2008: A year of change in Sherwood
By Greg Rayburn / Editor / grayburn@sherwoodvoice.com
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 11:15 AM CST
| |
| The April 3 tornado wreaked havoc on the Kellogg and Loop road areas of Sherwood. For months, cleanup crews were busy in Sherwood picking up the pieces from an angry Mother Nature. |
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the first of a series reflecting on what made 2008 such a special year for Sherwood.
In the modern world, change seems to take place at a sometimes light-year pace.
Sherwood has been no exception as 2008 brought about a great amount of change that will impact the community for many years to come.
The following review of 2008 demonstrates through past articles in the Sherwood Voice the progress of Sherwood’s change and why the community now looks different and bigger.
Jan. 3 2008
North Hills owners try to make golf course a housing subdivision
The owners of the former North Hills Country Club and golf course filed paperwork in the city engineer’s office to convert them into a housing subdivision with some small commercial development.
According to a preliminary plat drawing filed by Club Properties Inc., the owners are asking the city to approve plans to construct a 203-lot residential subdivision. In addition, the owners are asking the planning commission to rezone 14 acres to C-3. Currently, portions of the tract located in the southwest corner of the property are zoned C-2 and R-1.
“The golf course is gone and closed,” according to Project Architect Basil Shoptaw of Thomas Engineering Company of North Little Rock.
Shoptaw said preliminary plans do not call for a gated community for the proposed subdivision.
In 2007, Maumelle Developer Ron Campbell had proposed the former golf course be converted into a 200-home residential development with high-valued homes that would be within a gated community.
Jan. 10, 2008
Gravel Ridge annexation committee formed
A committee organized to help entice Gravel Ridge residents to choose being annexed into Sherwood instead of Jacksonville has been formed in Sherwood.
Chairman Tom Brooks spoke during the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting at Sherwood Forest. Chamber President Cheryl Ferguson invited Brooks to speak a few minutes about the committee’s progress in becoming organized.
Brooks said the chamber’s executive committee was helpful when it voted recently to support the idea of Gravel Ridge being annexed into Sherwood.
Brooks said the annexation committee currently is in the planning stages of an effort to convince Gravel Ridge residents to choose Sherwood over Jacksonville.
The committee’s objective is to show Gravel Ridge residents why being a part of Sherwood would benefit them more than being annexed into Jacksonville.
Jan. 17, 2008
Michael Clayton calls it quits
Sherwood’s city engineer of 14 years will no longer be employed by the city effective Feb. 1.
City Engineer Michael Clayton, 41, who has lived in Sherwood for all but three years of his life and has worked as the town engineer since January 1994, submitted his letter of resignation to Mayor Virginia Hillman on Jan. 2.
“I had heard rumors that this might happen,” said Hillman when asked about Clayton’s resignation.
Clayton said he is quitting to pursue business opportunities in the private sector and not because he is having any problems on the job or any conflicts with anyone.
Clayton’s resignation represents the second City Hall department head who has resigned in the past month. In December, Cheryl Ferguson, director of Sherwood Forest, quit.
Clayton said he is planning to open up his own civil engineering consulting business to help businesses or smaller cities in the areas of subdivision work, community development, land use law, zoning, and platting issues. He also is planning to work with utility companies.
Jan. 31, 2008
Sherwood meets with Gravel Ridge residents to woo them
Sherwood city officials took their turn explaining the benefits to Gravel Ridge residents if they would decide to be annexed into Sherwood.
During a public informational meeting held in Gravel Ridge at the First Baptist Church, Sherwood officials such as Mayor Virginia Hillman, Police Chief Kel Nicholson, Fire Chief Frank Hill, and Parks and Recreation Director Sonny Janssen explained what benefits Sherwood could offer Gravel Ridge residents if they become part of the city.
Nicholson said the police department would assign five officers to Gravel Ridge to provide its residents 24-hour protection.
Nicholson said his department routinely provides Sherwood residents services such as vacation and business checks as a way to safeguard against burglaries.
Nicholson said it would take about one week to get Gravel Ridge’s emergency calls sent directly to Sherwood’s emergency dispatch center.
