Stories by Tia Lyons

Scare on the Square kicking off holidays downtown Main Street El Dorado and the Downtown Business Association are gearing up for the holidays, starting this month with Scare on the Square. The Halloween event is set from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday... October 20, 2021

Historic District Commission searching for best way to market local amenities When the state of Arkansas amended the terms of a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant that had been awarded to the city of El Dorado, the El Dorado Historic District Commission (EHDC) planned to re... October 19, 2021

Airstreamers to start arriving Thursday; weekend activity lineup to include dance, cookoff, movie night Nearly 40 recreational vehicles will begin rolling into downtown El Dorado Thursday for the fourth annual Airstreams on the Square. The event, which is set for Oct. 21 - 24, is presented by MSE and th... October 18, 2021

Water watch Oct. 18, 2021 Total daily pumpage by the El Dorado Water Utilities in gallons. Oct. 8..............................................................................................2,745,000 Oct. 9...................... October 18, 2021

Council to hold meetings monthly, pay bills via email The El Dorado City Council is changing its regular meeting schedule from twice a month to once a month, starting in December. Council members agreed to the change following an extensive discussion dur... October 17, 2021

Cultural survey of Retta Brown neighborhood a-go The El Dorado Historic District Commission (EHDC) will now be able to carry on with its next Cultural Resources Survey for both the Retta Brown and Country Club Colony neighborhoods. In September, Eli... October 16, 2021

El Dorado leading in national 'best small town' culture competition El Dorado is sitting atop a national poll in a contest to determine the Best Small Town Cultural Scene in the country, and Main Street El Dorado is encouraging local residents to cast their votes unti... October 14, 2021

Second crosswalk mural completed; ambient sound added downtown Main Street El Dorado is moving full steam ahead on two long-running projects that are intended to enhance the Downtown El Dorado experience. However, MSE has exhausted its budget for one of the proje... October 13, 2021

Community still unaware of airport and flight services, manager says Johnathan Estes, manager of South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field, is looking for ideas on how to promote the airport. Business After Hours was held Sept. 28 at SARA and drew approximately ... October 12, 2021

Local restaurants see increase in diners as El Dorado Food Festival continues The second annual El Dorado Food Festival is underway and local residents and out-of-town visitors are encouraged participate by supporting eateries in El Dorado. The festival officially kicked off Oc... October 11, 2021

Water watch Oct. 11, 2021 Total daily pumpage by the El Dorado Water Utilities in gallons. Oct. 1.............................................................................................3,205,000 Oct. 2....................... October 11, 2021

Late planting likely to prevent Complex soccer fields from opening for fall play While the El Dorado-Union County Recreation Complex board of directors is keeping its fingers crossed that two new soccer fields will be ready for play later this fall, the group is consigned to the f... October 10, 2021

EPD to buy cameras to help enforce downtown parking limits The El Dorado Police Department may have found what it believes is the best system to objectively address downtown parking enforcement issues and the El Dorado City Council has authorized the departme... October 9, 2021

The Last Dance kicks off tonight with the Jay Morris Group and more The Last Dance, a two-day blues, southern soul and R&B concert, kicks off today at the Union County Fairgrounds, 1490 E. 19th. Presented by Mr. Mike's Productions, The Last Dance was initially pla... October 8, 2021

City Council agenda: Mayor to address employee funding issues; police chief to discuss traffic warden The El Dorado City Council has several items on the agenda for its regular meeting, which will begin at 5:25 p.m. today in the Council Chamber of City Hall. Under new business, Mayor Veronica Smith-Cr... October 7, 2021

Local digest Oct. 5, 2021 Finance committee to begin 2022 budget talks The El Dorado City Council Finance Committee will begin preparing the 2022 city budget at noon today in the second-floor conference room of City Hall. The ... October 5, 2021

