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Finally, after over a a year and a half with no water the park is finally close to getting it turned back on!  The $21,712.85 bill will be paid by the Property Owners Association in agreement with the city of Hardy.  Hardy Mayor Nina Thornton said the property owners have kept in contact with the city throughout the ordeal. Currently, the owners are waiting to see that the water lines are functional before paying the bill that will insure their service is properly restored.

 April 10, 2010 – The POA Board reached an agreement with Virgil Griffin on April 10, 2010, to provide water to River Bend Park. We do not know the exact date the water will be turned on, but hopefully it will be soon. Some repairs to water lines coming into the park and other checking of the water distribution system have to be made, and plans are to begin this within the next couple of weeks.

Thornton said that area resident, Virgil Griffin said he has a deed to the water system and agreed to pay the deposit and get the water back to the residents so they can once again enjoy the area. Thornton said the water was cut off to the park and 10 residences on Oct. 21, 2008 after the bill became extremely past due. She said everyone was notified and the meter was read at that time and locked. Thornton said the city tried to work with the Bigger’s Bluff Water Corporation, after the bill was over $16,000 past due, to no avail. Thornton said the city still gave Johnson another month to pay the bill. She said they didn’t want to turn the water off to the park, but explained that it is a state law that a city cannot give free utilities. She said after the month was up, she, as mayor of the city, took the matter to council, who voted unanimously to shut off the water to River bend Park. She said council further voted that in the future a person would have to sign to be responsible as well as paying a $5,000 deposit; this was the amount of an average monthly bill to the area. Virgil Griffin signed as the responsible party for the bill and further agreed to sign a three year contract with the city.

Thornton explained that the city of Hardy was still in the process of trying to secure grants for a new water system for the area and to annex the area into the city. This, she said, would be in the best interest of the city. As Hardy will be providing water to the park, it is only fair that the city should get something back. Many of the residents who live in the homes on the road going to the park have since had wells drilled on their property.

Thornton said Griffin said property owners were currently in the process of meeting with their lawyers. “They have a three year agreement with the city; they will pay him and he will pay the bill.” She further explained that there was a water line up the hill by Nathan and Renee Clay Circle’s new home that was broken under their concrete slab. She said the city is in the process of rerouting that portion of the water line. She said the city has never had any problem with the property owners, other than simply the bill was not paid. She further stated, “They are going to have water very soon.”

You can keep up to date with information about the park on their website at http://www.riverbendparkhardy.com/

Open House To Provide Residents, Business Owners With Flood Map Information. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in coordination with the State of Arkansas, Sharp County and the City of Hardy, invites the public to attend a flood map awareness meeting, Thursday, April 29, 2010, to help local residents, business owners, real estate and insurance agents understand the new floods maps that will go into effect within the next year.

The new maps were developed after an extensive multi-year study of the area’s floodplains and reflect the dramatic change in water flow and drainage patterns over the last 20 years–increasing the likelihood of flooding in certain areas of the county. Read the rest of this entry »

Mayor Nina  Thornton spoke to the Sharp County Library Board about a possible expansion to the city’s library to accommodate a children’s library and requested the board’s permission to write the grant and apply for funding in the form of a grant. Thornton also provided the group with drawings from local architect Larry Bronson.

Thornton explained that, “There are grants out there and somebody is going to get them, it might as well be us.” She said statistics prove that the state’s literacy scores are going down, and this can be attributed to not building libraries as has been done in the past. She said in the past the summer reading program hosted by the Hardy Library has been very successful, resulting in the program having to be hosted in the Hardy Fire Station. She said White River Planning and Development needs two grants for the project, one for the initial grant and one for matching funds. She said one would be for $100,000 and the other for $200,000. She said the first would be for matching funds and the building only, while the other will be for anything else needed. She also told the board that the land behind the initial structure has been donated to the library by the land owner, Simmon’s First Bank. This in-kind donation of the property value at $30,000 will also contribute to the required matching funds for the grant.

Thornton said the Hardy City Council has agreed by resolution to pay the utilities in the event the grants go through and the project becomes a reality. She said because the area is 85 percent or below poverty, this provides the 100 percent funding of the project. The architecture will be as close as possible to that of the existing library. Thornton said the city will receive approval or denial of the possible grant within four months.

