A&p Commission - Special Meeting

I'm ready. We're on report everywhere.

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to tonight's special call meeting, City Council meeting on this Friday, September the 18th, 2026, at 6 p.m. It's actually 5.57 p.m. Well, that thing's wrong.

Is it?

Okay. Six o'clock. So I'll call this meeting to order. Do you need to? And we'll do a roll call, Ms. Derry, please.

Mr. Brown, or A.C. Brown?

Here.

Ralph Meeker?

Here.

Tim Terry's absent. Roger Rainwater? Here. Steve Tedford is absent, and Rob Powell is absent. We do have a quorum with the addition of the mayor.

Thank you for that. First, we have one item on the agenda tonight. It is Mr. Brown, or Councilman Brown and Councilman Meeker has called for it. It's highway signage and public relations, so I'll turn it over to either one of the councilmen.

All right. I was just wanting to really, I mean, we touched on it, you know, in the council meeting and stuff, you know, just about the possibility of doing some highway signage, you know, for the businesses, you know, in Greenwood and stuff, you know, in the, you know, the Center Street Bridge has been tore down and everything, you know, and just trying to, you know, do what we can to help them out, you know, and I was, disappointed you know when the uh uh parks you know decided to keep it uh the fall festival i mean that was a suggestion you know to maybe just do it for this year to bring it down here and again just uh you know show sign you know just a little gesture that that uh we're um wanting to support the businesses you know we're wanting to help them through this kind of you know rough patch that they're going through and stuff and so i just really wanted to we just touched about on the highway signs but we didn't really you know delve deeply into it so i really wanted to say again that that you know We are concerned about our businesses, and I just really want to know if there really is a thing that we can put signage on the bypass. Can we put signage on 71 as a city? If we can do that, and if not, if we can, can we look at pursuing that?

I'll speak on that. I didn't cry to get him. Jeff couldn't make it back down here tonight. I've talked to Jeff about this about two months ago. We've actually got somewhat of a design started. Kim Gouge is the sign expert over at the street department. I went over and visited with her and Jeff and we looked at catalog of all the things, the material that they can purchase. We came up with a little bit of a design. We've just not gotten it done yet as far as building signs. Jeff did reach out to RDOT regarding highway signage. You can certainly put signs on the highway. You just have to get it permitted. Our wayfinding signs that we've got around town are a great example of that. Now that we've got those up, every time we ask to get a wayfinding sign, it takes less time to get that permit. So they're usually good with that, with the placement they have to come out and check. But it has to meet certain specs for sure. So we tried to do... The conversation I've had with the street department and Kim are to do a smaller version of that. Those signs, I can't... Tom, you remember the wayfinding? $7,500 or more. And that was... Two years ago, they're probably 10 grand now. But anyway, we're looking at doing something a little bit more economically acceptable, if you will. And so, yeah, the answer is yes, we're going to try to do that. We don't know where we're going to be allowed. The city, we placed, the street department placed a couple of little signs, very small signs, on the bypass, and I don't even know if they're still up. It basically said downtown... I can't remember exactly. It was this big. Yeah, they're there. Are they still there? Okay.

I think the one coming from the west had fallen down. Yeah. So I'll need to stop and pick that up and put it back in the ground.

So they allow, RDoT said, yeah, for now, go ahead during construction. So we'll have to go back officially and ask on a more permanent base. So, yeah, we can definitely be pursuing that. I think it's a great idea to get them out. 71. Probably is not going to be much harder than getting bypassed. I mean, it's a highway.

But, yeah, we're working on it. And I guess I just wanted to make sure that, yeah, we can, as a city, you know, do something like that.

Yeah, so I think I called Travis a while back, and he may not remember, or I texted him or something. So advertising for a specific area. restaurant or station may be a little tricky. I don't remember if Travis was even able to give me a response at that time. I'm putting him on the spot here. I may not even remember. I sent an email or maybe. So I don't know the answer to that. It may just have to be a general restaurant's this direction or something. On the highway you see Wendy's Cracker Barrel Sir? Yes, they pay for them. Yeah, they pay for them, which I don't want to have to do that. I don't want to have to ask a business that's already in a little bit of a bind or maybe not doing as well as they normally would to ask to pay for a sign. So I'll follow up. Travis is looking at me like I didn't, but I intended to ask whether I did or not. So I'll find out.

