Dogtown Wire

A quartet of plucking, singing, songwriters has a new CD out called “Tarnation” and I got me a copy in the mail.

One of the reasons I wanted to move to Arkansas was the gushing praise about the state’s music scene that spewed forth from the many singer/songwriters throughout the country I call friends.

And I have had the pleasure of hearing some still-budding, and some genuine real talent from several singer/songwriters that call Central Arkansas home. I did throw out a few “aw shucks” when I found out the bluegrass music scene is more prevalent up in the northwest corner and has a musical Mecca in Mt. View.

But then one day I heard that wondrous combination of guitbox, mandolin, banjo, and stand up bass that drew me to the band playing that move-you-to-your toes music downtown. Quicker than American Idol fans can change their allegiance, I crossed the street and beheld Runaway Planet throwing down my favorite acoustic sounds.   

Monthly Code Enforcement Report for June 2008

The code officers responded to 169 calls or complaints received by the code department for investigation from the public or other city departments. There were 697 self-initiated calls the code officers handled in their districts and 836 follow-up calls to check on the progress of previously received complaints for compliance. There were 5 neighborhood meetings attended by code officers this month. 

Code Officers issued 5 warning violations and issued 48 total violations for court appearances during the month for various complaints or infractions. Four hundred twenty (420) warning notices were mailed or distributed due to the owners not being present at the time of inspection addressing code violations regarding debris, junky property, overgrown grass and weeds, and other code violations advising the owners to abate the nuisances. There were 126 lots posted with warning signs to maintain or cut the tall grass and weeds.

There were 20 inspections performed on rental properties and 21 inspections performed on non-rental housing structures. Eleven (11) housing structures were demolished by the property owners after being contacted or cited by the code department to bring up to code or to demolish due to the unsafe and dilapidated condition. The City Council condemned 12 housing structures deemed to be unsafe and uninhabitable. Twelve (12) search warrants were executed for the purpose of conducting interior inspections.

Park Hill residents spoke of their opposition to the closing of Fire Station 5 when the new station is built. (Photo from the Unoffical NLRFD website.)

A prime reason for the meeting held Tuesday at the Trinity Lutheran Church at 3802 N. Olive St. was to gauge if Park Hill residents might be interested in creating a new neighborhood association.

The 65 or more Park Hill residents who showed up for the meeting scheduled by Ward 1’s Aldermen Neil Bryant and Alderwoman Debi Ross for this specific reason, and to allow residents to voice concerns, seemed to show the time might be ripe for a unified neighborhood voice.

Concerns over a perceived rise in burglaries, the possible loss of Fire Station 5, and a desire by some who would like to see a vote to permit a limited sale of alcohol in local restaurants were those most discussed.

The planned closing of the fire station brought about out passionate statements of opposition to this plan that is tied to the Fire Department’s construction of a new station near the intersection of Highways 165 and 391.  

The temperature was already pushing 90 degrees. Usually golfing in the morning was pleasant but today the sweat forming on my forehead, as I finished putting on the number three green, already distracted me.

This was a serious game today, a hole-by-hole match play that would allow me to progress to the next level of the ladies annual tournament.

We found shade on the fourth tee. When you are standing at this tee box, you overlook beautiful old willow trees that partially shadow the glistening pond. In the spring, two geese parented about six goslings that I had been keeping track of during my regular league play. Every time I approached this hole I wondered if I would see those fuzzy little creatures swimming in the pond or if they would be close to the green where I could get a good look at their beauty.

Just a reminder to those interested that the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has scheduled a public meeting and hearing on Koppers, Inc. (Beazer East, Inc).

The meeting is to be held tonight from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Glenview Community Center, located at 4800 East 19th Street in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  For more information see the previous post on this.

The Murray Lock and Dam and Big Dam Bridge. (Photo from American Trails)

Mayor Pat Hays talked with KTHV and said the city is $2,250,000 in the red for revenues from the Murray hydroelectric plant.

