JP’s Letter to Voters about Hospital & Event Center
September 29th, 2015 by iPhone
To the Patrons of Drew County,
I am sorry that I cannot attend tonight’s special called meeting.
I informed the court at our last meeting that I would be unable to attend a special called meeting, if it was called, tonight, since I have a scheduled Drew Central School board meeting at the same time, and I am on that board. It is our budget, hiring, election of officers, meeting new employees, signing contracts, etc.
I would like to let all the patrons of Drew County know that I recall the Court stating that once the library was paid for, the tax would end.
I have no problem with the hospital expansion; I am just against the tax payers having to pay for it.
I am against the center; it is not going to generate any income. The land has not been deeded, and more than likely, never will.
Who is going to pay for the UAM people that are going to be moved from the field house offices? Are they going to be paid out of the small amount of generated money? Sounds like a new basketball gym.
Dr. Lassiter stated at the last meeting that he hoped the building would be donated back to UAM ( in 20 or so years); that would be after it was paid off.
Remember the great ordeal that the Drew County Fairgrounds went though? time, money, and lawyers?
If the Court votes to put these issues on the ballot; you, the voters, will have to decide.
The only way your voice is heard is to vote.
With Regrets,
Rene Knowles
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great article and its time we take our city back
As I said before. But not printed. This is just a building played for by tax payers for the collage and select upper class in drew county. Where just cash cows for the upper class here
Time for the elected to protect our needs and our money
id vote for both but will not vote for the center if its on uam land that hasn’t yet been deeded. all those things need to be ironed out before it comes to a vote. I do believe the center can bring a few jobs and some revenue to Monticello/drew county. a lot of people that comes to an event held there will more then likely buy gas or a burger among other things. I know our judge isn’t all about sporting events (he has told me himself) but just stop and think about how much taxes sporting events brings in. for ever event there is always people coming in from out of town that spends money here. again id vote for both under the right conditions.
The land being donated was the cow pasture up by Hwy 425. That was always the plan. I guess the offices in that pasture Ms. Knowles is referring to are invisible or occupied by the cows. You have to look down the road and as director of Special Olympics Area 12 and a part of other community organizations there is a benefit to this county IF this center is built. We have a project on hold that would bring in athletes from all over Arkansas until we find out more about the future of this center. With attitudes like Mrs. Knowles Monticello will be missing out again.
That closing line should be adjusted. You and the three members of the court that voted in the negative are not as concerned about the opinion of the citizens as you think you are. You effectively took it out of the public’s hands by not allowing the issue to go to the ballot.
I will vote yes on the hospital tax, because I think the expansion and improvements are needed and important. I only wish I could voice my opinion about the community/convention center in the form of a vote.
Sincerely,
A disappointed citizen of Drew County.
The proposal was for letting the citizens of Drew County vote to see if they wanted to extend the tax, not for YOU to vote in my place. Sitting on both a school board and a quorum court for all these years, a refresher in civics/government looks to be in order. You would have gotten to vote for/or against at the same time that I would. Instead YOU took my voting rights away on this issue! Shame on you!
Thank you, Mrs. Knowles,
It is refreshing to see an elected official who thinks of the taxpayers. Too much is put upon the working people everywhere with all the things that cities, counties, states and the country want to spend money on. What they fail to realize is that only a portion of our people pay taxes, and the burden they bear is a heavy one. Thank you for standing up for what you think is right, and please thank the rest of the Quorum Court members for trying to give us a break. I, too, think the Events Center would be an enormous waste of money. Yes, it would look nice on the city/county resume that we have a nice, empty building sitting there for possible events; but at what cost, and what great events? We need a good hospital in Southeast Arkansas, but there may be other ways to pay for it other than by the taxpayers. In voting against this, you are keeping a promise that was made to us about the library tax, and again, I thank you.
u r so right!!!
