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W E A T H E RToday: Mostly sunny. Aslight chance of showers.Highs in the mid 90s. Eastwinds 5 mph.Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lowsin the mid 70s. Southeastwinds 5 mph.Vol. 156, No. 198

©2010 The Daily Citizen

“ ”Time is the coin of your life. It is theonly coin you have, and only youcan determine how it will be spent.

CARL SANDBURGAmerican poet, 1878-1967

Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010 50¢

OBAMA DISCUSSES ECONOMY IN OHIOPresident Obama told Ohians Wednesday that heshares their concerns about the economy.— PAGE 2A

Serving Searcy and White County, Ark., since 1854 www.thedailycitizen.com

LOCAL GOLF TEAMS HIT THE COURSEThe Beebe and Searcy High School golf teamscompeted in Cabot onWednesday. — PAGE 1B

ElectroCraft to expand plant

SEARCY PLANT ANNOUNCES 55 NEW JOBS

NATION & STATE, 2AOPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5ACALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6ASPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 4B

I N D E X

Shannon Bard, chief executive officer for SN Tech, provided details Wednesday about his company’s partnership with ElectroCraftArkansas’ Searcy plant to produce the “green” energy-efficient motors. Also pictured are, from left, Logan Delany, chairman of the boardfor ElectroCraft, and Gov. Mike Beebe, both of whom participated in the announcement. Warren Watkins/warren@thedailycitizen.com

NEXT MCRAE CITYCOUNCIL MEETINGWhen: 7 p.m. Tuesday,Sept. 14Where: McRae City Hall

McRaemayorrequestsback pay

By Josh LeeSpecial to The Daily Citizen

McRAE— In a city coun-cil meeting filled with tensionand heated emotions, MayorRobert “Bob” Sullivan dis-cussed his compensation, orlack thereof.

According to Sullivan, onJan. 1, 2003, when Sullivantook over as mayor of McRae“it was a very hostile envi-ronment.” The council hadpreviously voted on Dec. 9,2002, to lower the salary ofthe mayor from $2,200 permonth to $200 per monthand made it effective Jan.13, 2003, Sullivan said, andin February 2003 the councilraised it to $800 permonth. In

Officials tourRussellville

airportterminal

By Warren Watkinswarren@thedailycitizen.com

A new terminal is neededin at the Searcy MunicipalAirport, according to Dr.David Burks, president of theSearcy Regional EconomicDevelopment Corporation(SREDC).

Burks, whois presidentof HardingUn ive r s i t y,led a group ofSearcy offi-cials as theytraveled toRussellvilleWednesday using theschool’s airplane. BuckLayne, President of theSearcy Regional Chamberof Commerce, said the flightwas made at no cost to thecity, compliments of Burksand Harding.

“I fly in and out ofRussellville all the time andwanted everybody to comeand see it,” Burks said. “Wedesperately need a building

By Warren Watkinswarren@thedailycitizen.comElectroCraft Arkansas,

Inc. officials announcedWednesday that expansion

at its plant onBenton Streetwill provide 55new jobs thisfall.

Expansionat the plantwill be focusedon producing a new high-tech“green” motor that will be mark-edly more energy efficient thanprevious heating and air condi-tioning motors, officials said.Currently, the plant has 70 work-ers.

ElectroCraft will produce the

motors in partnership with SNTech Inc., which specializes in theenergy efficient motors, accord-ing to Logan Delany, chairmanof the board for ElectroCraft,and Shannon Bard, chief execu-tive officer for SN Tech, bothof whom participated in theannouncement. Also present werelocal government officials whohad been involved on variouslevels with developing the newrelationship.

Gov. Mike Beebe spoke atthe announcement, praising thecooperation displayed in the com-munity that made the develop-ment possible. Beebe said themotors would reduce electric billsfor residences and businesses by50 percent and reduce the nation’s

dependence on foreign oil. Ofthe 55 new jobs, Beebe said, 25would be for engineers.

“You’re talking about somepretty high-paying jobs,” Beebesaid.

Dr. Ronald Hart of SailVenture Partners, who Beebe saidprovided venture capital for thepartnership, predicted the plantwould employ 300-500 withinthree years in production of thenew motor.

Bard said the new motors werean improvement over older stylesbecause of design.

“They’re not cheaper but moreefficient,” Bard said. “We producea motor that is 50 percent moreefficient and in a price range thatworks for them.”