Well, I just want to say that I appreciate the Parks Commission considering moving temporarily the Fall Fest to the square. I mean, that's, I know it's kind of short notice, but these are the kind of things that we really need to think about until that bridge is getting back. I mean, because we have shortened the Freedom Fest, which I'm not arguing one way or the other, but it has been shortened. We're moving the the uh spook trail this year uh the candy trail or the halloween trail um you know and this was another opportunity to maybe substitute um you know putting more people on the square and that's that's all the thought was so i do appreciate them considering it um i wasn't looking for a yeah we're going to do that i just wanted you to consider it and i appreciate that um but but i do i mean We're hearing it from several businesses that this construction is bypassing their business and impacting their bottom line. So just looking for ways that we can help them out would be appreciated.

And I want to touch on, too, Bob Purvis has been asked, I asked Bob about it because it was brought up, could we do anything more to the events that we have to boost that? I know most of you have been down on the parade. You can't add much more to a parade with the amount of people that we have down here. So Bob considered it, and he called me or texted me back, and he said that you got him thinking that they used to have like a festival for artisans. What do we call it today?

Craft and artisan fair.

Craft and artisan fair for holidays specifically, not – In other words, you could have one and have everybody that makes things for Christmas and Halloween and fall and all those things down on the square at one time and sell those products that would create what you gentlemen are talking about. So he's a planner, and I said, I think that's a great idea. When do you think? And he goes, not this year. He says, it's not possible to get that scheduled and have this turn out. along with the other festivals that are already scheduled. Yeah, I wouldn't want that to compete with Fall Festival. No, it would be a totally different date. And again, it can be anything. It's just called a holiday because you're providing decorations for all holidays. So that could happen any time.

And so, yeah, that could be, I guess, sort of like a, when you mentioned War Eagle, sort of like a mini War Eagle or whatever. But people would come down and sell their crafts and their arts, things, and whatever.

And we've done things, you know, back when I was park director, we did a few things like that. I didn't do the trail, and there used to be an artisan trail. Is that what it was called?

It was Art on the Trail, I think.

Art on the Trail, which, of course, is out of commission right now. Or part of it is, so that's kind of. but that was a great event, I thought, and it worked real well. I'm not sure. We did it a couple years ago. Yeah, I think so. People brought their goods in, and it was all art.

It was so weather-dependent was the problem.

That's true, yeah. Nobody's going to want to put their stuff out there in the... in the rain or the cold.

He used to do that at the fireball. It was a holiday somewhere around Thanksgiving before Thanksgiving because they took care of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Has RDOC given another update on when another time of completion?

They're still sticking with June 27. They're not going to say one way or the other. I talk to the bridge guys not daily but Actually, I do. I rolled my window down. I said, can we drive on it today? And that's a joke between us. But they will not officially say, but unofficially, they think they're going to beat that time. Is that a month, two months? Not six months. I mean, anything can happen. I mean, if it starts raining like we all want it to rain, they'd be set back a little bit. They are, and everybody sees it, that bridge is going up very quickly. It doesn't seem like it sometimes when you're sitting there every day looking at it. But, no, nothing's official other than the June 27th. Now, they've changed that sign. One day, you know, it used to be earlier than that. Councilman Terry called me one day and said, why is it July or August of 27? And I said, no, it's not. He goes, you need to go look. So I went and looked, and I called RDOT. This has been eight months ago. And the guy at RDOT said, I'm not really sure. So the contractor changed it, and then he goes, do you want me to change it back? And I said, well, no, not if that's not, you know, it needs to make sense. So they had went from August. It was August, and they changed it to June. So that's better. Still a ways off, but.

Could I get out of my lane for a second? Yes, sir. Mr. Maker, do you know what kind of businesses, or are you at liberty to say what kind of businesses have complained about the slowdown?

Just the ones particularly on this end of town.

Like what type of businesses?