Here are some comments made by the Key people that called it a Convention Center at first and now it is an event center. There comments tell a story. Jack Lassiter Nov. 11, 2011.”If we can get all of it, I want to get it all.” He was speaking of having an Olympic size swimming pool and etc. He also stated this same time.” There is no interest in raising taxes to help fund any of the project.” Then in a meeting in August,2015,
Lassiter asked for $11 Million the extended sales tax could generate for the Convention Center (Event Center) Quotes from the Doctors, which should know about the surgical center.”Tim Simon,I was very concerned about the amount of we would have to spend, if the hospital borrows too much it would put the hospital in jeopardy of closing its doors or being bought by a larger hospital.” I went to a Dr. in PB today for a specialty we do not have and the Dr. made a statement to this very effect. Baptist has bought so many small hospitals they are by passing Jefferson and their Drs. and sending patients to LR. If this hospital is to succeed it needs to stay for Drew County, then PB and then LR There are several good hospitals in LR that are not Baptist. Dr. Kelly Shrum questioned why the court is interested in hearing from the Drs.when they didn’t listen before because the surgery center should have been the priority, that the hospitals operating room is so old that it had to be grandfathered in to meet state approval. Sylvia Simon, “A new Conference Center can’t save lives, but a new surgical center can save lives. Tucker, City Mayor pledges $3 Million for the convention center and 1 Million of in- kind work, and would hire a full time employee at???? to get people to come, and then the city would do all the maintenance. So, our Mayor just obligates the citizens of Monticello $4 Million to finish a project that the citizens are already paying a sales tax to build it and probably another half Million to hire someone to get them to use it and hire someone to manage it, maintain it and it still does not belong to the city, and was never supposed to have been paid by us to start with. Priorities are something that evidently is never considered. Just build something and they will come. Maybe in your dreams and the movies. We put in water meters to increase our revenue, but we still have the same water and sewer problems that we had. Our water is a service, our trash pick up is only once a week,less service. We built a sleep center, and etc. but the surgical center was left behind and now they can’t afford to do it. Our streets are terrible. I went over one the other day and it is worn down to the gravel. Our city has given a company millions for work that was never done on our water issues. Citizens bills are just higher to bring in more money. If you are trying to work out of your home to make a decent living, you are now supposed to pay more for your service at home. We can’t add any new homes because the sewer pond is too full on the West side to accommodate any new sewer lines commercial or otherwise. Our water department income pays the fireman and policeman departments and yet we want to keep adding things for entertainment, meetings. When the water department has to pay for actual salaries and pensions instead of taking care of our water system and sewer system, then we are being taxed, it is not a service. We have 3 gyms here already, not counting the churches, that have them. We have meeting rooms at every bank, which they would let us use, meeting rooms at the new library, a large auditorium at Drew Central and usually large ones at churches. that have them. The sad thing about the whole thing is that you can have a public meeting about anything and the public is invited and maybe you have 20-30 people. You can have events at the college, plays, concerts , etc and the place is not filled. We need jobs, a new sewer pond, sewer lines built south toward the new highway that will be there that will take you from Canada to Mexico. Maybe not my future but our children’s future. We need future planning,cheaper educational costs so our children can afford to go to college. I can not perceive how an event center will help students now or in the future to get a better quality education or help pay for an education.
You need to read on the advance Guest Editorial POLITICIANS FAILING ON ECONOMY. A quote from this article. “Unless we can stabilize the debt and put the country on a path of sustainable economic growth, we’ll have no firm economic base for all those lofty goals”. This is for the country, but it holds truth to Monticello proposals. This is my quote, “The City needs to address our most critical needs and recognize our limited resources”
Thank You Rene!
I don’t think that location would be the best fit for a convention center.
The city/county should build it on some ground that it already has.
The college can build it’s own sporting complex with a Olympic pool and all the other amenities it would like. I think right now a new science center and forestry building should come first.
Education is more important than ball teams and games.
I am tired of paying taxes for something that has no benefit to myself. Our roads are in terrible shape, and there are lots of other places this money would go to more good.
The hospital is a “need” that should be funded and tended to properly.
This convention center is a “want”.
Too many people get those confused. I don’t see a big financial benefit of having the center.
It won’t create many jobs, and if on the university property guess who will use it the most? UAM
Do people think that just because you build it there will be lots of different things coming to it?
Wake up Monticello people, people here go everywhere else for jobs, things to do, shopping, etc.
The economy here is about dead, and we are worried about spending millions on some recreation facility.
I will vote Yes for the hospital, but if it was brought to a vote, a NO for this waste of money.
So what if UAM uses it more than anyone else? Do you think basketball, volleyball, and football athletes want to come play in facilities that look like they belong to a small high school?
Heck no! This means that we are missing out on star athletes Academics academic academics….. Academics are awesome and something to be proud of but they are not very “cool” students don’t go to U of A Fayetteville because of their awesome academics. They go for the social aspect and being able to be called a razorback!
UAM will probably never be U of A Fayetteville but it could be a lot better than what it is.
“UAM making college possible” UAM is doing a stellar job at attracting non traditional students and students who cant afford larger schools, but UAM is failing to attract top athletes in their division. UAM is failing at creating sporting events that draws a huge crowd from the surrounding area!
Fordyce high school has a better Gymnasium than The University of Arkansas at Monticello….That is sad!!! Why not help UAM draw in better athletes?? Better athletes mean more victories, more victories mean larger crowds to watch, larger crowds and more victories mean more recruiting power, more recruiting power means better athletes! Larger crowds mean more money being spent in the area! Its an awesome potential cycle that could be put in to motion with a little help!
Lets help the athletes be proud of where they play!
Aside from UAM, lets help the other local organizations have a facility to host more people. Those people coming to town for tournaments bring money! That money filters back in to the community and helps everyone!
I say we bite the bullet and get the hospital and the convention center!
Who is with me??