Four applicants — David Riordan, Susane Gruning, Michael Welch and Marticia Hancock — will be voted on to fill the Ward 1, Position 2 seat formerly held by David Avanzino.
For the Ward 2, Position 1 seat formerly held by Melissa Greene, Avanzino and Anna Smedley have applied.
Greene stepped down from her seat after moving to Berryville and Avanzino recently moved to Ward 2.
“It’s really weird being on this side of the bench, but anyway, here we are,” Avanzino told council members during public comments.
“…You know what I have to offer and what I’ve done in the past. I look forward to continuing that for all city of Eureka Springs residents.”
Two residents spoke to endorse Avanzino while two others endorsed Smedley, executive director of the Eureka Springs Community Center.
“I’m excited to be here tonight because I love Eureka Springs,” Smedley told council members. “I’ve been in love with Eureka Springs my entire life. I grew up here, and I returned here about five years ago to make Eureka my home.
“What I said to you in my application is that I have made community engagement and service my life’s work.”
Riordan, an attorney, said he likes to bring people together and promote Eureka Springs and wants to be involved anyway he can.
“…I’d love to serve with you guys and I think I’ll do a good job,” Riordan said. “I’ll certainly try my very best.”
Hancock said she has had a “sense of civic duty just right off the bat.”
“My parents were very liberal, progressive people in a very conservative place,” Hancock said. “So, I learned how to fight for what I believe in, and, really just continue to care about the community around me and do what’s best for everyone.”
Welch said he and his wife made Eureka Springs their home after first visiting approximately 15 years ago from Oklahoma City.
“We purchased a cute house seven years ago and retired here roughly 18 months ago,” Welch said. “I adore Eureka Springs and the surrounding areas. The residents, the tourists, the diversity of the cultures, the beauty of the Ozarks and the history continues to amaze me each day.
“If given the opportunity to sit with all of you and have an impact on this wonderful community and its continued success, I would be honored and humbled.”
Gruning did not speak at the meeting.
VOTING PROCESS
The process of selecting the new council members will be done by ballot at the next meeting, Monday, March 25, council members discussed.
“I would like to know now what the process is going to be so we don’t have any surprises in two weeks at the next meeting how we’re going to do the voting,” council member Terry Mc-Clung said.
Mayor Butch Berry said all council members will vote on the applicants and whoever gets the majority of the votes wins.
“We may have to get two or three votes to get down to one person because we have four applicants [for Ward 1, Position 2],” Berry said.
It was suggested that after the council votes in the first new member, that person could be sworn in and be permitted to vote for the next vacant seat.
“If we vote one in, whichever, Ward 1 or 2, we can swear them in right there and they can vote on the other one,” council member Harry Meyer said.
OTHER ITEMS
The council heard an update from the city’s public works director, Simon Wiley, and Zane Lewis of McClelland Engineering about the ongoing efforts to revamp and replace equipment at the sewer treatment plant.
Lewis said cost estimates remain at $6 million and help with funding is progressing.
“We have submitted funding applications to the Water and Wastewater Advisory Committee,” Lewis told council members. “That is step one. We anticipate that their response to us will be to apply to the Natural Resource Commission for low-interest loans.
“Simon is also working with the Northwest Arkansas Planning Commission for some available grant moneys that appear to be available. … There’s basically a handful of things that we’re working with the mayor and Michael [Akins] with the finance to get the data pulled together for this application.”
On the water side of things, Wiley told council members that there were four active leaks around the city, including at the top of Planer Hill, at the water tower near Inn of the Ozarks, the Transit Center on Main Street and at a fire hydrant on Spring Street.
“We are trying to juggle tourism with taking care of some of the leaks,” Wiley said. “We know the impact of traffic on Spring Street. .. .We are trying to get that one scheduled on a Monday so minimal impact on tourism as possible.”
In other council action, Beth Giltner was approved for another term on the Parks and Recreation Commission.