There ain't a whole lot of them, so if I start listing them, you'll know exactly.

Retail, food service?

The food service is a little... It's kind of hard to judge because they're new. I mean, because they don't know what kind of business they had before all this happened, and they are new. So, I mean, of course people are going to go flock to someplace new to try to eat to figure it out. So I don't think those particular businesses, the two new food restaurants, know exactly what kind of impact. But, you know, there's not but a gas station and antique.

Essentially it would be affecting everyone from – tractor supply East because people are bypassing completely. Yeah. Potentially. Yeah. And I don't know what we could do to help them, but have y'all considered looking at the AMP tax?

Adjustment? No, we, we, we have that.

I mean, that would be one way the city could help. I don't know what y'all can do with it. Just a suggestion.

Well, I mean, that's a good idea that I haven't thought of, you know, but I'm thinking, you know, still, I just want to know if, you know, again, if we could put signage, you know, along that, you know, the bypass or if we could put signage on the 71 as a city, you know, saying, I mean, because I know it's done by the highway department or whatever, you know, and stuff. And Tom's saying that they pay for that. But I was just wondering. you know, if we could do that, you know, and just put up, whether it's, say, you know, restaurants, you know, gas stations, you know, just, you know, in a generic format, or if we could even, you know, put their individual, like, icons, whatever, all across the board.

I live on that side of town, and so I know a lot of people, after talking with them, you know, they're still going into McDonald's and you know, Sonic and that strip, but they're bypassing the South Main exit. Taking the detours. Yeah, and going to the Coker exit and hitting right there. That way they're not having to go through two lights and come right here because a lot of people are uncomfortable with this intersection right here. You can't see around the bank. Well, I called the bank. It was a bank when I was a kid. But they can't see. They can't. they can't negotiate that corner. So they're just going down to Coker Street, and it's a much user-friendly to get off right there with the merging lane, and you just go one light, and then down Center Street. So I think a lot of what's being bypassed is from Coker Street this way. Like I said, you drive by one gas station, but you've got Sinclair's and Denman Pearl's and... Posh Pets is, I think, one of those places that if you're gonna go get your dog prettied up, you're already headed, I mean, that's a destination you're going to anyway. But, I mean, just, you know, places here, I mean, we did have a Nutrition on the Square, they actually moved out.

They're my neighbors now. Yeah, they're your neighbors.

I mean, I think part of that was they were losing business and they were just looking for a better location. They got to drive through. And they got to drive through, and they had some added competition on the square. I mean, I think there was a few other things.

They had to plan for a while.

Yeah.

I wasn't trying to suggest anything or get out of my lane.

No, but, I mean, you're right. I mean, we need to think about. Maybe temporarily.

I'm not saying anything permanent, but if, you know, because this is temporary. Right, it is.

That's the thing that you think about with A&P is,

I know it does a lot. I don't even know where all the money goes. It's out of my department.

That is redistributed to the city through grants. So it benefits people. It pays it forward. So anything you would do to wash that or put money back through that would definitely jeopardize all the others that draw people to Greenwood. You have to think of the end of the means of it. The city sells you new tax. I don't put those numbers on because I don't have specific business dollars. I only have specific business dollars on the EMP. And I can tell you that Brahms had an impact too. At the time this happened, Brahms opened up and Brahms pulled a lot of people that would ultimately have been in. But I can tell you that over the four months average that each of these businesses were doing before this was closed and before Brahms, They're now back, right now, they're coming back to the level they were at before.

Well, and there's nothing we can do at this body on sales and use tax. I mean, that's, there's nothing we can do.

And I don't have any way of calculating that.

And we understand, I mean, some of this.

I'm not saying they're lying.

No.

They are probably suffering on this, but that's going to go away when the bridge opens back up and the traffic can now free flow either direction.

And we know sales are cyclic. I mean, there's parts of the year where it's going to be worse than others. I mean, school was let out, and so a lot of the school traffic wasn't coming through here. So, I mean, I understand there's other variables there, but, I mean... Also, the chamber has...

several grants that they come to the AMP for. They have the VFW, not the VFW, but like the 5Ks and the advertising they do in that Western Arkansas mountain frontier. Well, the car show's the fairground now. Managed by that. But they do have several. If somebody wanted to talk to the chamber director, maybe this could be another grant opportunity to do something.