Feb. 7, 2008
Judge issues complex order in electric lawsuit case
Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge on Jan. 17 issued his ruling in the North Little Rock lawsuit against the city of Sherwood. He answered the question if Sherwood was lawful in 2003 when it entered into a franchise agreement with First Electric Coop of Jacksonville to provide electric services to a Sherwood subdivision.
In his ruling, Fox states that Sherwood was within the law to contract with First Electric.
“In January 2003, Sherwood had the legal authority ... to contact for the provision of electric services to customers within the corporate municipal boundaries of Sherwood,” Fox ruled in his conclusions of law.
However, when Sherwood City Council adopted the ordinance to franchise with First Electric, it set into motion a different working relationship between the cities of North Little Rock and Sherwood that had existed when NLR started providing electric service to then-unincorporated Sherwood on Nov. 18, 1940.
According to Fox’s ruling, Sherwood can go elsewhere for electric service if it chooses. However, due to Sherwood’s decision to franchise with First Electric, North Little Rock isn’t bound by practices it has followed with Sherwood for the past 68 years.
While Sherwood was legally within its right to franchise with First Electric, Sherwood’s decision resulted in a breach of “implied contract” that had existed with North Little Rock since the two cities had entered into their first electric-providing contract on Dec. 10, 1969, according to Fox. According to the ruling, North Little Rock and Sherwood had signed such agreements in 1969, 1980, 1983, and 1985 through Dec. 1, 1986.
Fox’s ruling contends the 2003 decision by Sherwood’s council sets North Little Rock free from having to pay Sherwood any franchise fee for electric services.
Feb. 14, 2008
City files motion to condemn North Hills
The city of Sherwood filed a motion in Pulaski County Circuit Court seeking to condemn the former North Hills Country Club.
The court filings follow action taken by city council on Jan. 28 where aldermen voted to condemn the property and claim eminent domain.
Prior to the court filing, City Attorney Steve Cobb said he was expecting the filing to take place within days. Cobb said attorney Timothy Grooms of Sherwood was instrumental in helping draft the motion.
On Jan. 28, Groom’s Little Rock law firm of Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull, and Burrow was retrained by council to assist Cobb in all matters dealing with the North Hills property.
In the filing, the city petitions the court to place a value on the property.
“We will seek a jury trial to determine the fair market value of the property,” Cobb said.
Feb. 21, 2008
Peeples leaves community and returns to Ouachita Baptist
Terry Peeples, community relations director for Baptist Health Center in North Little Rock, has been named to serve as vice president for development at Ouachita Baptist University.
Ouachita President Dr. Rex M. Horne Jr. said Peeples will be responsible for guiding all fund-raising efforts of the university and managing the work of the development office staff.
Peeples’ appointment is effective March 1.
“I am thrilled to have Terry Griffin Peeples join our team as vice president for development,” said Horne. “Terry’s passion for Ouachita is matched only by her demonstrated professionalism over the past 20 years with Baptist Health. Her leadership ability and personal commitment will lead Ouachita to great accomplishments in this exciting time.”
A 1983 graduate of Ouachita, Peeples has served as the hospital’s community relations director for two decades. At the hospital, she has been responsible for business development, community outreach, 13 wellness centers, volunteer programs, physician relations, and sales direction.
Feb. 28, 2008
Russell Honda nationally recognized
Russell Honda has been awarded the 2007 Presidential Award by American Honda Motor Company Inc.
The award is considered Honda’s highest dealership honor and is presented to the top 15 percent of Honda dealerships across the country annually to meet the stringent requirements to qualify.
This year marks the tenth year Russell Honda has earned the award.
To qualify for the award, dealerships are required to achieve a lofty set of objectives in areas of operation, including customer service and satisfaction, facility operation, training and sales. More than 1,000 Honda automobile dealerships participate in the program with 150 earning the President’s Award for 2007.
“Earning the Honda President’s Award takes complete dedication by the entire development team,” said Richard Colliver, executive vice president for American Honda. “Russell Honda has proven its commitment and has set the bar to which all other dealerships aspire.”
