Thursday, February 25, 2010

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2010
6:50 PM

I received some potential good news this morning from Congressman Berry's office. I talked with a member of his staff this morning. His aide asked me to submit a proposal for funding of Town Creek. Congressman Berry has been working on this project for the city for several years. If fact I sometimes say that the congressman may think that my name is Town Creek, because I have talked with him and his staff so much about this project.

Congressman Berry's aide told me that the congressman plans to make one more push to get this project funded. (Congressman Berry has announced that he plans to retire from congress at the end of this year)

I will submit the necessary forms to his office. Hopefully the congressman will be successful this final time.

I had to purchase a new set of tires for my avalanche today. I bought the same brand that came on the truck when it was new. I have been pleased with the tires that came on the truck, so that was the reason I bought the same brand. They cost $841.19. I remember when I was going to Mississippi State buying a new set of tires for my car for $40.00.

It has been routine at the city hall this week. I have been busy but no major decisions or problems this week.

I did perform a wedding today. That is the first one in several days.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2010
6:20 PM

I made a quick trip to Memphis this afternoon. I had to take some material relating to Pat's retirement for her to sign and return to our financial advisor.

I had a good short visit with Pat and Amy. I also meet a new friend of Amy's. He seemed like a nice guy.

While I was there they ate supper. Pat had made homemade soup and cornbread. It really smelled good. I did not eat with them, because at the time I was not hungry. I also knew if I ate that early I would get hungry again before bedtime and I did not need to eat that much food.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20, 1020
2:54 PM

I spent most of the morning working on my old truck. I am in no rush and I enjoy spending time in the garage.

The street department has our track hoe and back hoe back fully repaired. The back hoe had an electrical problem and the dealer corrected it very fast. The welder completed the work on our track hoe mop out bucket. I was impressed with his work.

I talked with Pat and Amy almost everyday this week. They seem to be doing fine. I miss them, but I think that they both have enjoyed spending time together. I hope that Amy gets a full time job soon. She thinks that she will find out soon about her prospects.

I took some time to take care of some cemetery business this morning. I had to mark the grave of Mrs. Doryce Wiltshire this morning. I have know Mrs. Wiltshire since I moved to Wynne in 1968. She was a wonderful lady.

Mrs. Wistshire was the secretary for Cogbill Cemetery for more than 50 years. I am so grateful that she took care of the cemetery for all of those years. I appreciate her even more now that I have to take care of the cemetery. It is an unusual job, but I have enjoyed taking care of the cemetery and have learned a lot about cemetery business. It is an not like most jobs. Theda has helped me and I am very thankful that she has been willing to help me manage the cemetery.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2010
7:45 PM

I have not been very busy this week. I have been dealing mostly with routine items relating to city government.

Today we had to take one of our backhoes to Memphis for repair work. Our employees have been working on it for a few days, but could not seem to get the problem solved. We carried it to the dealer we bought it. They called about 4:00 PM and said that they had it repaired.

We took delivery of our new track hoe last week. We did not buy a new mop out bucket. We decided to keep the bucket from our old machine. We had to purchase some parts and have them attached to our old bucket. This option saved us several dollars. Our employees did not feel comfortable completing this task. We took the bucket and track hoe to a local welder to have this work completed. He should have it completed tomorrow.

The city has been awarded a grant to purchase a new wood chipper. We will take bids and should take delivery of the new chipper some time next month. We decided to not trade our old chipper and sell it once we take delivery of our new chipper. Our old chipper has a little repair work completed before we sell the machine. The dealer in Searcy picked up our old machine and will make the necessary repairs.

Yesterday the local vet clinic called and informed me that they will no longer put down animals for the city. I thanked them for their service to the city over the years.

This afternoon the Wynne Friends of Animals called and told me that they had picked up a dog that had been in a fight and needed to be put down. They had carried the animal to the local clinic and were told that they no longer performed that service for the city. (This is my fault because I forgot to call the shelter and inform them of this new policy) We discussed this situation and we agreed that the animal would be taken to Forrest City to a vet and be put down. The dog had to be put down because it would not have been able to make it and this was the only solution to properly take care of this injured dog.

