Minor modifications coming to Conference Center bistro

News-Times
News-Times

The bistro inside El Dorado Conference Center will soon get some modifications that are designed to make the space more student- and visitor-friendly, South Arkansas Community officials said.

Dr. Barbara Jones, president of South Arkansas Community College, and Barry Bagwell, director of the conference center, approached the El Dorado City Council Thursday with a proposal for the changes to the Bistro Cafe.

Jones said the request came from contract food vendor, Valley Services, Inc., which serves the bistro and catered events in the conference center.

The conference center is owned by the city and managed and operated by SouthArk.

Bagwell told council members that the proposed changes would be minor and Mayor Frank Hash noted that SouthArk would cover the cost of the work.

A new study bar and condiment counter would be added to the south side of the bistro, Bagwell said, explaining that the project would call for an inset into existing windows and a bar and stools to increase the seating capacity in the area.

The job would also incorporate technological capabilities, with equipment to allow visitors to charge laptops and cellphones.

Bagwell said existing cabinetry and countertops near the serving area would be converted into a steam table, and on the north side, a liftgate would be replaced by a solid wall.

“That was before my time. I think the original design went in another direction, so that liftgate serves no purpose,” Bagwell said.

He said the wall would include plumbing and electrical implements.

Bagwell told city officials that the modifications would help to enhance the student experience in the bistro and increase outside patronage by complementing the Murphy Arts District and other upcoming events and festivals that are hosted by other groups, such as Main Street El Dorado.

The council unanimously approved the request.

Condemnation extension

Aldermen also approved a request for a 90-day extension for a house that has been condemned at 710 Ouachita, capping off an issue that arose during their regular meeting on April 8.

The vote was not unanimous, however. One alderman said she was opposed to the request, citing the owner’s past history with such projects.

Aldermen Dianne Hammond and Mary McAdams, both of whom represent Ward Four, where the house is located, cast no votes on the request by Ralph Smith.

Smith and another family member brought the matter before the council on April 8 as part a highly charged discussion that called into question the city’s condemnation process.

Several aldermen have since toured the house, with some participating in a visit just before the council meeting on Thursday.

Smith asked aldermen for 90 days to bring the house up to code and ready it for occupancy.

“It’s a great structure. There may be some discrepancies that go along with an old house, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary,” he said.

Hash tipped off a brief snappy exchange about the structure of the house, with Smith saying it is a brick house and Hash insisting it is a wooden structure with a brick veneer.

Some city officials disagreed with Smith’s assessment about the condition of the house.

Alderman Vance Williamson, who toured the house last week, recommended the extension, though he said he thought the house needs more work than can be done in 90 days.

Hammond staunchly opposed the request, telling Smith that when she went to the house Thursday, someone ran out the back door.

“I don’t know if you have squatters there,” she said.

Hammond pointed to several issues that she saw while touring the house, saying that the carport appears in danger of collapsing, and the electrical wiring and plumbing need redoing.

“When you walk in there, you bounce on the floors. The foundation is not steady,” Hammond said.

She also said Smith and other family members have previously requested extensions for other properties that made it onto the city’s condemnation list.

One property, which was also on Ouachita, remained untouched for a year after the Smiths requested an extension, and another at 620 W. Fifth, remained on the condemnation list for three years, Hammond said.

A third property in the 600 block of Nelson was razed by the city three years after a similar request was made to bring it up to code, Hammond said.

“The problem I have is that in the past, when you say you’re going to do something, you don’t do what you’re going to say,” Hammond told Smith.

Smith said another property the family owned on Nelson was condemned and recently razed by the city.

He said his mother, the late Marzell Smith, “spent thousands of dollars restoring the house.”

The Nile and Marzell Smith Museum of African American History bears the name of Smith’s parents.

“We had a brick mason come in and align those brick columns. There was a new roof on that house, and my mom spent thousands redoing the windows,” Ralph Smith said.

“Whoever was mayor at the time my mom came before the city council told her to take as much time as you want,” he continued.

When Smith referred to comments city officials previously

made about another condemned property, Hash interjected and called for a vote on the request for the 710 Ouachita house.

The vote was 5-2 in favor of the request. Alderman Kensel Spivey was unable to attend the meeting.

Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.

CORRECTION

This article has been updated to correct an error in the first sentence.

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