March 6, 2008
City outsources engineering services
Sherwood’s initial search for a new engineer to replace long-time City Engineer Michael Clayton has not gone very well, according to Mayor Virginia Hillman.
“We have not had a lot of people interested,” Hillman said.
In mid-January, Clayton announced he was resigning from the post he had held for nearly 15 years, starting under the tenure of former Mayor Bill Harmon.
Clayton made his resignation effective for Feb. 1.
During at least the short term, Hillman said she is planning to outsource the city’s engineering services.
“You can save a lot of money outsourcing,” Hillman said. “We were paying the engineer an $87,000 salary with 40 percent added to that when you add all the benefits. Hiring city employees is very expensive. The engineer was the highest paid city employee.”
Hillman said the city of Cabot outsources its engineering sources. She said she is planning to sign a contract on the city’s behalf with Consolidated Engineering Inc. of Conway.
Consolidated Engineering is owned and operated by David Vondran, a staff engineer for the city of Conway.
March 13, 2008
A&P Commission plans 2008 events
On Wednesday, March 5, commission members convened to discuss upcoming programs.
Commission President Sheila Sulcer said the Sherwood Volunteer Appreciation Day is slated for April 24 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Sherwood Forest.
Sulcer the purpose of the day is to recognize the hundreds of area residents who volunteer for various city programs and civic events.
“The city couldn’t do so much if it weren’t for the volunteers,” Sulcer said.
The commission also discussed the next slate of activities that are planned for the summer months.
The commission is helping again to sponsor the Sherwood City Fourth of July celebration.
“We still will be paying for fireworks this year and will be paying the same as we have before — $4,000,” Sulcer said.
To help remind Sherwood-area residents that the city is again sponsoring the fireworks celebration, the commission is planning later this year a mass-mailing to residents living within Sherwood’s zip code, Sulcer said.
March 20, 2008
City celebrates anniversary of ISO rating
March marks the one-year anniversary that the city of Sherwood was notified its fire rating was upgraded to one of the best in the state by the nation’s fire rating company.
In March 2007, then-Mayor Danny Stedman was notified via letter by the Insurance Rating Organization of Chicago that Sherwood’s ISO rating was being raised from a Level Three to Two.
Only about eight communities across Arkansas have ISO ratings of Two.
“We are very proud that we received a Level Two rating,” according to Sherwood Fire Chief Frank Hill.
But the news has gotten better in the past 12 months.
As of Jan. 1, a small portion of Sherwood — the Rixie Road area — which scored a Level Nine due to insufficient water supplies running to there has been corrected due to a new water line being installed there by the Central Arkansas Water Company, Hill said.
Now all of Sherwood has a Level Two ISO rating, according to Hill.
Hill said the department continues to work on replacing vehicles and equipment to maintain its superior rating.
March 27, 2008
Gravel Ridge must decide
The dress rehearsals are over. Now it’s time for the big dance.
On Tuesday, April 1, the voters of Gravel Ridge will decide for themselves if they want to be residents of Jacksonville or Sherwood.
Even though Election Day is five days away, Gravel Ridge residents can vote early if they want either at the Jack Evans Senior Citizens Center, 2301 Thornhill Drive, Sherwood; or Jacksonville City Hall, 1 Industrial Drive, Jacksonville.
Early voting began Tuesday, March 25, and will continue through Friday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early voting opportunities also are available at the office of the Pulaski County Clerk, 401 W. Markham St., Little Rock. At the Courthouse, early voting hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ending on Monday, March 31, at 5 p.m.
Anyone who wasn’t a registered voter by March 3 is ineligible to vote in the annexation election.
“Eligible voters must be residents of the proposed annexation area of Gravel Ridge,” states the election notice.
April 3, 2008
Gravel Ridge chooses Sherwood
The voters of Gravel Ridge hath spoken.
By a 632-221 margin, Gravel Ridge voters Tuesday cast their ballots to say they want to be annexed into Sherwood instead of Jacksonville.
“It’s unbelievable, the margin of victory,” said Sherwood’s Tom Brooks, who was one of the city’s leaders who worked to convince the majority of Gravel Ridge voters to join Sherwood instead of Jacksonville. “We did think we would win 70 percent of the vote.”
