El Dorado city officials recently heard a report about how the city’s annual contribution to the Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado is helping to serve the area’s youth, including two new programs that will be introduced this fall.
Per the terms of a contract of services with the city, David Lee, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado, provided statistics and information about some of the activities that the club provides.
The city has two annual contracts with the Boys and Girls Club, one of which is for $22,500 to provide recreational activities for youth since the city does not have an organized parks and recreation program.
The other is an agreement for the club to manage the El Dorado-Union County Recreation Complex.
The contract is for $40,000, which is split pro rata between the city and Union County.
On July 5, Lee said the club is more than halfway through its summer camp, which has an average daily attendance rate of 95 children, and is gearing up for the 2018-2019 school year.
New programs
Two new ideas that will be implemented at the start of the school year are a new B&GC teen center and a flag football program, Lee told council members.
Lee said the B&GC Wetherington Unit, 1401 E. Center, will be dedicated to teenage club members.
Lee and Denesia Jamerson, B&GC director of operations, previously said teen members of the club have expressed a desire for their own space.
Lee has noted that the TAC House, which is near the B&GC main unit on North West Avenue, was formerly known as the “Teenage Club” and used to host social events specifically for local teens.
He said the TAC House does not function as it once did, and the B&CG club is looking to make the best use of the Weatherington Unit, formerly Watson Elementary School and later, Watson Educational Center.
The Wetherington Unit has a cafeteria, stage with audio/video equipment, computer lab, gym and several smaller rooms, which will likely be converted into office spaces, Lee told the News-Times earlier this year.
“We’ve got a facility. It’s a big open space. We just have to utilize it. It’ll be better suited for a teen center, so that’s what we decided — to just go for it at the Wetherington Unit,” he said.
Jamerson said the B&GC has gotten input from teenage club members about what they’d like to see in the facility and incorporated some of those ideas into plans for the teen center.
Lee told council members the center will also help to prepare teens for the working world by focusing on job readiness, soft skills, etc.
Council member Willie McGhee, who formerly served as director of the Wetherington Unit, asked if the facility was still available for community activities.
“I’ve been getting questions about that. Part of its function was supposed to be for a community center to serve that community over there. Do you still do that? McGhee asked.
“We rent it out a lot,” Lee said.
He said pricing is determined upon need, saying that rental fees are $200 for half a day and $400 for a full day.
“That includes staff and cleaning. Just call us,” Lee said.
Sign-ups are under way for a flag football league for boys and girls, ages 6 - 14.
The 5-on-5 football league is sponsored by the NFL.
“That’s something new we’re going to be trying in September,” Lee said, adding that the program will be spread across the B&CG facilities and the complex on Champagnolle Road.
For more information or to register, call Steve Harrell at 870-863-8753, Ext. 106.
Lee also reported that between Jan. 1 and June 30, the B&GC has served 17,054 meals in its food program.
For the summer food program, children do not have to be members of the club to participate, Lee said, adding that sites include both units of the B&GC and Haygood-Neal Garden Apartments.
He said the program is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and comes with pre-packaged meals that meet all USDA-required nutrient components.
“They’re not as good as when we were cooking food, but when we cooking food, we were having problems with kids putting items like spaghetti in their backpacks to take home,” Lee said.
Council Member Billy Blann said he is a former member of the B&GC, noting, “It had a significant impact on my life.”
He asked who was responsible for landscaping between the fence and sidewalk at the club’s main unit.
“The Boys and Girls Club is an icon on North West Avenue, and that grass is 12 to 18 inches tall,” Blann said.
He also said grass was mowed in the area a couple of weeks ago, and there’s since been a problem with litter, mainly paper, “everywhere.”
Lee said he thought the city was responsible for the work, and Robert Edmonds, director of public works, said he thought the club was responsible for maintaining the space.
“It’s not our right of way. It belongs to the state of Arkansas,” Edmonds said.
Lee said the club would address the issue.
Budget adjustments
In other business the council passed a resolution approving mid-year budget adjustments.
Some of the adjustments totaled $70,200 and included:
• $60,000 from the El Dorado Police Department. Police Chief Billy White asked for $42,000 to make up the difference for a flat, annual rate of $162,000 to house city inmates in the Union County Jail.
White said the city had reduced the rate to $120,000 for 2018, but the city was still being billed based on the $162,000 rate.
Additionally, he said the Arkansas Supreme Court recently ruled that the city is responsible for offenders who are arrested by city law enforcement officers and transported to the county jail for incarceration from the point of intake until offenders are charged, sentenced and released.
White also requested $18,000 toward the purchase of a new police cruiser to replace a 2013 model that was recently totaled in a wreck. The police chief explained that an officer was struck by a woman, who was cited in the accident. He said the EPD’s automobile insurance coverage will pay the estimated value of $8,000 for the cruiser, adding that a new vehicle will cost $26,000.
• $4,200 to help repair two heating and cooling units for Central Fire Station. Fire Chief Chad Mosby said the estimated cost of the repair is $15,000 and there is $9,800 available in the EFD budget.
• $5,000 to order a new rear-loading garbage truck for the Sanitation Department.
Edmonds said the new truck will replace one that failed.
The cost of a new truck is $190,000, and Edmonds said $185,000 is available in the sanitation budget, noting, “We’ll have the other $5,000 when it’s time to pay for it.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at [email protected].