Improved electronics inside themotor allows each unit to sense itsenvironmental needs and adjust itsvariable speed and torque, Bardsaid.

Cooperative work locallywas headed up by Buck Layne,president of the Searcy RegionalChamber of Commerce, accord-ing to Dr. David Burks, presidentof the Searcy Regional EconomicDevelopment Corporation(SREDC), associated with thechamber. The ElectroCraft build-ing is owned by the SREDC,Burks said, and economic devel-opment is work that depends onpersonal involvement.

“Networking, communicationand relationships is a huge part

School zone, neighborhood drivers urged towards safetyBy Luke Jonesljones@thedailycitizen.com

With millions of Americans onthe road and millions more startingschool, drivers need to keep safety inmind in the coming season.

According to AAA insurance,about half of the students enrollingthis year are in elementary schooland age 14 or younger.

Patty Williams of the SearcySchool District said the district trans-ports around 1,300 students by bus.About 400 have registered parking

passes. The 2,200 remaining stu-dents either walk or are driven byparents to school.

Williams stressed the importanceof stopping for school buses. “Whenthe bus turns on the yellow warninglight, that means they are about tostop,” she said. “The yellow lightmeans a warning and the red lightmeans stop.”

AAA offered the following

advice for motorists:■ Follow the speed limit. School

zone speed limits are set low for areason. Children are unpredictableand may not be able to accuratelymeasure the speed of an oncomingvehicle.

■ Come to a complete stopat intersections with stop signs.Research shows that a third or moreBURKS

Sullivan: McRae is‘doomed’ without

cooperation

AIRPORT TRIPWhere: Russellville airportWhy: Inspect their newterminal with a view to con-structing a new terminal inSearcyHow: Harding’s airplaneWhen: Wednesday

Leader: New Searcyfacility is needed

NEW JOBSNow: 55Within threeyears: Perhaps500

DRIVING STATISTICSSearcy School DistrictTotal students: 3,900Number arriving by bus: 1,300Number with parking passes: 400Remaining students walking orbeing driven: 2,200

White County revenue ebbing and flowing, treasurer saysBy Warren Watkinswarren@thedailycitizen.com

White County TreasurerJanet Hibbitts recently recom-mended that her projections forsales tax revenue be adjusted

as months go by.This year’s income has gone

up and down—mostly becauseof delayed rebates on large pur-chases made within the county— and have prompted Hibbittsto keep a close eye on the budget.State law requires no more than90 percent of her projections to

be budgeted and spent by thequorum court and allows herto adjust her projections whenincome is rising, freeing up theextra income. January was slow,Hibbitts said, coming in at about$388,000, but February was“great:” $560,000. March, Apriland May were slow again but

the county’s sale tax revenuepicked back up in June and July,prompting her to recommendto the budget committee thatthe projections be revised. July’srevenue was $460,000.

Now Hibbitts is watching tosee how August pans out, and

HIBBITTS

Adjustments may beneeded in September

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The Daily Citizen Thursday, August 19, 2010 • Page 3A

LOCAL

December 2005 and January2007 the council gave $100raises, bringing the cur-rent compensation for themayor to $1,000 per month,Sullivan said.

Sullivan said the ini-tial action of the councilto lower the compensationgoes against Arkansas law,which states that only themayor has the right to lowerhis salary.

“Attorneys will be stand-ing in line to take the case,”Sullivan said.

The mayor said he isowed $110,000 in compen-sation.

Sullivan said that heis dismayed at the lack ofcooperation in the counciland “tired of the personalattacks.” He said the last 18months have been “chaos”and if the council doesn’tcome together to work forthe common good, “thecity of McRae is doomedbeyond words.”

Aldermen Benny Wardsaid the atmosphere is con-nected to a case against himwith the Arkansas EthicsCommission regarding anincident with the waterdepartment and a residentwhose water had beenturned off.

“I was turned into theethics commission by threepeople and we’re having ahearing,” Ward said. “I’vetalked to my attorney and

my attorney is pretty wellgoing to do the talking. It’selection time and there’s alot of stuff going on. Yes,there is tension, you can tellthat in the meeting.”

Ward commented onSullivan’s request for com-pensation.

