just want to say the Mack Park group meets every Friday at 8 o'clock at the Museum of History. I know I've been to several of those meetings. I have a standing invitation to go every Friday at 8 o'clock. These are some of the most dedicated individuals in this city. who have taken this on. Tim, thank you for your service in this, and to all the members of the Mack Park group. I may end up going, well, are we going to be closed Friday?

Yes. They're not meeting Friday, but- Good, thank you. We welcome you next Friday.

Okay, all right, I appreciate that. But Catherine West and Glenn Nishimura are two of the finest citizens in this community. And what they're wanting to do with regard to honoring their son, boy, I embrace it 100%. I'm glad they've gone through all the legalese to make sure they can do this. But these individuals and that whole MAC group really love this city. And they partner with Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. They partner with Military Museum. They go out of their way. Nobody's paying them. Clean up, park, do things, partnership. And Tim, it's a great relationship. I just want to let you know how much I personally appreciate that. And I think I can speak for a lot of people at the city of how much we appreciate what the Mack Park Group does in taking on this effort. Thank you. That's all I want to say, Mayor.

Director Webb.

But even though this is in Ward 1, Glen and Catherine live in Ward 3. And I've talked to them through this process. And they were at the board meeting when we voted some time ago to accept the donation. And I will follow Director Miller's lead and be very supportive of this project. And thank you, Leland, for all the work, and Tom as well.

Thank all of y'all very much.

And y'all.

And the MAPAR group.

Yeah. Director Adcock, you were up next. You want a presentation on item 11? Presentation on item 11. Brad's not here, but essentially Well, Brad, Brad's not Jeremy's not aware of it. Um, but essentially out both the city attorney and ourself will kind of catch up. Long story short, uh, to the crux of it. Item 11, um, is an amendment to the regulatory ordinance that we passed on June 2nd as it relates to data centers to include a memorandum of understanding not a memorandum of understanding, a moratorium as relates to the memorandum of understanding from April 29th, 2025 that the city board voted on But again, all this goes towards at the crux of it is to add an amendment to include a moratorium of six months to any application for data centers as it relates to the city of Little Rock. That is the ordinance before you. So it's an ordinance to amend what we previously passed on June 2nd. That's what it is. Director Peck.

This is about something else. Can I go back very briefly to Resolution No. 9, the reimbursement to the AMFA for the insurance claims? So have we just been – I didn't even know there was a flood in April of 2025 at AMFA, and I understand about the insurance policy, but we are just now reimbursing them for that?

Yeah, after all the paperwork was done. So it's a process.

Okay. All right. That's all. Thank you.

Thank you. Director Webb.

And Mayor, I just have an announcement and a question, so I'll wait till we're finished with the agenda. I'm sorry.

All right. Director Contreras. Leland.

I think we would be not doing right if we didn't acknowledge where we got the TREC boarding from that we're putting in. Could you elaborate on that for everybody?

Sure. It's been a little bit of time, but I think I tried to say it's from the TREC's company located in the port. I do know that it was right when I became director and I got a phone call from Jordan Johnson and he said, I got a load of TREC material for you. Where do you want to put it? And so we found a place, and we've been storing it in dry storage for quite some time. But that's really the history that I'm familiar with. I don't know if you want to elaborate.

They came. We asked if they'd help us. They did. And we need to acknowledge people who help us do things. Absolutely. It's been a long time, but we need to thank TREC for doing that. We wouldn't be doing this right now if we didn't have the material.

That's correct. That's great. Thank you.

Director Lewis?

I just had a question. I think it was mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we would have like a detailed discussion about the data centers on July 7th. Is that still taking place?

Yes, we'll have a, we'll go through an overview of the June 2nd ordinance, the regulatory ordinance.

Got it. I just shared that with a couple of residents, so I wanted to make sure that that was accurate.

Director Peck, is your hand still up?

No, sir. Thank you. All right.

Director Webb, your hand still up?

Are we finished with the agenda?

Yes.

Okay, the Lenny Massanelli from the Office of Sustainability asked me to remind everybody that July is plastic free July and thanks to Director Miller who was at the kickoff this morning. And there are a lot of activities all month long and people can look at the city website or the Sustain Little Rock Facebook page. And the main message they want to get out to residents is that if everybody could change one, single use plastic habit, whether that's plastic straws, cutlery, plastic bags, whatever. That's the goal to get folks to change one single use plastic habit. So thank you, Mayor Scott. And then my question is for the city attorney. We had talked at some point about, and it kind of is relevant since we just are talking about donations, but we were talking about updating an ordinance or getting an ordinance that deals with donations since we've got Little Rock Cares and that kind of thing, and I just wanted to check on the status of that because I have a couple of constituents who have asked.

I know that we worked on the matter.

Haven't we given?

We have a draft. We're just going back and forth on it.

Thank you. That's it.

Director Adcock, then Director Miller.

Yes. The Arkansas DOT has a meeting coming up July the 9th that they have sent us a letter inviting us to. Who is the staff person that is looking into this that can give us some information before this meeting?

Manish, but we'll have to look at the letter. We don't know what letter you're referring to. Okay. Manish will get with you after this meeting.

Okay. I would like for him to be able to prepare us his information before we attend the meeting.

Will do.

Thank you.

Just prepare a memo for Director Adkog, Manish, and all the board members. Director Miller.

Thank you, Mayor. And I don't want to get out ahead of this because you usually cover this anyway, but I've gotten a couple of emails from a resident that I usually get emails from on a regular basis.

We won't say their names, that's fine.

I'm not. I got a little choked. About fireworks and are we going to have an announcement, a public statement? I mean, they always say we, you know, we'll put out a flyer. Is that enough? I mean, sometimes we have a press event. So I just want to make sure and certainly those who are listening and streaming on this that they know about fireworks. Most people do, but we just have to do this every year. And I want to make sure that we have the opportunity to or we are planning to do our usual announcements, Mayor.

Yes, we'll do our usual announcements. It'll be a social media video, a press release. Um, and we will have a hotline and not a hotline. We'll have a email, uh, site that you can email. Let us know that again. Uh, because if you call the police, it does tie up other measures as it relates to that may be actual violent measures. And so we want to send us an email when you hear fireworks and we'll get someone to go look into it. Uh, we don't need people flooding 911 for fireworks. We need people flooding 911. for various things. And so there's a balancing act with that as it relates to our officers, but it will be addressed again. You're not supposed to, uh, pop fireworks in the city limits. Um, it's hard to govern that and just, you know, that's just, uh, we just ask every resident not to do it because it can create some issues as a reason why we don't allow it to happen. If we don't want anyone going into the hospitals because they, you know,

blow off their hand or anything so we want to make sure and that's I'm not that's being graphic because that's actually happened so we hope people don't choose to do that mayor we need to add that there are some people that like to fire off firearms on holidays of this nature and everything that goes up comes down and we have had damaged property quite a lot in the last few years. I don't think we've had any people hurt, but I know of several indications when a bullets come down and hurt an individual.

Correct. Thank you. But for board members is if you want to share with anyone who reaches out to you, it's fireworks at Little Rock dot gov. That's what we want. Everyone send an email to on their phone or iPad or personal computer fireworks at Little Rock dot gov. Please do not call 911. Call 911 if it's an actual fire, but not for fireworks. Any more questions? Going once, going twice. Meeting adjourned.