Windham council takes final votes
WINDHAM
12/14/2012

By Bill Cleary

On Dec. 11, the Windham Town Council met for its last regular meeting of 2012 and took several votes to establish its agenda for the upcoming year and perform some housekeeping.

The council’s first two orders of the evening were held over from the council’s Nov. 13 meeting. The first, calling for the appointment of a councilor to the Windham Economic Development Corporation’s (WEDC) executive board of directors, was postponed due to the absence of Councilor Peter Anania, who had indicated an interest in the position and had gathered support from the council.

”Mr. Anania is a businessman in the town of Windham — he owns multiple businesses in the town,” said Councilor Scott Hayman. ”I think that his service on the Windham Economic Development Corporation could be a vital asset to what they have going on there.”

The council voted, 4-2, to appoint Anania to the board, with Councilors David Nadeau and Thomas Gleason dissenting. Councilor Dennis Welch was absent.

WEDC President Dan Hancock also expressed support for Anania as a member of the board and said he hoped to work more closely with the council in the future.

”I think we would welcome as much council involvement as you’re willing to give,” Hancock said. ”I think it’s important that we work together to accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish.”

The second held order called for the council to approve a representative to the Greater Portland Council of Governments’ executive committee. Although Nadeau had previously expressed interest in the position, the council voted, 6-0, to reappoint Town Manager Tony Plante.

The council voted 4-2, with Nadeau and Gleason again dissenting, to appoint Hayman as the council’s liaison to the Land Use Ordinance Committee. Hayman, who has been interested in serving on the committee since 2010, his first year on the council, questioned the role and necessity of the committee.

”I’m not so sure the impact fee process and job lies with the Land Use Ordinance Committee. I think that more or less should lie with staff and Tony to come up with those ideas of impact fees for us to act on,” Hayman said. ”I think that we may have potentially too many cooks in the kitchen on that task.”

Council Chairman Matthew Noel, with support from Nadeau and Hayman, proposed a discussion at the council’s next meeting, on Jan. 8, 2013, to examine the charge of the committee and its place in developing town ordinances.

The council unanimously voted to reappoint Nadeau to the Public Easement Advisory Committee.

The councilors also unanimously approved a master development plan for Lippman Park. The plan, proposed by Parks and Recreation Director Brian Ross, calls for the implementation of parts of a larger plan composed by consulting firm Mitchell Associates in August with the purpose of creating a community-useable park as quickly as possible.

At an estimated cost of about $470,000, Ross’ plan includes basic amenities and improvements, as well as a woodland play area, a picnic area, a nature center building and a fishing dock, and omits athletic fields, new trails and other extensive landscaping included in the Mitchell plan.

”I think it’s better to do it more quickly than not,” Plante said. ”The idea behind everything the council has been doing, behind the Lippmans’ generous gift, was to create a community park. I think the idea was that we would see the benefit of that sooner rather than later.”

The council can still take action at a later date to implement other proposed features.

Gleason left the meeting early for personal reasons following a brief executive session concerning legal matters. The remaining five councilors unanimously voted to approve a collective bargaining agreement with the town’s public works employees who are members of Teamsters Union Local 340 to expire June 30, 2015, and to issue a municipal quitclaim deed on a town-foreclosed property.

The Windham Town Council will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Windham Town Council Chambers for a presentation of the results of the annual town audit. The council’s next regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 8.

Artist’s impression of the store from spring 2012

By Lucy Morgan
Fri, 14 December 2012 8:20PM

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ASDA has today (Friday) confirmed that it has submitted a planning application for its first store on the Isle of Wight.

If approved by the Isle of Wight Council, the 45,000 sq ft store on St George’s Way, Newport will include a petrol station and café, as well as ‘green’ technology and a landscaping plan.

The proposed store is expected to create up to 450 local jobs and it is hoped more will be created during the construction process.

Consultation process 

ASDA says in drawing up the plans two public consultation events and a series of meetings with local groups resulted in “many useful ideas for improvements to the store”.

The two public consultation events were held in September 2011 and March 2012. Around 600 people attended ASDA’s exhibitions and of the 281 feedback cards that were returned, 93% supported the proposal, according to ASDA.

