Council considers Gray’s Hospital, Dogwood apartments

Alderman Reeves pledges to ensure residents are aware when their neighborhoods are affected

By Andrea Bruner, White River Now

Two neighborhood concerns came before the Batesville City Council on Tuesday night – one deemed blighted and in the process of being torn down, and the other permitted as development and is in the process of going up.

The first item of new business was a resolution adopting a redevelopment plan for the former Gray’s Hospital, located at the corner of Fifth and Main streets.

The city council has declared the site at 477 E. Main St. as “a blighted structure” and is seeking federal funding through the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to demolish the building, which “has been abandoned for approximately five years and is regarded as a nuisance,” according to the resolution. “The building is dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe and is vermin infested. The building is being used by vagrants and often vandalized. City police frequently have to remove persons from the building.”

   

A redevelopment plan has been developed, recommending the location be razed for a park/green space.

The property is zoned T-1, which is Traditional Housing. No zoning changes will be necessary to convert the site to a park, according to city officials.

Mayor Rick Elumbaugh said several people had looked at the old hospital, but due to the asbestos and the fact that the structure is “solid concrete inside,” those individuals said it could not be made habitable.

Meanwhile, Jon Perkins, a resident of Cedar Street, made his second trip to Batesville City Hall in as many days to discuss a proposed apartment complex on the neighboring Dogwood Drive East. Perkins was one of approximately two dozen neighbors who met with city officials Monday morning. He then came before the city council Tuesday night to share the neighborhood’s concerns and present a petition in opposition during the citizens’ comments portion of the council agenda.

The petition states this 12-unit complex will change the character and stability as well as adversely affect the safety and convenience of this historically single-family home community.

Perkins said the petitioners are not opposed to progress and realize there is a housing shortage, but they instead seek “something more in line with the character and tradition” of this area.

He went on to say that they understand the property owner, Burim Azemi, has met the city’s requirements for the project, but they question why the city officials thought a change in the land use and then a rezoning for the property were a good idea for this neighborhood.

Perkins said the city council members “are stewards for the people” and asked them to “embrace the intent of the procedures you follow in this chamber” by hearing all of the required readings of a proposed rezoning ordinance in multiple council meetings.

Alderman Landon Reeves said he represents this ward and has talked with residents in the area.

“If there is one thing that I think is obvious, it is that voters and constituents are not being properly apprised of situations that affect their neighborhoods,” Reeves said.

While the city met the minimum notification standards as required by law with a notice in the newspaper of the highest paid circulation within the county as well as a sign posted on the property being rezoned – Reeves said that was not enough.

“That falls upon me as your representative so going forward, this body – and planning and zoning – will work to come up with better methods – not just bare minimum of an archaic standard.

“If there is another takeaway from this, it is not to rely on the words of investor or developer, that oftentimes maybe their intent is to deceive in order to keep public interests down so that something can get passed, only to move the goal posts after the fact. So I’m going to do a better job of making sure my folks are better aware and that this is more of a transparent process anytime our neighborhoods are affected.”

Perkins suggested sending “an old-fashioned letter” to residents in the immediate vicinity.

Elumbaugh said he has visited with council members about modifying the notification process. “Whatever we did, we need to do it better,” he said.

In other business Tuesday night:

–At its Sept. 23 meeting, the council heard the first reading of two separate ordinances for doing business with certain individuals who have a connection to the city but also work in the industry of providing financial services to the city of Batesville.

State law requires that the governing body of a municipality (the city council) must approve by ordinance any contract or business arrangement between the city and an entity employing a city council member, employee, board or commission member.

The first was Alderwoman Julie Hinkle, who serves as vice president of the Batesville branch of the Bank of Cave City. The second was Alderman and Public Works Commission member Robb Roberts, senior vice president for commercial lending at First Community Bank.

Because two city council members were absent from the Sept. 23 meeting and Roberts and Hinkle would each be abstaining from the ordinances involving themselves, the council did not have a majority to read the ordinances by title only, as is traditionally done with most ordinances, or to do away with the second and third readings of the ordinances, which is also usually done with these ordinances. Therefore, both ordinances were placed on the agenda for a second reading at the next council meeting.

–The council authorized the purchase of property located at 1495 20th Street, for $20,000, from Ryan and Shelby VanHorn.

Elumbaugh said this contiguous with other city property and will be needed for the city’s Street Master Plan, specifically regarding the roundabout.

“We’ve been talking with the property owners for about two years and come to an agreement to purchase the property,” Elumbaugh said.

–Police Chief John Scarbrough presented his monthly report, which showed there were 1,093 calls for service (compared to 1,431 in August), 55 accidents (37 in August), 32 arrests (38 in August), 69 incident reports (79 in August), 211 citations and 170 warnings (280 and 378, respectively).

Scarbrough said officers did not have a STEP grant for the month, which is why the number of citations and warnings are slightly lower for the month.

The department has secured another STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program) grant in the amount of $45,000. The STEP Grants are cost-reimbursable grants from the Arkansas Highway Safety Office available to provide traffic-related safety equipment such as radar, lidar, PBTs (portable breath tests) and more, as well as overtime enforcement.

–Public Works Engineer Damon Johnson said construction continues on the parks expansion project as well as the new water plant construction – and both are in the same area.

The parks project is on schedule, he said, adding that there will be some delays out of the crew’s control because of the water plant project. For instance, there will be a new water intake structure built in the midst of the parks construction.

“The water plant (contractor) is saying they’re about two or three weeks behind where they want to be but they’re implementing measures with subcontractors to rectify that,” Johnson said. “They’re very serious about trying to get those two or three weeks back.”

He also said the street department will be doing some painting to freshen up parallel parking and center lines. “They are going to try to get that done before the weather gets too wet and too cold, but we’re pushing the envelope here.”

–During mayor’s comments, Elumbaugh announced that two local eateries recently received awards. Meme’s Burgery and Jesse James Foods were both named a 2025 People’s Choice finalist at the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame, presented by the Arkansas Department of Heritage, with Meme’s bringing home the award at the ceremony in North Little Rock on Sept. 29.

Jesse James also won first in the Blind Judges category at the Miracle League of Arkansas Burger Competition in Springdale on Sept. 28, and they will compete in the World Food Championships in 2026.

He went on to say that the next City County Connections meeting is Thursday at 5 p.m. at The River with a presentation by Bad Boy Mowers. Elumbaugh said the last time Bad Boy presented at this meeting was in 2015.

Meanwhile, Jeff Owens posthumously received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Arkansas Parks, Heritage and Tourism. Owens, who died June 6 of this year, served as the Batesville parks director up until his death.

Accepting the award on his behalf on Oct. 2 at the Arkansas Parks and Recreation’s 2025 Annual Conference and Tradeshow in Fort Smith were Owens’ father, Danny Owens, Elumbaugh, Parks Director Lowen Lermitte, city employee Steve Nichols, and Alderman Lackey Moody.

–During council comments, Hinkle said a couple of citizens had reached out to her with concerns about animal control in the city, stating that there have been mail carriers bitten by dogs been in Westside.

–The council levied taxes on real and personal property for the year 2025, payable in 2026, as follows: City general fund, 5 mills; and firemen’s pension, 1 mill. This is the same millage as the previous year.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the council moved its regular meeting from the second Tuesday to the first.

Aldermen Fred Krug was absent.

Images: White River Now