WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21, 2009
1:45 PM

Last year Congressman Berry got an some money put in the budget for Town Creek in the City of Wynne. He got $50,000.00. His office notified me of the award. (Town Creek is a major ditch that runs through the city and ends at the Languille river) The city has been working to get some federal funds for this project for about 15 years.

Some time after I had the call from the congressman's office I received a call from a State of Arkansas official. The official told me of the award. I ask him what I could do with the money. I explained to him that this project was about a five million dollar project and that the fifty thousand would not allow us to get started. He agreed and I told him that I would have to turn down the money. He agreed that I should turn down the money.

On Monday of this week I received a call from the same individual from the state that had called last year. He asked me if I remembered our conversation of last year. I told him that I did remember the conversation. He informed me that the money was still there if I could use the money. We discussed some options for using the money. After our discussion I asked him if I could use the money to help pay for a bridge over this creek. He told me that he did not think that I could use the money to help pay for a bridge, but I might could use it to help pay for a box culvert rather than a bridge. (a box culvert would serve the same purpose as a bridge)

He told me that he would submit my proposal to the federal government. Today his office called and informed me that I could use the money to help pay for the box culvert, but if I took the money the City of Wynne would have to have a mitigation plan approved within a year of receiving the money. His office staff told me that a mitigation plan would cost at least $40,000.00. His office also told me that it usually takes five or more years for a mitigation plan to be accepted. I thanked his office for their help and told them that I was turning down the money.

SO MUCH FOR GOVERNMENT HAND OUTS-----TOO MANY STRINGS