GENTRY -- The City Council on Jan. 4 approved buying property at 104 N. Collins and passed on its first reading an ordinance changing the zoning of land on Parks Circle, immediately east of a parcel on Arkansas 59, or Gentry Boulevard, owned by Cam and Jane Klassen from R-1 residential to C-2 commercial.
In a meeting with council members attending online, the council discussed the benefits of purchasing land north of the council chambers at 104 N. Collins Ave. for a price not to exceed $75,000.
Council member Janice Arnold was the only council member opposing the purchase and suggested the city should look at properties near the police station on Arkansas 12 for a future city administration building rather than putting up a building on Main Street.
According to Mayor Kevin Johnston, the current structure, a church building, might be able to be used to temporarily house city meetings and the Western Benton County District Court while another building is erected. But he also said a city administration and court building would likely be too far in the future to use the church building a viable option.
Johnston suggested the long-term use of the property would likely involve demolition of the church and using the lot for city parking for meetings and court days.
After a brief discussion regarding a zoning change for land along Parks Circle adjacent to Arkansas 59 property owned by Cam and Jane Klassen, and with assurances the lot line between the two properties would be dissolved and access would only be from the highway and not from Parks Circle, the council voted to change the zoning from R-1 single-family residential to C-2 commercial. Janice Arnold, a resident of Parks Circle, along with Jason Barrett, voted against the change.
The ordinance was proposed at the recommendation of the Planning Commission. The change was requested by Cam and Jane Klassen to allow them to reconstruct an old barn and use it as an annex to the antique shop.
Arnold and other residents of Parks Circle voiced their objections at both the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in November and the Cty Council meeting in December.
Mike Parks, Planning Commission chairman, said the commission has always recommended allowing commercial zoning to extend 300 feet on each side of Arkansas 59. He said this change doesn't extend as far off the highway as the adjacent restaurant and, if lot lines are dissolved, access would be off of the highway and not off Parks Circle.
The council was divided on the rezoning in December and voted to table it and return it to the commission to see if there are other options allowing the Klassens plans but provide protections to property owners on Parks Circle.
The commission approved the request of the Klassens in November and again in December, sending the measure back to the council.
At the January council meeting, council members Michael Crawford and Jimmy Thorburn said the council should lean on the expertise of the commission and go with its recommendation. Council member Jason Williams said expanding the commercial zoning would lead to additional tax revenue for the city.
In other action, the council approved appointing James Kooistra, Wanda Meyer and Mike Parks to another term on the Planning Commission. Their terms will expire in 2026.
The council discussed formats for meetings and a desire to hold committee meetings via videoconferencing during the pandemic.
Johnston updated the council on the parks plan, saying 100 percent drawings for a sports complex had been prepared and the city would likely put the plans out for bid with deductive alternates so it could begin construction as it's affordable. He said the grading work for the ball fields would be one of the first parts.
Johnston said the city was finishing up the details for the construction of a splash pad in the city park on Main Street and anticipated the project would open this summer.
He announced the city was working on plans for more tree planting in the city, including using an irrigation system to water the trees. The tree project is connected to the grants of the Walton Family Foundation.
Johnston said the city closed on buying two acres for a new water storage facility near Y-City Road. The facility will add to storage capacity for the eastern portion of the city's water system.
Johnston also reported progress on the cleaning up of nuisance properties at 317 S. Collins and 119 N. Nelson avenues and the lack of progress at 117 N. Smith Ave. Johnston said the Smith property may be changing hands, which could speed up process.
Janie Parks, executive director of the Gentry Chamber of Commerce and the Gentry United Way, updated the council on the success of the Neighbor to Neighbor program, saying the program served more than 200 residents by paying past-due water bills and preventing shutoff over the holiday season. She said the program was largely made possible by donations from McKee Foods and numerous individuals and businesses in Gentry. She also said $3,000 was used to purchase children's clothing for the children's advocacy center in the city.
Parks said planning is underway for the next Freedom Festival, to be held July 3. She said the quilt show had been canceled and the Easter Egg hunt was questionable due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Randy Moll may be reached by emal at [email protected].