I attended the meeting of the Community Relations Board for the Federal Prison today. I have been a member of this board since I became mayor. We had a very informative meeting and as always had an excellent meal provided by the staff. It was also good to visit with other members of the board before the meeting and while eating lunch.

This week on of my fellow mayors son was murdered. He was only 30 years old. I read in today's paper that an arrest had been made in the murder. The suspect is only 23 years old. This mayor and I both have been mayor for 11 plus years and we both have been very active in the Arkansas Municipal League activities. We both now serve on the Executive Committee and every time we meet we are seated next to each other. It is hard to think of dealing with the loss of a child.

I talked with Amy and Pat today. Pat had Amy's Internet repaired today. I think that she felt lost without access to the Internet. Amy had unusual job today. She said that she did fine and the employer was pleased with her work.

Amy should hear soon about going to work full time. She thought that she would know last week, but the weather prevented some of the management from traveling and a decision was not able to be made. I hope that she is able to work full time very soon.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2010
9:00 PM

I have just returned from Memphis. I took Amy and Pat out to eat rather than a card or flowers for valentines day. We went to a steak house and the food was excellent. I think that they enjoyed the meal more than cards, candy or flowers. We also had a good visit.

I had thought that I would spend the night but there was a threat of bad weather so I decided to come back to Wynne. It started snowing very very hard on me about five miles from Amy's home. It was really snowing hard and I was glad that I had decided to come back to Wynne. The snow stopped about five miles from Marion and the road was dry. I am still glad that I came home.

The weather forecast had been for bad weather east of the Mississippi river, but the Memphis TV stations were showing a warning for all of Cross County. That was the main reason I chose to come back tonight. I did not want to be stuck in Memphis.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2010
5:30 PM

I have spent the day working on my old truck, shoveling snow and ice, watching part of the Nationwide race, and I even took a short nap.

My driveway is completely snow and ice. The sun was out part of the day and quite a bit of it had melted before I moved it off the driveway.

I did not do any major things to the truck. I just cleaned up some to the truck. I still have plenty to do. I need to work on the heater, it does not work. I also need to work on the radio, it does not work.

I had to move all of the cars and trucks to get the old truck in the garage. I got the old truck stuck on the ice and it took me about one hour to get it in the garage. But speed was not important. If I finished all of the work, I could not spend time in the garage. It is very good therapy for me to get our in the garage and spend time working on the truck.

The temperature got to about 50 degrees today. It was nice outside even though I spent most of the day in the house or garage.

When I left the office yesterday afternoon Theda told me that she would be in Wynne all weekend in case I needed her for some cemetery help. It seems every holiday I have to take care of cemetery business. I never had any intention of managing a cemetery, but because of circumstances I have been taking care of one for several years. I have learned a lot about death and the business of funerals and cemetery business because of my work at the cemetery and Amy's chosen profession.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2010
6:45 PM

I spent quite a bit of time the last two day dealing with a citizen with a dog problem. After numerous calls the problem has been solved. The bottom line is that the Wynne Friends of Animals agreed to accept the dog for keeping a few days. This action will make this Wynne Resident happy.

The city took delivery of our new track hoe this morning. I am glad that we have been able to manage our funds and keep good equipment for our street department to complete work for the city. I feel that is in the best interest of the city to keep good equipment for our departments to work with as they carry out the jobs assigned to them.

There is a prediction of more snow for Wynne tonight. I hope that the city is not affected by another snow. I have had enough to last me for some time.

Pat is spending some time with Amy in Memphis.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2010
9:00 AM

The Wynne City Council met last night for the regular monthly meeting. Following is a summary of the actions taken:

1. Held a public hearing and set the amount of a lien to be placed on some property that the city had cleaned up.

2. Passed and amending ordinance that revised four of our miscellaneous budgets.

3. Passed an ordinance approving the miscellaneous budgets for the city. This is fourteen budgets that must be passed in addition to the normal general and street budgets.

4. Approved a contract with the Wynne Friends of Animals to perform animal control services for the city.

5. Approved the purchase of a new server for the Wynne Police Dept.

6. A report was scheduled about the status of the Wynne Water Commission. The chairman of the committee told the council that he did not want to report because there were some council members absent. He will be absent for the March meeting, so the council agreed to discuss the matter and possibly take action at the April council meeting, if every member is present. If every council member is not present they will take no action.