Sherwood won the election with 75 percent of the vote.
A total of 856 Gravel Ridge residents cast ballots in the election. Three were undervotes.
Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman said the results remain unofficial until the Pulaski County Election Commission meets to certify them.
She is expecting the commission will meet Friday. An ordinance will need to be drafted for the city of Sherwood to accept Gravel Ridge for annexation. Once drafted, it would be presented to the Sherwood City Council for its review and approval, Hillman said.
Hillman said she is anticipating the council will meet in special session to adopt a Gravel Ridge annexation ordinance before its next regularly scheduled meeting of Monday, April 28.
Once an ordinance is adopted, there would be a short period of time before the ordinance would take effect, whatever would be specified in the yet-to-be drafted ordinance, Hillman said.
April 10, 2008
Commission certifies Gravel Ridge vote
The Pulaski County Election Commission voted 3-0 to certify the results of the Gravel Ridge annexation vote.
“How many outstanding military ballots are there?” asked Commission Chairman Kent Walker, who was advised by Susan Inman, the commission’s director, there were eight.
The margin of victory for Sherwood was 634-221 votes over Jacksonville so the commission opted not to delay certification due to the military ballots.
Scott Price, chief deputy for the Pulaski County Clerk’s Office, will now put the clerk’s stamp of approval on the certified results and send a copy of them to the city of Sherwood and the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office.
Price said he both offices will get the copies this week.
The official annexation is expected to take place in early May.
According to the Arkansas State Code 14-40-303, which covers annexation law, there exists a 30-day period between the time a certification is recorded and when land to be annexed becomes officially incorporated.
“The annexation shall be effective, and the lands annexed shall be included within the corporate limits of the annexing municipality 30 days following the date of recording and filing of the description and map,” according to the state code.
April 17, 2008
City recovers from tornado
Sherwood’s finally is turning back to normal.
Police Chief Kel Nicholson said Loop Road has reopened as city public works crews continued with the cleanup. The tornado and violent winds tore through the areas of Loop Road, Hidden Creek, Kellogg Valley, and the North Little Rock Airport.
Nicholson said one patrolman became acutely aware a tornado was touching down in the Loop Road area when his cruiser began shaking, apparently from strong winds.
Nicholson said city police and firefighters canvassed the area to tell residents to get out of their homes.
April 24, 2008
City chastised for violations at wastewater treatment plant
As the city of Sherwood starts advertising for bids to find an engineer to fix violations logged by the state at the city’s wastewater treatment plants, city officials right now don’t know how much it will cost to implement repairs.
Larry Carpenter Jr., the Sherwood City Sewer Committee’s attorney, said those types of costs won’t be known until the city gets an engineer.
At the April 8 meeting of the sewer committee, board members, city Wastewater Manager Bill Miller, and Carpenter all discussed several potential scenarios, including the possible need to replace the city’s south wastewater treatment plant.
In a Jan. 30 letter to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality from former City Engineer Michael Clayton, he told the ADEQ the south plant has several problems.
“The original levies for the waste sludge lagoon were constructed in the early 1970s and have very substandard design,” according to Clayton. “The city is planning to abandon this plant in the near future, if the condemnation of the sewer systems proceed as originally planned.”
May 1, 2008
Ebbs to call it quits
Danny Ebbs, 60, who has served as Sylvan Hills High School principal for two years, submitted his letter of resignation Friday.
His last official day on the job will be July 1.
“This took a lot of thought before I made my final decision,” Ebbs said, who added he informed School District Superintendent James Sharpe with a phone call on Friday along with sending him a letter informing him he has decided to accept another position.
Ebbs said he will serve as the high school principal of Marion High School just outside of West Memphis. Ebbs said he received the job offer two weeks ago but needed time to make a decision.
“They made me an offer that I could not refuse,” Ebbs said.
Ebbs said he is planning to work another five years before he retires and the six-figure salary offered by his new employer will give him additional financial security.
Ebbs said the more money he makes during the next five years will translate into higher retirement benefits when he starts collecting Social Security and his pension from the Arkansas public school retirement system.