As I said before, Bob is very willing to come up with a plan to do something, an event, or add to. He was quick to say the parade is not an add-to-able event, if that makes sense. There's already bean feed. We're drawing as many as we can, but I'm as sensitive as anybody to the businesses on this end of the square. I absolutely went and visited with many businesses before we ever started the bypass project to say, here's what's going to happen. And what's your feelings? I mean, there's nothing I can fix about it. So it's not a surprise, although you want to be as sensitive to whatever's happening as you can. So, yeah, I think it's great that we're trying to figure out something, but I think it very much falls on not for us to shun it, but I think the chamber would be a good avenue for something to get going, add to it.

I mean, we do have that economic development committee, but I think that's in a different, like, wheelhouse or whatever. It's to bring, you know, create new commerce.

Is that within the chamber in our city, or is that, like, regional?

It's inside of the city. This is ours. Coffers.

Well, that is true. Yeah, that's what we're trying to accomplish here. Yeah. And I, you know, I know it's a short term thing, you know, and again, like you said, Mary, you went out there and visit with all of them, you know, and, and you try to prepare everybody, but then, you know, nobody really, you know, is prepared for when they see, oh, didn't realize that bridge was going to be completely gone, you know, and nobody's going to be coming through here, you know, and stuff. And, uh, and, and I know it's a short term, but, you know, I like saying even, you know, a year, you know, when you feel like it, you know, it impacts your business and stuff, you know, it's, um, It seems like you know kind of hard times and stuff And so that's what I try and do is just the show that with it You know we on the city side are sensitive to it, and you know we are trying to do things that we can to alleviate it or you know or help their their Plight you know to whatever you know for the for the time short time being and Because, you know, short time to us, you know, on the other side is a long time to, you know, some of the businesses and stuff.

And don't get me wrong. I mean, I really like that we've got new businesses. I mean, that's, I mean, everybody likes to see something new and a new place to eat. But, you know, this particular, this part of town seems to have a history of, short-term restaurants, shorter-term businesses. And, I mean, we really need to consider why that's happening. And I know there are some things outside of our control, like the construction, you know, and the effects of that. But, you know, long-term, we need to figure out why these folks are not being able to make it. Are there things that we can do to help? you know, bolster, you know, whatever, and down in this part of town to keep folks here to keep those businesses open.

So the bypass itself, when it opens, this is, it's hard for everybody to, you know, you watch it, you watch it, it's never going to open. When this opens back up, this will now be the city street down to here. And we will have the capability in the future, as Casey is well aware of, to close down the downtown square, to make a bigger Freedom Fest, to make a bigger everything, and to cater to, because I've always felt, I've lived here my whole life, as many of you have, Greenwood does not work like Van Buren does downtown. You don't have that feel of let's park over here and walk down and eat at these restaurants, one, because they're not on the square. And so, and I may be, dreamer, but when all that changes for us and we have the capability of doing those things, it's going to make a big difference for the square. I mean, it's neither here nor there, but I envision the party lights streamed from the square out to the businesses on the square like you see in other towns. So it's going to open up a whole new atmosphere, world force, I think. Cinda may start selling cheeseburgers down there. I'm not sure. Italian food or something.

On that same note, though, Merritt, another consideration you guys might think about is an entertainment district. Right, and we talked about that, yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm thinking, you know, Whatever possibilities, that would be great.

We know what comes along with that. We haven't crossed that bridge yet.

You're worried about money.

That's money.

There you go. And if we can close this down, that's even... that would hurt these businesses more when we close it completely down, even though we're having a better festival or whatever. But if you have something to kind of offset it, like an entertainment district that would draw more people in on a regular basis, then you can kind of counteract that.

When I say close it down, it's just for an event. Right. So kind of what you guys were asking, gentlemen were asking for originally, is the fall festival to be down here to have that. have that camaraderie or that business and those people spending money on the square. Anyway, I know. Yeah, that's where I was going to. Not to completely close that street down forever. No, no, no. I'm talking about per event. Per event, yes.