Meet Me at the Court youth to deliver food baskets in city Several local residents may receive a knock at their door this weekend as the Meet Me at the Court youth group conducts its mission project, starting at 4 p.m. Saturday. The group will deliver "love b... October 5, 2021

Council tightens regulations for commercial water customers If they have not already, many local commercial and industrial businesses will soon begin receiving letters from the El Dorado Water Utilities, notifying them when inspections are due for their backfl... October 4, 2021

Oklahoma company looks to install electric vehicle charging station in El Dorado There are dozens of electric-vehicle charging stations in Arkansas, but, overall, the state is not quite on par with other parts of the country with its capacity for electric vehicle drivers to travel... October 3, 2021

Airport manager granted permission to fly drones at SARA A federal permit has been granted for the use of drones in designated areas at South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field. SARA manager Johnathan Estes applied for and was recently granted a Cer... October 2, 2021

No passes in civil service exams for EPD, EFD jobs The latest round of Civil Service exams did not yield any viable results or candidates for the El Dorado police and fire departments. The El Dorado Civil Service Commission administered written exams ... October 1, 2021

Street closures begin today as city prepares for Musicfest With MusicFest just a day away, some downtown streets will begin closing to traffic Friday morning as Main Street El Dorado prepares for the setup of attractions, vendors' booths and grilling areas fo... September 30, 2021

40 Days of Prayer starts Friday with gathering at City Hall Forty Days of Prayer begins Friday and the community is invited to a kick-off prayer that will be held at noon in the lobby of City Hall. Forty Days is a community-wide campaign that is intended to un... September 29, 2021

The Last Dance expanded to cover two days; lineup includes T.K. Soul, the Jay Morris Group and more The Last Dance has now turned into a two-day affair that will bring more blues, more southern soul and more R&B music to the Union County Fairgrounds in October. With additions to the musical line... September 28, 2021

Litter index survey canceled due to COVID; KEB still planning community meetings Keep El Dorado Beautiful may not have had a quorum during its last regular meeting on Sept. 20, but the group had plenty to discuss, including the postponement of its litter index survey. The group ha... September 27, 2021

Residents encouraged to drop off recycling at center on Liberty Street It has been nearly three years since the city's recycling drop-off center moved from its longtime spot behind Arby's restaurant to its current location at 411 Liberty. The drive-through facility, loca... September 26, 2021

Exams for jobs at EPD, EFD scheduled for Monday Civil service exams for entry-level positions within the El Dorado police and fire departments will be administered at 6 p.m. Monday. Headquarters for both departments -- Central Fire Station and the ... September 26, 2021

Crosswalk art painting starting this weekend; Musicfest road closures announced More details are rolling out about MusicFest XXXIII, which is set for Oct. 1 and 2 in downtown El Dorado. On Thursday, Beth Brumley, executive director of Main Street El Dorado -- who is presenting th... September 24, 2021

Council to consider redistricting, building lease, inspection ordinance amendment today The El Dorado City Council will consider a proposal to review the boundary lines of the city's four wards and school zones, per the results of the 2020 U. S. Census, during a regular meeting that will... September 23, 2021

City's COVID relief funds to go toward bonuses, infrastructure The El Dorado City Council has agreed on one thing regarding $1.82 million the city has received as part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. A portion of the money should be used f... September 22, 2021

Lions Club revenues on par with 2020's Monthly revenues continue to hold steady for Lions Club Municipal Golf Course and the yearly take could come within 90% of total income for 2020, members of the El Dorado Parks and Playgrounds Commiss... September 21, 2021

Water watch Sept. 20, 2021 Total daily pumpage by the El Dorado Water Utilities in gallons. Sept. 10.............................................................................................4,207,000 Sept. 11................... September 20, 2021

Airport planning HVAC upgrades; recommendations coming soon A study has gotten under way for the HVAC system at South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field and recommendations on how best to upgrade and improve the system could come back as early next mon... September 20, 2021

