The El Dorado Springs City Council spent a little extra time at their meeting on Monday, June 6, during the Public Forum, hearing requests from local citizens.
Kathie Truitt, owner of the Hillbilly Debutante Mercantile and Pie Shoppe at 101 North Main, told the council that she had several customers that were in wheelchairs and wanted to know what could be done to help her provide for them so they could come into her shop. She said that Building Inspector Aaron Smith had suggested that they come in the back door. Truitt replied that no one should have to come into a store from the back door and also the back of the shop was a work space. It was suggested that she use a temporary ramp that wouldn’t impede people on the sidewalk.
She asked about ordinances that would keep people from using their storefront for storage. She was told that there were no such ordinances. It was suggested that she work through the Chamber of Commerce and maybe some of the members could put pressure on downtown store owners to clean up their buildings.
Truitt said that she had paid to have all the windows on South Main Street cleaned.
A representative of the Church of God (Holiness) asked if the church could be permitted to have a fireworks display on July 3. He said the fireworks they would use would not be the big commercial variety that requires a licensed shooter, but a lot of the bigger type that can be purchased at a fireworks stand.
The council deliberated and declined their request saying the city allows fireworks on the 4th only and making an exception for one group would lead to having to make exceptions for others.
Amber Francis and Sheila Benham addressed the council about work they would like to do at the Old Community Building. Francis and Benham are in charge of the yearly Fine Arts Gala upstairs at the Old Community, a display of art produced by students.
The women had spent a good deal of time selecting the improvements they thought they could make to the east side of the upstairs by Picnic time. The cost would be $2,200.
Councilman Jim Luster said he thought the council was getting into a situation and he would like a legal opinion about what kind of liability the city might have in the long term.
Francis and Benham said they had fallen in love with the building and believed the community cared about it.
All councilmen were present: Glenda Baker, Jim Luster, Gabby Kinnett, Nathan Murrell and Mayor Cory Gayman. Also present were City Manager Bruce Rogers and City Clerk Kandi Baldwin.
The council approved resolutions appointing Glenda Baker to a three-year term on the Municipal Cemetery Board; Gabby Kinnett to a three-year term on the Park Board; Cory Gayman to a three-year term on Planning and Zoning and Nick Bland to a three-year term on the Park Board.
Also, the council passed a resolution amending an agreement for professional sound and lighting services during the 2022 Picnic due to an error from the contractor.
Rogers reported on the money collected at the cemetery during the Memorial Day weekend. He said the total was $4,408.00 plus $475 collected since Memorial Day Weekend last year.
Rogers said that the pool opened Friday, June 3. He said there would be a public forum on June 20 allowing the public to take part in the discussion about the pool. Rogers also said that the city had gotten $108,000 in Covid money to put toward new equipment for the fire department. The city will contribute the rest of the money.
Luster asked about the burned out house on West Broadway. Rogers said the city was trying to compel the owner to clean it up.

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