Thornton said in the past this type of opportunity has presented itself, but because the grants were historic in nature, the city council would not approve them. She said this is a wonderful opportunity for the city and stressed that the library expansion would benefit everyone. The drawings of the proposed library expansion are available at both city hall and the Hardy Library.

 In late 2009, the city voted to close South Johnson Street in order to test out the new city amphitheater. To the delight of visitors and guests, the pavilian was used a few times to provide music on Main Street.

This year, the amphitheater will be used even more. And today the grounds surrounding received a landscaping facelift. The Mayor and her team were out with the ‘big boy toys’ to make ready for the planting of decorative grasses and new trees.

The Mayor and team spruce up the Amphitheater on Johnson Street

The city of Hardy is getting ready for a great summer season. Stop by the amphitheater on a summer weekend and be entertained by the great sounds from many of our local musicians.

submitted by Marc Herring, a Friend of Hardy Arkansas (FOHA)

Hardy, AR, the hometown of Teddy and Doyle Wilburn, is very proud of their native sons. Teddy and Doyle loved Hardy and returned on numerous occasions to help raise funds for their hometown. This small town has already honored the Wilburn Brothers by naming a street and a bridge after them. In addition, the town recently purchased several new billboard signs letting visitors know the Wilburn Brothers hail from Hardy, AR. Mayor Thornton and the city council put through a proclamation to declare the Saturday before Memorial Day every year as the “Wilburn Brothers’ Day”. Governor Mike Beebe has also issued the same proclamation on behalf of the entire State of Arkansas.

This proclamation must be renewed annually. On this Saturday every May, Hardy, AR holds a tribute to the Wilburn Brothers. The town brings talent from all over the country to Hardy to help pay homage to Teddy and Doyle. You can view our Community Calendar for the month of May to read more on the planned event at this link here. 

Doyle

With all of this, Hardy is still not thru letting the nation know how proud they are of the Wilburn Brothers. Hardy, AR has established a Wilburn Brothers’ 

Teddy

Museum Building Fund. It is the vision of Mayor Thornton and Jack Huffmaster to raise enough funds to build a museum for the Wilburn Brothers. Presently, they are seeking monetary donations as well as Wilburn Brothers’ memorabilia.  

We are thrilled that Hardy, AR plans to honor Teddy and Doyle in this manner and encourage all Wilburn Brothers’ fans to contribute to this worthy cause. Listed at the bottom of the page is the web site where you can mail your contributions. We would like to suggest you honor Teddy and Doyle on their birthdays, at Christmas, and on the date of their final homecoming. These dates are listed below as well. I am presently working on a book, “Sing Your Heart Out Country Boys, Tales of the Triumphs and Tragedies of the Wilburn Brothers.” To read more about the book, visit the book page. All the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the museum building fund in Hardy, Arkansas.  

You can check out the Wilburn Brothers’ website at this link HERE  

The Arkansas Department of Health requires Hardy Waterworks to supply their customers with a yearly Consumer Confidence Report or Annual Drinking Water Report. In the past years, they have posted the report in “The News’” but this year a copy was mailed to each customer in 2010. We here at Main Street Hardy Online are happy to provide this information to the public.

The Hardy Water & Wastewater Dept. is proud to announce that there were NO VIOLATIONS for the reporting year for 2009. A paper copy of the report is available in Hardy City Hall that can be mailed to you upon request.

We have attached a copy of the report here in a pdf file so you can easily view it here online by click the link below.

2009 Annual Hardy Water Report

Good news for our areas local Main Street Program which is part of the Historic Arkansas Preservation program. The local Main Street Hardy organization will be restructuring their board to better meet the needs of residents and to further improve upon the city of Hardy’s historic district. (Note: Main Street Hardy Online is not affiliated with this organization).

Main Street Hardy President Donna Cruse said in their Jan. 27 letter to the Hardy City Council, the organization communicated their intent to begin working on a adding new board members by March 1. Due to the large amount of inclement weather and illness, Cruse said the goal was not reached.