Supply chain delays slow progress on new dog pound, Water Utilities drive-thru The city of El Dorado is moving forward on a couple of construction projects, as much as is allowed by coronavirus (COVID-19)-related delays in the supply chain for building materials and the availabi... September 19, 2021

Virtual home tours to highlight local mid-century modern architecture Four local houses will be featured in the next Preserve Arkansas Mid-Century Modern Architecture virtual tour, with two videos scheduled to premiere next week on Preserve Arkansas's Facebook page and ... September 18, 2021

MusicFest schedule announced; competition sign-ups open now With MusicFest just two weeks away, Main Street El Dorado has announced details for the 33rd annual event -- including how to sign up for various competitions. MSE and the Murphy Arts District (MAD) a... September 17, 2021

Street repaving coming along nicely; 5th and NW intersection open Residents who have been driving around town lately may have noticed a smoother ride, particularly along some of the city's secondary streets. And a major city street improvement project that has been ... September 16, 2021

Complex revenue higher than ever Recent financial statements show that the El Dorado-Union County Recreation Complex Board is pulling in the most revenue it ever has in its nearly 40-year history. Complex board members noted the tren... September 15, 2021

City's finance committee to consider uses for relief funds The El Dorado City Council has agreed to wait until its next Finance Committee meeting to discuss how best to spend $1.82 million in federal funding that was allotted to the city as a part of the Amer... September 14, 2021

Public Works office moves to Washington Street People who are looking to purchase a building permit or are in need of city code enforcement services will have to find them somewhere other than City Hall. The Department of Public Works has packed u... September 13, 2021

Water watch Sept. 13, 2021 Total daily pumpage by the El Dorado Water Utilities in gallons. Sept. 3.............................................................................................4,005,000 Sept. 4 .................... September 13, 2021

City sanitation worker speaks out on pay disparities, lack of supplies City officials and the Department of Public Works are taking steps to address complaints that were lodged by a public works employee during a recent El Dorado City Council meeting. Marvin Stewart Sr. ... September 12, 2021

Historic District Commission to seek funds for Retta Brown neighborhood survey The El Dorado Historic District Commission approved Thursday a contract to proceed with another Cultural Resources Survey. Elizabeth Eggleston, executive director of the EHDC, also clarified and provi... September 11, 2021

Sept. 11 memorial events scheduled for Saturday Communities across the country have planned Sept. 11 memorial events on Saturday to mark the 20th anniversary of the tragic event and to honor the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in the terro... September 10, 2021

COVID relief funds, city budget, police equipment on Council's agenda The El Dorado City Council will hold a regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. today in the Council Chamber of City Hall. The Pledge of Allegiance and opening prayer will begin at 5:25 p.m. Council members are e... September 9, 2021

Historic District Commission meeting to discuss ongoing historical surveys The El Dorado Historic District Commission will convene today for a regular meeting to discuss proposed amendments to a state grant that will be applied to the group's next Cultural Resources Survey. ... September 9, 2021

Go El Dorado site likely to get a new look by end of year A project to combine and upgrade the Go El Dorado and Grow El Dorado websites could be completed by the end of the year. Don Miller, a member of the El Dorado Advertising and Promotion Commission, and... September 8, 2021

TV special to highlight El Dorado's holiday attractions The holiday season is quickly approaching and El Dorado is looking to spread Christmas cheer across the ArkLaTex. The El Dorado Advertising and Promotion Commission recently heard about plans for a ho... September 7, 2021

Clean Harbors renovating Dumas Pavilion; expect to finish in October When the El Dorado-Union County Recreation Complex Board last met on July 30, board members briefly discussed an offer from a local industry to take on an improvement project for the complex. Dan Robl... September 6, 2021

MAD looking ahead to busy fall season The Murphy Arts District is preparing for the fall with a flurry of activity that includes a variety of shows, the opening of a new restaurant and the upcoming holiday season. "I can't believe it's al... September 6, 2021

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