Yeah.

Because it wouldn't be to use another bypass if you shut down this one.

Just so I'm clear, Mayor. Yes, sir. This won't be closed until June 27. Open? This right here. These bridges will be back in place and this will be back open. before the entire project's complete, correct? That is the entire project. No, that phase. It'll be that phase. There's still the four lane.

No, no, four lane is not even, this will be open way before the five lane.

But will they be completely done with all of it June 27th? No, this is a bridge. That's this. That's this.

There's phase one or whatever.

Out there, if you ask RDoC today, they will tell you the funding is not available to widen that to five lanes to 71. Although I know, and we know by seeing, James Fork's already moving water lines. They've already purchased, if not all, most of the right-of-ways to do that. But they will still say, to be safe, the funding has not yet been established. Now, I will say that Congressman Womack, specifically, last year, whenever he got us another $5 million, I just had another conversation, he's gotten another $5 million for us to make that happen. But no, no, this will be open June 27th, or hopefully before. Now, I'm not saying they won't continue on. Our desire and hope and prayer is that they don't ever leave until they get it all finished. I've talked to our daughter about that. I'm like, how much cheaper would this be? They don't need me telling them. But they're like, yeah, we get it. But if you ask certain ones of them, they'll say, well, we'll see. They don't want to, they don't get your hopes up too high. But yeah, this, this will be open.

So that June 27 date is just from like 96 to here. That's not Coker to 71.

Correct. Well, that's already open, but it won't be, it wouldn't, you're saying finished. No. Now that'd be great. You know, and maybe they could, they could show up. I could get a call tomorrow from Jared Wiley from R dot and say, Funding's available. We're going to keep going, and we'll have you open June 27th. But I've not heard that.

Now, what Jeff did say as part of the project is doing the main street from Center Street to South Main.

It is. I actually called again yesterday because I don't have to get on the bypass at all if I don't want to, but I do every day just to go see and experience what people are talking about. And so I go through the lines and I go everywhere and go on the east side of town and come back. And so, as we all know, that section right there in front between the courthouse and Saucy Rooster is horrible. And it's due to the construction and the dump truck. So I, Jeff had already been, Jeff was over there with his crew a week ago, ready to, the new paint came in, reflective paint. And he was ready to re-stripe that tunneling that we created, which has helped, by the way, a little bit. and he was ready to restripe that with the reflective paint, and RDoT pulled up and said, don't do that yet. You're wasting your paint, and it's expensive. We're getting ready to overlay that. That was the terms they used. So Jeff told me that, and I said, did you get a date from him? Because it's kind of important. He goes, no, but he felt like it was quickly. So that was last week, maybe two weeks. I don't know. So I called my contact, one of the contacts at RDoT, Who knows? I'm calling. What is it? I said, well, over here, we have a big problem. I told him what RDOT guys told Jeff. He goes, yeah, we're not scheduled to do that until the project's finished. I said, we can't do that. That's not possible. It's horrible. It's going to get worse. He assured me. that they would come in and not overlay yet. They're not going to do it because they want to make sure I said all the most of the dump trucks are finished there. And for now, and then I was told today how much dirt they still need here. So but they shouldn't be going come in that direction. But anyway, he said, Let me let me get make calls and get with Forsgren, who's the contractor, and see if we can get over there and at least fix it better than it is and get those humps out. So To answer your question, at the end of the project, that is supposed to be overlaid. Yes. From the light over to the new South Main connection. Okay. Yeah. And that's part of this current one. Correct. Yeah. That's good. And he reminded me, Forskin reminded me, he said, and I know they are also hauling dirt. Well, they're hauling dirt out of Burton's property to do all this work. And he said, you know, we've got that bonded and we're going to do this. And just a heads up on this, we may be needing to allow them to get back on center to bring dirt to this bridge because they have to come on this side. And I said, well, we'll do that if you bond that section. We're not going to not have that bonded. He said, not a problem. I'll get that to you next week. But he also reminded me before I reminded him about the horrible – Denver out on 71 where those dump trucks slide down that hill and has created this rolling asphalt and we stay in touch about that a lot and I'll call him and kind of gripe about it and he'll say we'll get out there and fix it but we don't want to do it all because we'll just come back and tear it up so They don't maintain that quite as well as I'd like often, but he reminded me today or yesterday or whatever, this morning, that he would get on that too.