Marion High School has 980 students in grades 10 through 12. Sylvan Hills High School has 890 students from grades 9-12, he said.
Ebbs came to Sylvan Hills after serving as the high school principal at Newport High School for nine years. Prior to Newport, he served as high school principal at Carlisle High School for nine years.
May 8, 2008
City’s legal bills mount with North Hills
May marks the one-year anniversary that the former North Hills County Club and golf course closed its doors and ceased to exist as a golf course. Now it’s a vacant piece of 105 acres whose destiny is being decided in the state and federal judicial system. As far back as February 2007, the city of Sherwood has gone to great lengths to keep it from being turned into a residential housing subdivision.
How much money has the city spent so far in legal fees related to claiming eminant domain over the property?
The city has paid $23,612.22 in legal fees to the Little Rock firm of Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Burrow in two separate bills it submitted to the city on Feb. 15 and March 31, 2008, according to the invoices submitted to the office City Clerk Angela Nicholson.
Nicholson said the two bills — $13,759.22 submitted on Feb. 15 and $9,853 submitted on March 31 — have been paid. The invoices represent services rendered through March 31.
According to the two bills, the law firm started doing work on the possible condemnation process on Feb. 28, 2007, where its attorneys conducted research on the city’s ability to acquire the country club by eminent domain for the purpose of developing a municipal park and golf course.
May 15, 2008
Sherwood rallies around the pole
Up until an hour before this year’s “Rally at the Pole” prayer service at Sherwood City Hall, thunder was sounding and the rain was descending.
The Rev. Timothy McMinn, pastor of the Sylvan Hills Community Church, said the weather turned out beautiful just in time for the service which drew about 25 people at 7:45 a.m.
McMinn said this year marked the 12th annual rally which started in 1996 and is held in conjunction with the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast and the National Day of Prayer. Both of these events are held annually in May.
“It is a good time for the Christian community to gather and pray for our leaders,” McMinn said.
During the 15-minute ceremony, individuals attending prayed for national, state and local government officeholders.
McMinn also admonished people who attended to pray for the 39th Arkansas National Guard Brigade, all military personnel serving in the Armed Forces, and Sherwood Police officers John Buford and Keith Wilson who are serving in Iraq.
“I thank God we live in a free country where we can gather like this and pray for our leaders,” McMinn said.
May 22, 2008
Sherwood addresses Gravel Ridge pit bull calls
The Sherwood City Animal Services Department has received approximately 15 calls from Gravel Ridge residents about pit bull dogs which — unless the dogs’ circumstances change — aren’t going to comply with the city’s vicious dog ordinance once it takes effect on Aug. 8.
Department Director Robin Breaux said Gravel Ridge residents are calling her office because they are wanting dogs they consider dangerous be put under control.
“The dog owners have 90 days to comply with the ordinance so we are asking the people to be patient,” Breaux said.
In April, the Sherwood City Council revised its pit bull dog ordinance originally adopted in 1987 which bans the breed within the city limits.
Breaux said the ordinance allows Gravel Ridge pit bull owners to keep their dogs under certain conditions until their dogs either leave the city limits or eventually pass away. The ordinance does allow breeding some pit bulls under certain conditions.
Breaux said some Gravel Ridge residents have been frustrated for some time about how some pit bulls haven’t been controlled enough while it was unincorporated. Now that Gravel Ridge has been annexed into Sherwood, some residents are wanting the animal control office to clamp down on the problem.
“We are getting calls about pit bulls running loose,” Breaux said.
May 29, 2008
Tornado-ravaged ballfields set to reopen
Enough progress has been made on the Sherwood city softball fields to allow them to reopen.
Bruce Mason, a board member for the Sylvan Hills-Sherwood Optimist Club, said a lot of work has been done to make the reopening of the fields possible this year.
“We were very happy when the city told us the fields would be opened,” Mason said.
Mason said he and fellow club members were made aware the fields would be reopened during a club board meeting held during the second week of May.
City parks and recreation workers have been laboring since April 3 when a tornado caused extensive damage to the fields as well as the nearby North Little Rock Municipal Airport.