The Main Street Hardy Board met Feb. 11 and addressed the situation. They are currently providing resume forms for board members.  The board plans to have resume forms available at Hardy City Hall. Cruse said those interested in serving on the board should be committed to attend all meetings, to volunteer their time during events and fundraisers.

She said anyone interested should mail their completed resume to Main Street Hardy, P.O. Box 668, Hardy, AR 72542. She said the resumes will be evaluated both by the current board and the board at Little Rock will also review the applications.  Download Application Form HERE

Cruse said, “To ensure a successful transition of the addition of new board members and the continued success of the program, the current board will continue to serve until five new members are added. At that time, Rhonda Messer and myself will remain on the board.”

Current members include, Kim Wilson, Executive director, Donna Cruse, president, Joyce Ramsdale, Joella Vanhouten, Dale Maddox, Suzanne Frye and Rhonda Messer.

Resumes should be submitted by March 31 for consideration for a place on the Main Street Hardy Board. It is important to get qualifed and motivated individuals in as board members in order for the organiation to get back on track and moving forward.

The Feb. 16, 2010 meeting was almost the final stand for Main Street Of Hardy, Inc. (Main Street). In a last ditch effort it appears that the official Main Street Organization will not desolve as had been discussed in prior City Council meetings, but instead will work on restructuring itself and getting a new focus on its objectives plus strive for new supporters to continues its purpose.

The city council approved its $6,000 payment to the Main Street Of Hardy, Inc.  for the 2010 fiscal year. This funding  which is a reduction from prior years due to budget restraints. This had also  been a major part of the concerns that Main Street had in being able to continue its operation.

Everyone agrees that Hardy’s Main Street area needs the representation and support that the Main Street Of Hardy, Inc. offers to the historic area and the community of Hardy!

City council spoke up in favor of Main Street and agreed that they needed to bring to the next meeting a signed contract to enter into a agreement with the City as required by law.

Note:  The Hardy Advertising and Promotions committee meets monthly at 5:35 p.m. , normally at Hardy City Hall break room, unless prior arrangements are announced for an alternate meeting location.

Hardy finally receives a long talked about weather station and camera for our area.

In the past the closest weather observations were from Mountain Home.  This new weather station will provide the  residents in hardy with current temperature, wind speed and direction, how much rain has fallen. A&P is the first organization to sponsor a SkyCAM and are very proud of their new camera; it joins Arkansas Methodist Center in Paragould and ASU’s stadium cam.

Mayor Nina Thornton hopes that this new weather station will bring more people to their town. “It has so many great benefits for the community,” Thornton said.

Thornton said, “I think that this will bring tourism, more tourists people to come to our city. I think that people don’t really know exactly what we have to offer and they’re going to be able to see it live 24/7 now.

The weather station is sponsored by the Advertising and Promotions Committee of Hardy which sponsrs many exciting events and promotions for our area. The new weather station will allow the Region 8 StormTEAM to see what’s happening across the area and keep the area residents better informed.

Skycam purchased by the Hardy Advertising and Promotions Commission. Cutting the ribbon is Hardy Mayor Nina Thornton. From left are KAIT?account executive Howell Westbrook, March Herring, Margaret Harness, Sunni Cooper, Sherri Groves, meteorologists Justin Logan, Ryan Vaughn, Sarah Tipton and KAIT?Vice President and General Manager Tim Ingram.

The City Council met on Feb. 2, 2010 for it’s regular by monthly meeting. First, a time for discussion of the liquor issue was on the agenda, as it will be every month until the election. This time is set aside at each meeting to allow both the public and council to offer considerations on ways to address the issue if it were to pass, making Sharp County a wet county in November. Mayor Thornton said one of the suggestions could be to add a supplemental tax on alcoholic beverages sold within the city limits of Hardy. She said this tax would also help generate revenue for the city and could be used in the event another police officer might be required.

Alderman Bob Gilliland suggested looking up old ordinances that might have been in effect from when the city used to be wet and repealing them and creating a new ordinance. Other options the city has discussed in the past include making the city of Hardy dry and creating laws banning alcohol in parks and public areas in the city. Gilliland said the city might consider creating ordinances governing the types of businesses allowed within the city limits. All these are just considerations and no items have been voted on. Thornton leaves this time slot in each meeting open for discussion and considerations. Read the rest of this entry »