Well, that tie there you were talking about, you know, the Jacob, you know, and the curve, you know, you said the Brahms and stuff, you know, I've gotten some calls from about the recognition that we got, you know, from the, I don't know what it's called, the Block Street and Building, you know, about the curve and stuff. You know, I thought, hey, it's great that we're getting recognition out there about that and stuff. You know, I've been pleased with, you know, sometimes it might have been to the detriment of some of the other current businesses, but how Brahm has been doing out there and everything. But they, you know, with those calls, they did bring up the fact that, you know, there was the music in the background. And they made reference to, you know, the Eagle song. And again, I've, you know, so I don't know what you're talking about. But anyway, they said that the... When you listen to that, you know, I said, well, I'm familiar with the Eagles. That's during my generation, you know, and stuff, you know. But they said that it has a curse word in there right there at the very end of that thing.

You're talking about the video that they had?

Yeah, the video. Because I don't do Facebook, you know, but I got with my son and said, hey, you know, click on that, you know, whatever. And he said, yeah, you can hear it in the background. You know, they're playing Eagles music, and then right there at the end, which you think, man, if they had just stopped it, you know, before that, you know, it would have been a deal. But, you know, it wasn't stopped, you know, so you heard that, you know, that really basically the Lord's name taken in vain there at the very end of that. And the eagle song?

Yeah.

Yeah. Life in the fast lane, you know, it's got it in there. And it's tough.

They call me there when they saw those like, why doesn't the curve look like that?

It's like, yeah, we don't have any control over that advertisement. I mean, I don't if that's what they're suggesting we but that's a marketing.

Well, that's what I was just saying. I said, I don't know, you know, what I said, you know, that block and tackle is, you know, another publication, you know, but I was going to say, you know, where, you know, did the Did it come from the Block Street and Building magazine? Did that music do that? Or was it from the Municipal League? Or where did the music in the background come from? Because I said I don't believe. Is it still on there? Yeah, it was still on there as of.

I can ask the league if that was something they've done, but I don't. And the league uses a lot of, the league itself will do promotions, and that may be theirs. I can certainly ask that.

Well, it's a great promotion as far as the actual article and stuff. But I was just thinking, well, we don't really want to, that doesn't represent the values of Greenwood to have that language in there. And that's the, yeah, I'll check into where that music came from and stuff. I can do that. And so that's what I was really wanting to know if it was from Municipal League or if it was from the Block Street and building or where that...

I can honestly say I did not listen to... I didn't click the sound. I just read the article and was pleased with the article. But I'll look in... I'll call AML tomorrow or Monday. I can call them more, but they're not going to answer.

Well, that's why I was just saying if there's some way that we can get that removed from...

We put it on our website, though.

Yeah, that's where it is. It's on our website. Not the article itself, but if we get that background music.

Again, I think that's just... Danielle takes care of that stuff, typically, unless you didn't transfer it, did you? So if we put it on our website, she would have not known that, or she wouldn't have posted it.

But I'll find out. And I think there again, you know, it's just something we need to be more conscientious of, you know, if we're, I guess we're copying and pasting or something, you know, like that, you know, just to say. Yes.

I don't know what you call it.

I don't know what you call it either. We can do that. But it was just kind of something. Yeah. I said, no, that doesn't represent Greenwood, you know, in our values by any means. Okay. I like Greenwood. I like the Eagles. Yeah.

Who doesn't? Yeah. But that was it. Okay. Okay. Any other discussion regarding the items on the agenda? That's it for me.

I'll make a motion to adjourn.

Second. Motion to second. Who seconded that? AC. Mr. Brown? Yes. Mr. Baker? Yes.

Mr. American? Yes. Mr. Rainwater? Yes.

You are adjourned. Thank you all for being here. I appreciate everybody being here. Thank you all.