Following those meetings, ASDA has ammended its plans to include enhanced landscaping, including more trees and an ivy bank (replacing fencing at the front of the site, visible from St George’s Way); the retention of existing trees and hedgerows (where possible) plus new hedging; and solar thermal panels on the roof of the building and wind cowls to provide natural ventilation into the food hall.

If the plans get the go ahead there will also be electric charging points for cars and bicycles, described by the supermarket giant as a first for the Island.

The firm says it will continue to engage with the community throughout the planning process, until a decision is made by the Isle of Wight Council.

“Great deal of support” 

Oliver Jones, Senior Property Communications Manager, ASDA said, “We are delighted to confirm that we have now submitted our planning application for the St George’s Way site. The proposal had a great deal of support from the local community at our exhibitions and we have had hundreds of enquiries since from local people eager to know how the planning application was progressing.

“ASDA has been looking to invest in the Island for a number of years and the St George’s Way site offers an excellent opportunity to develop a good sized store that will bring more supermarket choice to local shoppers as well as up to 450 new jobs for the growing community in Newport.

“We have spent a great deal of time putting together a proposal which we hope meets local expectations and I urge residents that support the store to visit our website to find out how they can actively support it before a decision is made.”

You can find out more here.

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Students in Eureka Springs School District’s Environmental and Spacial Technologies program (EAST) are taking on their largest project to date: landscaping the 45-acre campus surrounding the new high school. And they are asking local residents to help by purchasing trees to be planted in memory of a person or special occasion.

“What makes it unique is that we are going to put a QR code on a waterproof ribbon,” said Warren Utsler, EAST coordinator. “It will take you to a Web site that will have a photo and the person’s story.”

The first tree was purchased in memory of Gary Hayhurst, pastor of Faith Christian Family Church, who died in September. Money is now being collected to buy a tree in memory of Mike Bonds, the teacher who died in August, and Elizabeth Parker, a student who passed away last year. A small tree costs $45. A large one is $85. The tree-planting is part of the GreenWay Project of Eureka Springs, a EAST effort dedicated to improving the environment of West Carroll County.

“We’re starting with the high school campus because the greatest need so far,” Utsler said.

Through EAST, high school students receive instruction at the University of Arkansas in the use of GIS (Geographic Information System), thermal imagery and CAD (computer-aided design), then use their skills to conduct public service projects. The Eureka Springs School District facilities committee requested that EAST students take on the landscaping project at the start of the school year, Utsler said.

“We are going to look at the whole campus plan and how it’s going to come together,” he said.

There is no budget, so students are looking for funding from grants and the community. They received approval Monday to start selling bricks for $35 a piece that will be engraved with person’s name and graduation year, Utsler said. The bricks will be used to pave pathways, with the money helping support the whole campus development project, he said.

Through the GreenWay Project, people can also help fund a park bench, garden or outdoor classroom for the campus. Utsler has applied for a grant to build an amphitheater with a rain garden. Another proposed project is an outdoor environmental education classroom for the middle school with two ponds connected by a stream. One grant, of $1,800 from the Arkansas Dept. of Fish and Game fines fund, has already come through, Utsler said. CAST, the Center for Advanced Spacial Technologies at UA, has also accepted their application, Utsler said, and is sending Robyn Dennis, a landscape architect, to help students complete a survey of the campus, identify erosion and other problems and map the grounds using GPS (Global Positioning System). The Carroll County University of Arkansas extension agent and Chris Fischer of the Arts in Education program of the Arkansas Arts Council will also be consulted, Utsler said.

In the past, EAST students have mapped the fire hydrants and the springs in Eureka Springs, Utsler said. Students run the program, coming up with ideas, recruiting clients and working with them to solve problems. EAST student Marcello Gros, 14, is currently running a project that recycles ink cartridges, cell phones and small electronics through the Office Depot Recycling Program. Collection boxes are set up at schools, Gros said, with Office Depot paying the shipping cost and crediting a student account that can be used to buy products.

“It’s self-directed learning,” Utsler said.

To help students with the campus landscaping project by buying a tree or brick, send a check made out to the Eureka Springs School District to 2 Lake Lucerne Rd., Eureka Springs, AR 72632. Include information to go on the brick or about the person or occasion the tree commemorates.