Turrell receives $3,500 grant for Police Dept.

Turrell receives $3,500 grant for Police Dept.

Mayor ‘ very excited’ to have funds for new equipment

news@theeveningtimes.com

Turrell has added another grant to its growing list of outside funding that has been secured under Mayor Dorothy Cooper’s administration.

The city was notified by Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration and Administration/Intergovernmental Services that it was awarded a $3,500 Local Law Enforcement Block Grant which can be used to buy equipment for its police department.

“It is a pleasure for DFDA-IGS to be able to provide funds to roughly 200 cities and counties in our state this year, and we hope that the purchases you are able to make with the grant will provide valuable assistance to your law enforcement unit and community,” the letter stated.

Cooper said it was the first time that the city had ever applied for that particular grant.

“We are very excited about this,” Cooper said. “This will get us a radio that we need that will have all of the right frequencies for our department to communicate with the county.”

The radio will go inside a 2008 Chevy Impala which was recently donated to the city by the Crittenden County Juvenile Justice Department and will be used as a patrol car.

According to her calculations, the $3,500 grant now brings the total amount of outside funding she has secured for Turrell to $931,150 since taking office.

“A lot has taken place here in Turrell,” Cooper said.

“You can see the difference.”

Cooper also recently announced that the city had been awarded a total of $345,000 from Arkansas Natural Resources Council to be used to help fix its crumbling sewer pond.

The pond has been steadily deteriorating for about a decade and needs to be repaired because it is not draining properly due to damage by beavers.

“We will have about $295,000 of that to get in there and do whatever else needs to be done,” Cooper said. “We need more. But we are tremendously grateful. We will get that pipe unstopped to get things flowing again and then do a few more other things to the grounds because it was washing away. We will build that up and then the city can cut the grass and get it nice and neat like it needs to be.”

The other $51,100 will be used to build a new bridge to the sewer pond. The old bridge was removed in 2009 because it was falling down. The only way to access the pond is through private land which the landowner has asked the city to stop using.

Cooper said they will be opening bids for the bridge on July 18.

“We’ve got to do the bridge first,” Cooper said.

“That way we will have a way in because right now the landowner has asked us not to cross their property any more.”

Cooper said they also expect to have the community park completed and open by the end of July as well.

The city broke ground last December on a park behind the fire department off of Hwy. 77. The park will have a pavilion, a basketball court, and a children’s playground.

The park is being funded by a $45,000 Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism FUN (Facilities for Underdeveloped Neighborhoods) grant. State Rep. Monte Hodges got the city $10,000 for the basketball court.

“The pavilion is completed,” Cooper said. “It is looking really nice. And they have laid down the framework for the basketball court but we will have to wait until the ground dries to bring in the concrete needed. I think it will be the latter end of July.”

By Mark Randall