HSVPOA Board Fulfills Promises

Good news:  POA board doing what it said it would; Village virus rate is better than reported yesterday

Call this a “good news” report.  Why?  Because rarely do we scribes have an opportunity to write about politicians doing what they said they would.

Out of curiosity, I went back to see what the candidates in the last election for the POA board said they wanted to do if elected.  Here’s how they ranked the issues, and what they’ve done in their first three-plus months in office:

• Determine which “corporate” policies adopted in the last three years should be revoked or revised – Major progress made on this.

• Trim high-paid staff – Not much done.

• Replace the CEO; change the title back to general manager – done.

• Revise or abolish the Comprehensive Master Plan (CMP) – done.

• Adopt transparency as a priority goal for the POA and board – done.

• Create a standing board Marketing Committee to help develop a detailed marketing strategy for the Village – subcommittee established as part of the new standing Finance and Planning Committee.

• Abolish the Governance Committee – done.

• Direct the ACC to work with area builders and Realtors to cut back rules imposed under the CMP – done.

• Direct the Finance Committee to develop a long-term plan guaranteeing the Village’s future financial health – being done.

• Develop a five-year plan to maintain our infrastructure – being done.

• Explore linking POA assessments to county assessed property values – no action.

• Resume monthly work sessions – done.

• Reform how POA budget is prepared – being done.

• Find a Villager skilled in Roberts Rules of Order to serve as board parliamentarian – done.

All in all, we can give this board a high grade for doing what it said it would do.

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Several of you sent a note pointing out Teen Challenge had a coronavirus outbreak in early April.  Tim Culbreth, the Teen Challenge executive director, said 26 residents and staff had tested positive and entered mandatory quarantine.

Since Teen Challenge is in the 71909 zip code which is being used to track the virus for Hot Springs Village, it means there have only been 13 other cases among the 39 recorded in the zip code.

This would give our area an extremely low rate of 8.2 cases for every 10,000 people.  Rates in other communities:

    Saline County – 66.1
    Garland County – 74.0
    Hot Springs – 105.5
    Little Rock – 119.7
    Arkansas – 135.8

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 Chris Biagini is another Villager who has been closely tracking the coronavirus in our area.  He sent a spreadsheet on which he’s been tracking deaths from the virus for every 100,000 residents.  His findings are scary:

Arkansas: from 234.5 for each 100,000 at the end of May to 1,396.3 yesterday, a rise of 495.4 percent in two months.

Saline County: from 94.9 to 700.8, up 638.5 percent.

Garland County: from 138.4 to 799.6, up 477.7 percent.

Pulaski County: from 222.6 to 1,182.8, a rise of 431.4 percent.

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It’s a cloudy, drizzly day and cool enough to open the windows for the first time in months.

July’s rainfall was 3.45 inches – 1.13 inches, or 24.7 percent, below average.  But over the first seven months, we recorded 50.42 inches – 17.0 inches, or 51.1 percent, above average.  It’s the highest seven-month total in the 26 years we’ve lived in the Village.

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Our neighbors Jean and Darell Fisher bought a bushel of fresh corn yesterday and shared some with us.

Jean told Joyce she cooks her corn in the microwave.  She cooks it with the shuck on for about four minutes for each ear.  When cooking multiple ears, she rotates the corn after four minutes so it cooks evenly.  So if she is cooking three ears, she’d rotate the ears after four and eight minutes.

When it’s done, she cuts the shuck off of the bottom, then grabs the end with the tassels, and pulls the cooked ear right out of the shuck, ready to eat.  We’re going to try that tonight.

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The state reported 752 new virus cases today, bringing the total to 42,511.  Eleven more deaths were reported.

By Former Board Director, Frank Leeming, 7-31-20

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