City officials expressed frustration in April at the tornado’s timing because it would compromise the club’s spring baseball and softball programs.
Mason said the club will allow baseball and softball teams to start playing on the softball fields because they will be restored earlier than the baseball fields.
The tornado caused more damage to the baseball fields, Mason said.
The fields also are being reopened in enough time where the club can sponsor two area baseball/softball tournaments.
June 5, 2008
Norvall named new city engineer
The era of no city engineer in Sherwood is over.
Ellen Norvell, 45, of New Mexico, accepted a job offer from the city of Sherwood to be the municipal engineer.
Mayor Virginia Hillman said she offered Norvell the job, introduced her to several city aldermen, and gave her the tour of the city’s municipal operation
Norvell comes to Sherwood from an engineering consulting firm in Las Cruces, N.M.
“She is a good choice,” Hillman said.
Norvell fills the vacant engineering position that has remained open since Feb. 1 when former Engineer Michael Clayton quit. He submitted a letter of resignation to Hillman in mid-January after serving in the position for almost 15 years. Since leaving the city, Clayton opened his own engineering consulting firm.
Hillman said Norvell met Friday with several officials of the city sewer plant to get to know some of the crews she will be working with.
Norvell said she accepted the job because she is originally from Arkansas and wanted to move back to her home state.
“Arkansas is home,” Norvell said. “I am ready to come back here.”
June 12, 2008
Ebbs changes mind and keeps principal post
What’s the best way a high school with struggling test scores and high administrative turnover can keep its building principal? Maybe the answer is to find someone who likes their job.
In the case of Sylvan Hills High School Principal Danny Ebbs, it isn’t more money that is keeping him at Sylvan Hills. He just changed his mind.
On May 19, during the Sylvan Hills High School Awards Banquet, Ebbs made a surprise announcement to the hundreds and students and teachers present.
Ebbs announced he changed his mind and wasn’t leaving this summer to take a better paying principal job near West Memphis. Ebbs said he has no regrets deciding he wants to stay at Sylvan Hills.
“What can I say. My heart is here,” Ebbs said. “Money isn’t everything.”
Ebbs, 60, who has been Sylvan Hills principal for two years, submitted his letter of resignation on April 25. He was to leave for Marion High School, located near West Memphis.
June 19, 2008
Building slows as economy faces woes
Sherwood has a reputation for being a growing community, but it appears the housing slump has started coming home to roost even here.
The latest figures come from a Sherwood City Engineering Department report for May that shows fewer homes were built during the first five months of 2008 compared to the same time period in 2007.
According to the report, 18 permits to build single-family homes were approved through May 2008 compared to 25 during the same period in 2007.
In addition, the value of the houses is decreasing significantly over the first five months of 2007. New house construction for the 18 homes totaled $2.66 million through the end of May — or an average of $147,979 for each house. This number is down from the 2007 figure of $5.94 million, or an average of $237,909 for each of the 25 houses.
According to the report, not only did the number of houses decrease by seven, the total amount of construction shrunk by $3.28 million.
June 26, 2008
Mayor’s push for Hemphill falls 1 council vote short
By a 5-3 vote, the Sherwood City Council Monday rejected a proposal by Mayor Virginia Hillman to release a Little Rock real estate developer from a long-standing mandate to develop a small street in the Stonehill Subdivision known as Hemphill Road in exchange for agreeing to build a second entrance and exit into the subdivision.
Aldermen Charles Harmon, David Henry, Becki Vassar, Keith Rankin, Steve Fender voted against Hillman’s proposal, while it was backed by Aldermen Marina Brooks, Butch Davis, and Sheila Sulcer.
Hillman’s proposal fell one vote shy of probable passage. If there had been a 4-4 tie, under the rules governing the council, Hillman could have broken the tie, bringing the vote to 5-4 majority.
The vote marked one of the first times since Hillman’s tenure started in August 2007 that she and the majority of the council parted ways. Her political predecessor, former Mayor Danny Stedman, found himself at odds with his council about a month after he took office in January 2007 when Stedman wanted former city Fire Chief Lee Church to be named Sherwood’s public utilities director.
