EL DORADO -- Representatives from South Arkansas Community College were pleased Tuesday night after the El Dorado Economic Development Board moved to allow funds left over from the El Dorado Conference Center to be used to buy an electric scissor lift and new LED lighting in the center's Murphy Hall.
The 30-plus-foot ceilings in the hall, the college representatives said, make it difficult and expensive to change lights when necessary. The conference center's maintenance crew now has to rent a scissor lift every time the lights need changing, at an estimated yearly cost of $3,000. They also said the high ceilings make it nearly impossible to keep the hall clear of high cobwebs.
The college's physical plant director Justin Small said that to save money, the maintenance crew currently waits until a few bulbs are burned out before it rents a scissor lift to replace them.
School officials said upgrading the lights to LEDs will save about $4,000 annually on the electricity bill in Murphy Hall alone.
The school plans to replace the bulbs in 48 light fixtures with LED bulbs at a cost of $700 per fixture, for a total of about $33,600. Also, the college qualifies for a $5,000 incentive from the LED company.
Small said LED lights last several years and are considered low maintenance.
Also Tuesday, Bruce Butterfield, a representative from the Major Commercial Arterial Committee, proposed the new position of El Dorado community development planner.
A successful candidate for the position would have a college degree in an applicable major, such as urban and regional planning or public administration. Butterfield said the person also should have several years of experience in managing opportunities for grants, and be able to fine-tune zoning ordinances and work with the different committees on the U.S. 82 Business Project.
Butterfield proposed a salary range, based on educational background, of $65,000 to $80,000, plus benefits. He suggested that the salary for the position come from a new tax that started being collected in October.
The board encouraged Butterfield to take his proposal to the El Dorado City Council.
State Desk on 11/13/2015