This confirmed the problem the plant has had with high river water levels since January as discussed with former Electric Department Director Ed Gertsch who resigned last Friday,

As Gertsch said last week, the problem with the high waters has made things worse as silt and debris damaged an intake gate and will require an expensive cleanup project.

The city’s last payment on the plant is scheduled to be completed by 2014 when the city will then realize an extra $12-$13 million a year to its general fund once the plant is paid off.

Amboy

100 block of Louise Street, between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. July 4: A man told police someone tried to enter his house by breaking a window. He said nothing was missing.

Baring Cross

1400 block of Division Street, between 8:40 and 11 a.m. June 30: A man told police someone entered his house by breaking a side window. He said an Acer computer, CDs, jewelry, medication, a Lexmark printer and a Toshiba flat screen TV were removed from the house. The computer, printer and TV were recovered in the back yard.

1500 block of Flora Street, between 7 and 11 p.m. July 2: A man said that someone entered his house through a window. He said a flat screen TV, $100 in cash, and an Xbox were missing.

1900 block of Franklin Street, 12:05 a.m. July 5: Police responded to a residential burglar alarm and found a window screen that appeared to have been pried off. A woman watching the house for the owner said she didn’t have a key and officers weren’t able to get into the house to see if it had been entered.

Ladies and gentlemen, we at the North Little Rock City Council want you to know that we’re dedicated to making your lives better. To that end, we’ve come up with an innovative new plan that we think will become a model of responsive government to be emulated across this great nation of ours.

We’re giving away public parking spots!

That’s right – following the critical success of our decision to hand over on-street parking to Valentine’s Restaurant in the baseball stadium, we’ve decided make every single on-street parking space available to the public. After all, parking on a public street isn’t a right, it’s a privilege – or should be, at any rate.

I know what you’re asking right now: “How can they do this?” Well, like everything else in the city of North Little Rock, it’s a matter of law, of course! As noted in the resolution giving the Willow Street parking spots to Valentine’s, the City Council passed an ordinance regulating parking during events at the ball park. And if eating dinner at Valentine’s isn’t a ball park event, we don’t know what is!

What’s that? You say that a resolution isn’t actually a law, like an ordinance, and that it’s not legally binding?

Your point?

Cammack Village Police Dog Tango was instrumental in yesterday's arrest of two men on weapons and drug charges.

Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay said after a 3-month investigation and with the help of Tango the Cammack Village police dog, Tango, two men now sit in jail.

At the 10:30a.m. press conference Holladay said Shahg David Powers, 36, of North Little Rock and Travis Shane Allen, 33, of Sherwood were arrested yesterday at 6 p.m. at the AAA Mini-Storage at 3400 Industrial Center in North Little Rock.

Both Powers and Allen were alleged to have suspected methamphetamine – 0.06 grams and 0.05 grams, respectively – in their vehicles when they were searched on the scene. The arrest report said a search of Allen’s vehicle resulted in “several items that were identified confirmed stolen.” Powell’s report said about 17 generic pills were found on his person.

Holladay said they received information that the group of individuals under investigation was using the mini-storage site to stash stolen goods and possibly drugs. Cammack Village Police Chief Peter Powell was called to have Tango sniff out the site, Holladay said. And he added, “the dog alerted on the warehouse meaning he indicated that there were drugs inside.”

The work started on the city’s new 68 unit RV park can now be completed when it was given a unanimous approval vote by Planning Commission members at yesterday’s monthly meeting.

Since the vote on the park plan was only to approve its acceptable use for compliance to its zoning designation, it does not need to be approved by City Counil. Planning Commissioner Sam Baggett was absent from the meeting.

But the vote didn’t come without the need for a discussion on the precedent this might set for future plan approvals to come before the commission because of zoning code waivers given the park.

Argenta Neighborhood Boosters President Scott Miller gave the commissioners a visual of a waiver for not requiring the 10-foot separation between the RVs that code language details.