“As far as him beingowed $110,000, I don’tknow if that’s true,” Wardsaid. “That’s apparentlyfrom the council membersway before I came in. I’veonly been there a year and ahalf. I wish we did get alongwhere we could all sit downat the council meeting andtake care of things.”

In other business, aresolution to apply for theCommunity DevelopmentBlock Grant passed thecouncil. The names ofapplicants who will beawarded the grants will beannounced towards the endof the year or the beginningof the next year, accord-ing to city engineer MikeClayton. If the city obtainsthe grant, work would mostlikely start between Julyand August of 2011.

Clayton suggested thecity apply for a grant thatwould provide for $45,000for improvements on thepark. Improvements wouldinclude new playgroundequipment, basic repairs,and a sidewalk leadingfrom the parking lot. This

grant would “bring it upto standards,” Clayton said.The motion to apply for thegrant passed unanimously.

In the fire departmentreport, it was announcedthat the number of runswere down and that manyof the firemen took timeoff because of the extremeheat.

The police departmentreport included the informa-tion that a new car has beenpurchased for the city. Thecar, a 2006 Chevy Impala,was purchased for $5,500.Chief Ward said that every-thing had been ordered forit and that the Beebe PoliceDepartment helped withequipping it. On Aug. 28,the firing range will be usedby the Beebe and McRaePolice Departments andresidents of McRae shouldnot be alarmed if they hearshooting.

A supper will be held at5 p.m. Sept. 11 honoring thecity’s firemen, police offi-cers, and emergency medi-cal technicians. The supperwill take place at the com-munity building in McRae.

The next scheduledmeeting of the city councilwill be at 7 p.m. Sept. 14 atMcRae City Hall.

here in Searcy that says tothose that fly into our city,‘Welcome to Searcy.’”

The airport terminalis often a visitor’s firstimpression, Burks said,and Searcy’s facility needsappropriate space for a hos-pitality area, pilot loungeand modern restrooms andamenities.

“This is what they expectwhen they fly all over theworld,” Burks said.

Total cost of a new ter-minal would be $700,000-$800,000, Burks said, andthe city is pursuing a grantthat could provide $400,000of that. Burks said he hasbeen asked to lead an effortto solicit financial supportfrom the local businesscommunity to help defraythe cost of a new terminal.

On the plane were Dr.Bob Smith, chairman of theSearcy Airport Commission,Donnie Love, Searcy air-port manager, Searcy alder-men Steve Sterling and DaleEnglish, Mayor Belinda

LaForce and Layne, in addi-tion to the two pilots.

“They have a beautifulairport terminal,” Laynesaid.

The Russellville facilityis 4,000 square feet and cost$670,000 to build, Laynesaid.

“They received a grantfor $400,000 and their cityand their economic develop-ment corporation took careof the rest,” Layne said.“They did not tear downtheir old terminal, it’s stillthere on the left. And to theright of it, several hundredfeet away, is this new brickbuilding. It really is impres-sive, sort of a maroon redbrick with white trim. It ispretty, looks nice and cleanand had nice meeting roomsthat were well furnished.”

Layne said the tourrevealed the Russellville ter-minal had a pilot’s lounge,including showers and lock-er rooms, wireless capabil-ity and a community roomused by various groups.

of it and always has been,”Burks said.

The ElectroCraft plantmanager is Doug Cook.

The Arkansas EconomicDevelopment Commission(AEDC) provided a numberof incentives for the deal tobe completed, according tospokesman Scott Hardin:

■ Tax back program:Approved by the SearcyCity Council, the programwill allow ElectroCraft to beexempt from sales tax on con-struction materials.

■ AdvanceArkansas: Thisprogram provides incometax credit on state taxes forElectroCraft.

■ Training assistance:AEDC staff will assist insetting up training for newworkers, perhaps in coop-eration with Arkansas StateUniversity-Searcy.

■CommunityDevelopmentBlock Grants: This programwill provide $355,000 in loansto ElectroCraft.

roll through stop signs inschool zones or neighbor-hoods.

■Always stop for loadingor unloading school buses. Itis illegal to drive around aschool bus that has stoppedto load or unload passengers.Additionally, in Arkansas, ifa road has divider of fewerthan 20 feet in width, it isillegal to pass a bus that has

stopped in the opposite lane.■ Eliminate driver dis-

traction. According to AAAresearch, glancing away fromthe road for two seconds dou-bles the chance of a wreck.AAA recommends not usinga cell phone at all while driv-ing, and in Arkansas textingwhile driving is illegal. Also,drivers under the age of 18or drivers in possession of

a learner’s license are notpermitted to use cell phoneswhile driving.

