By Haley Smith
Staff Writer
FELSENTHAL — Felsenthal City Council decided to pull from reserves to pay off a loan, making the city debt free, at their council meeting on Feb. 14.
Mayor Linda Newbury brought up the idea of paying of the city’s loan with Berkadia that was taken out over 30 years ago to pay for the city’s sewer system. As of right now, the loan is sitting at $27,365.31.
The town is currently paying around $6,000 a year and of that $1,600 is paying interest.
“Even though there are only seven years left on the loan, paying it off will take away a whole year’s worth of payments. That $6,000 a year is a strain on the budget and this will give the city a little room to breathe,” Newbury said.
Newbury stated that if this loan was paid off in full, it would free up the annual payments to replenish the reserves it was borrowed from.
Newbury also talked with Judge Mike Loftin about having prisoners to come and clean out the ditches around the town.
“We have a bad problem of people that come down for the weekend and throw beer cans and cartons all over the back ways and ditches,” Newbury said. “They are trash ridden, not even in the city limits, it’s mostly the stretch of road coming into town. The county comes and picks it up after Breamfest, but it would be nice to have it cleaned more than that.”
Loftin said he would comply as soon as possible, but with having the whole county to care for, he was unsure of when he would get to the city.
Newbury also approached the judge about having the CRP valves at the park inspected. He said he would have it done as soon
as possible.
“It’s a cross connection valve, basically a back flow prevention device. It keeps the waste water from the campground from back-flowing into the town, and it has to be checked annually,” Newbury explained.
Council member Ryan Eads brought up the need to get new “Welcome to Felsenthal” signs at each entrance to the town. These would replace the missing city limits signs.
In the past the signs have been stolen several times. “We can not govern in fear of this,” said Eads.
Eads also stated that the larger signs would be harder to steal and he would like the signs up in time for Breamfest.
He has offered to look into the cost of the new signs.
Newbury received a notice from the Arkansas State Aid Street Department about the status of their application for a grant to finish overlay the town’s streets. The town has been currently denied due to lack of funds.
“We applied and got a grant for $250,000 to pave some of the town’s roads several years ago. I guess a lot of people are applying for them because the state will help first-time applicants first, then they will get to people that they have applied before after that,” said Newbury.
However, the city was sent a letter from the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department about grant money that is available for various projects in the community.
The mayor said she will be looking into a grant to help with fixing and maintaining some of the dirt roads around the town.
Haley Smith is a staff writer for the El Dorado News-Times and may be reached at 870-862-6611 or by email at [email protected].