Amy attended the council meeting last night. She also went to KWYN with me this morning for my monthly report. She saw small town government in action.

She also went to the coffee shop with me. She commented that they had a lot to say about nothing.

Monday, February 8, 2010

MONDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2010
5:40 PM

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES. When I got up this morning I looked outside and to my surprise we had received a huge snow since I went to bed on Sunday night. About 7:00 AM
we had received about five or six inches and it was still snowing.

Theda called and said that she was not coming to work today because of the weather. She told me that if I needed her and the roads did not improve she would be glad to come to work if I could send someone for her. I told her that if I needed her I would give her a call and if I had to have her I would send someone to pick her up and bring her to the city hall.

I called Jerry and he had decided to delay the residential garbage pickup and make a decision about the pickup depending on the weather.

I went to the city hall about 8:30 and did some work for the cemetery. I went to the cemetery and marked a grave for a funeral tomorrow.

I then went to the street department to check on the activities going on. Jerry had started the garbage pickup. The weather had improved quite a bit, but it was still snowing. The crews had also been working to clear some of the intersections and streets.

Theda had come to work by this time and I called her to tell her of me taking care of the grave for tomorrow, but she told me that the family was in her office at that time and they wanted to have their loved one buried in a different lot. I told her that I would come to the city hall and meet with her and the family member to make sure that we were all on the same page.

After the meeting I returned to the cemetery to mark the grave and discovered that there was a problem with the location. I called Theda and ask her to contact the family member and have them meet with us to resolve the problem. She did and we all met and after much discussion and a trip to the cemetery by me and the family member and talking to Theda on the phone got the problem solved.

I returned to the city hall and by this time the snow had turned to sleet and the streets were getting slick. I told Theda that I was going to the cemetery to take the grave digger his check. Theda had said that because of the weather she would probably go home early. I told her that was fine.

I left to go to the cemetery and soon discovered that the roads were in bad shape. I called Theda and told her to lock the door and go home because of the road conditions. She said that she would. I continued to the cemetery and delivered the check and then came home.

It has been snowing, sleeting, and raining all afternoon. KWYN reported that by early in the morning we should have about eleven inches of this snow and sleet on the ground.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2010
4:10 PM

I am getting ready to watch the super bowl. It should be a good game. Both teams are the best in their conferences.

Amy and I went to Memphis on Friday afternoon to take care of some personal business. We had a good trip except for a small detour when we left Wynne. Highway 64 at the intersection with Killough was blocked. There was an accident near the golf course and the road was blocked. We learned after we returned to Wynne that one of the drivers in the wreck was killed.

Late Friday night, in fact early Saturday morning, Amy and I had to take Pat to the hospital. Her heart was beating about 11o beats per minute. The doctor and nurse took care of the problem and got her heart back to beating normal. It was a very intense time. It is no fun going to the emergency room in the middle of the night, but I am thankful that we have an emergency room to deal with health problems when they happen.

I cranked my new toy yesterday and did a small amount of work on the truck. Later yesterday Amy and I cleaned her car. We put the car in the garage and did a top to bottom cleaning of the inside. After we finished I took the car to the car wash and cleaned the outside. It really look good after we finished.

I worked on my new toy a few minutes today. Nothing major, just some cleaning of some small parts. The man who called me on my way home with the truck has not called. He indicated that he would probably come this weekend and look at the truck, but he has not called.

The city council will meet on Tuesday night. I will write about the meeting next week. The agenda for the meeting can be found on the city website if you would like to know the items that will be discussed. The web site is: cityofwynne.com.

We have two burials at Cogbill tomorrow and one on Tuesday. Amy went to the cemetery this afternoon to watch me mark the grave sites. She has done almost everything to do with a death, but she has never been involved with the marking of a grave. The funeral homes that she has worked for have separate people who take care of the cemetery.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2010
11:40 AM

I have been looking for an old truck for several months. I have located several over the time, but because of the price or condition I had not bought one.

I now have bought an old truck. I bought a 1972 Ford pickup. I bought it from the original owner in Jonesboro on Monday. The truck is a plain jane. It is a 6 cylinder with a standard transmission. The only options on the truck are a radio and a rear bumper. The truck has been in Jonesboro its entire life. It only has 74,000 miles on it.