Mapping Eureka's future -- Planning Commission Chair Kenneth Pownall displays a sample map of the area supplied him by the county through its ongoing mapping project with a.c.t.GeoSpatial, Inc. (aGI) of Little Rock. a.c.t.GeoSpatial does aerial geographical information system (GIS) mapping. GIS can easily capture, store, analyze, manage and present data which are spatially referenced -- in other words, maps. Photo by Don Lee [Order this photo]

EUREKA SPRINGS -- Just when they said it couldn't be done, it happened.

After months of stalemate, the Eureka Springs City Council voted in not one but three new commissioners Monday night -- one each for Planning, the Historic District Commission (HDC), and the City Advertising and Promotion Commission (CAPC) -- ending a long series of meetings in which it had been unable to agree on anyone for anything.

One new appointee, former Planning Commission and City Council member Butch Berry, became a crucial member of the troubled Planning Commission, which has been hamstrung by chronic vacancies for months.

A series of concerned citizens, real estate agents and others, addressed the council during the meeting urging it to accept Berry's nomination.

Alderman Rae Hahn spoke out against appointing anyone. Indicating a large stack of applications, Hahn said she would "like to see [these] nominations [all] go forward" before any were approved.

She said appointing only Berry would put Planning "in basically the same position" as before.

Alderman Patrick Brammer asked Berry to address council questions, which he did.

Scheunemann revisits past

Alderman Eric Scheunemann questioned Berry's desire to be on Planning, saying Berry had "disregarded the law" when on council previously regarding issues that should have come before Planning, but had not. Scheunemann served on Planning at the time.

Scheunemann referred to the paving of Anderson St., which runs from U.S. Hwy 62 West down to Dairy Hollow Rd.

The street was paved in 2005 during the administration of Mayor Kathy Harrison despite protest from residents along the street and school children from Clear Spring Elementary, which is located in Dairy Hollow near the street.

Scheunemann had been against the paving project at the time.

Berry pointed out he had voted against paving the street.

Planning in dire straits

Alderman Joyce Zeller said she felt Planning was "in dire straits," and that not voting in "a very obviously qualified candidate" was a mistake.

"We have had weeks to consider his application," she said.

Real estate agent Terry McClung and Planning Chair Kenneth Pownall both spoke ardently in favor of approving Berry's nomination.

"The city council has a fiduciary responsibility to run the city and keep things flowing," McClung said. "I've known Butch for many years. You're missing the boat if you don't put him back on. Anything you get out of Butch is good for you and good for the city."

Pownall said city business was coming to a standstill without a functioning Planning commission.

Jackson declares desire to serve

Local contractor and DJ Daniel Jackson then came forward to urge council to approve Berry, and to put his own name into nomination.

"I'm a born Eurekan," he said. "I may know diddly-squat about this but I'm willing to learn. I love Eureka, and I have a kid on the way. You can't even have a kid in Eureka right now. No doctors will deliver. My application is currently in."

He referred to the fact that Eureka Springs Hospital does not offer childbirth services at this time.

Scheunemann began to debate Jackson regarding home birth and use of midwifery, but Jackson cut him off.

"Planning is more important than a discussion about home birth in Eureka Springs."

He then thanked the council and left the room.

Following further debate and public comment, council voted Berry unanimously onto the Planning commission.

DeVito approved

CAPC Chair Richard Grinnell again brought forward restaurateur James DeVito as a candidate for the restaurant position on the CAPC.

Grinnell said he had polled more than half the restaurant owners in Eureka, as council had asked previously, and found 93 percent approved DeVito for CAPC.

He asked council not to postpone the decision yet again.

"I can't see why the votes would come back much different if you wait another two weeks," he said. "We get less than half the registered voters when we have an election, yet we accept their vote."

DeVito, who came before council to be approved in May, only to be turned down due to lack of votes, cited his experience in both the restaurant business and in city politics.

Council voted DeVito unanimously onto the CAPC.

Third time the charm

Council also accepted unanimously the nomination to HDC of Vicki Webster.

Webster was originally nominated in April, but council rejected her at that time because she worked in Oklahoma and was only in town three days a week.

Chair Melissa Greene defended Webster's nomination two council meetings ago, pointing out Webster resides in town and, despite her working in Oklahoma, is available more than half the time here.

Council agreed.

Mapping update breakthrough

In his commission report, Pownall updated council on his project of updating various long out-of-date city maps.

He said he had just discovered Carroll County has a $350,000 contract with a.c.t.GeoSpatial, Inc. (aGI) of Little Rock to do aerial GIS mapping of the region.

A geographic information system (GIS) is an information system for capturing, storing, analyzing, managing and presenting data which are spatially referenced -- in other words, maps.

As Pownall explained it, "I could go to every fire hydrant or spring in the city, and punch in the locations, then go to the county with that data, and they'd download it, then print you out a springs map, or a fire hydrant map, or a map of all the naked people in town, or whatever."

He said Planning could work with the county and the GIS firm and for only a few hundred dollars generate all the maps Planning currently needs, all updated in terms of zoning, city limits, etc.

Representatives of the county and the GIS firm will give a presentation on the possibilities of the mapping project at the next council meeting.

Dog poop disposal units

Under new business, Hahn discussed her research on pet waste disposal units for dog walkers. She said she had located units for less than $200 apiece and planned to talk to Parks Gardener DonE Allen about possible placement of units around town. She said she would present further information at the next meeting.

Trash rates going up

Council voted unanimously to approve the request by the Carroll County Solid Waste Authority from last meeting to raise rates.

CCSWA cited the spike in fuel costs and increased tipping fees as the reason for its request.

Residential rates will go from $11.34 a month to $12.58, and rates for low volume commercial -- the typical downtown business, for example -- will go from $20.83 to $23.11.

Speed bump rules revamped

Under new business, City Attorney Tim Weaver explained a proposed ordinance he has worked out with Public Works Director Dwayne Allen to allow council to change the size of speed bumps/humps around town. The previous ordinance gave council no power to change the dimensions of these bumps/humps.

Scheunemann critics speak

During final public comments, citizens Amanda Banaszek and Stephen James Gary lambasted Scheunemann for his performance as alderman, in particular his refusal to vote during most of the meetings this year.

In council comments at meeting's end, Hahn said she had been absent last meeting due to the illness of a grandchild, and criticized the local press for attributing her absence to the heat.