■ Plan ahead. Leave earlyand consider extra time need-ed for congestion. Modifydriving routes to avoid schoolzones and traffic.

For more information,contact the transportationdepartment at Searcy SchoolDistrict at (501) 268-6954.

if revenue continues toincrease, she may make a newrecommendation to the com-mittee and court.

“IfIhavetwogoodmonths,as county treasurer, I’m com-fortable with increasing pro-jections to reflect what we’veactually received,” Hibbittstold the quorum court duringtheir regular monthly meet-ing Tuesday. “We adjustedbecause we were wary of whatthe rest of the year held.”

Becausethewaytherebates— allowed by the state andsome with application periodsof up to three years — affectrevenue streams, Hibbittssaid, the revenue levels are nolonger an accurate economicindicator for communities.Most of the rebates were gen-erated through large purchas-es by gas-related industries,Hibbitts suspects, working todevelop the Fayetteville ShalePlay.

Pay: McRae mayor requests back payCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

Officials: Airport visitedCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

Plant: Electrocraft plans to expandCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

This new “green” motor for air conditioners and heaters will be produced soon at theElectroCraft plant on Benton Street in Searcy, according to company officials. Picturedare, from left, Logan Delany, chairman of the board for ElectroCraft, plant managerDoug Cook, and Shannon Bard, chief executive officer for SN Tech, who is partneringwith ElectroCraft on the new high-tech units. Warren Watkins/warren@thedailycitizen.com

Safety: Drivers urged to use safetyCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

ONE-CENT SALESTAX REVENUEOne-cent county-wide salesand use tax 2010 revenueJanuary: $387,918February: $560,373March: $381,427April: $235,428May: $227,973June: $462,817July: $460,047

Source: White Countytreasurer’s office

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Downtown Kensett parkingproblem addressed by councilBy Erica SirrattSpecial to The Daily Citizen

KENSETT — A parking problemaround the city council’s meeting placehas been addressed through the removaland placement of signs.

L o c a lb u s i n e s s -man CharlesBisbee askedthe council attheir regularmonthly meet-ing Tuesdayfor the “No Parking” sign at the corner ofSoutheast Second Street and DandridgeStreet to be removed. Citizens werehaving a difficult time seeing aroundthe corner of Southeast First Street andDandridge Street due to parked carson the side of the road, Bisbee said,and at the other end of Dandridge, carswere being parked on the left and rightside of the street, making it difficult

to drive down the street. After severalcomplaints, No Parking signs had beenplaced at both corners.

The alley between the building wherethe city council meets and Bisbee’smechanic/body shop is not available forparking because the city vehicles haveto drive through there. Because of thesetwo guidelines, there is minimal parkingfor Bisbee’s customers. Bisbee was con-cerned that he might lose business due tolack of parking.

“If my customers can’t come see mewhen they need to, my business is goingto fold,” Charles Bisbee said.

Bisbee said that the police havegotten involved and reprimanded hisemployees in front of customers, whichhe felt was unprofessional, even thoughhe understands they were just doingtheir job.

The council voted that the sign onSoutheast First Street and Dandridgewould stay where it is, but the sign onthe corner of Southeast Second Streetand Dandridge would be taken down sothat the left side of the street by Bisbee’s

business could be used for parking.In other business, the council revis-

ited a previous issue.Last month, the issue of whether or

not to close Mill Street was brought upto the Kensett Aldermen. Mill Streetis a dead-end road between Birch andCherry street. Many of the council mem-bers wanted to see the area before mak-ing a decision, so this issue was tabled tobe settled at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Tuesday night, one citizen com-mented that Mill Street floods when itrains, making it inaccessible. McDonaldsaid that the planning commission wasvoting on this issue as well, so thecouncil decided to once again table theissue until the Planning Commission hasmade a decision.

The city council has approved theuse of fireworks at the city’s Sept. 11celebration.

The next regular monthly meeting ofthe Kensett City Council will be 7 p.m.Sept. 21. The council meets the thirdTuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at 101Northeast First St.

Mill Street closingtabled for further study

NEXT MEETINGWho: Kensett CityCouncilWhen: 7 p.m.Sept. 21