“It was definitely a year like none other in our recent history that we’ve experienced,” Mayor Butch Berry said of 2020 during the State of the City address at the opening Monday’s council meeting. In March, with inception of the pandemic, Berry said there was a lot of fear of the unknown, “and to be honest I was scared to death. We didn’t know what to do.”
Berry formed an emergency response task force at the fire department, comprised of the fire and police departments, EMS, hospital, active and retired physicians, assisted living administrators, and school administrators to discuss how to keep the community safe.
Sharing the governor’s directives with the public was important to Berry, as well was placing a moratorium on large public gatherings. He said this freeze is in effect through June of this year.
“We wanted transparency and accessibility of all of our government functions and services in this new world of isolation we were in,” he affirmed. Berry said the city is moving from response to recovery, recognizing that the businesses and families are still suffering.
The finance department reported a 45 percent loss in sales tax in May, the first indicator of the pandemic effects. Furloughed city employees were not rehired, but no one was laid off.
Berry said ESFD responded to 83 fire and rescue incidents, 1,562 EMS incidents, and that no Eureka Springs fire or EMS employee contracted Covid-19. The police department, Berry said, responded to 2,132 calls for service, 708 offense and incident reports, 19 domestic disturbance reports, 400 citations and 500 warnings issued, 302 arrests made, and 132 warrants served.
Public Works repaired and over-layed 15,000 sq. yds. of asphalt on streets including Echo, Council, Hale, Steel, Wall, Jay Lane, Forest Lane, Victorian Wood, Douglas, First, Dairy Hollow, and Armstrong.
Eureka Springs experienced 30 percent public utility water loss, an improvement from 42 percent in 2019.
Trolley revenue was down 48 percent but received pandemic financial relief. Code Enforcement noted a record year of real estate sales and a 25 percent increase in annual construction.
Commission updates
Berry spoke of the City Advertising and Promotion Commission, saying their advertising agency, Paradise Marketing, was responsible for the new Eureka Springs brand “Curious Indeed,” which he said brought Eureka’s new identity to life with a cohesive marketing approach. “It has strategically integrated all aspects of our market approach for the destination,” he said adding that it was responsible for generating 1,284 booked room nights.
He delved into the Parks Commission, discussing additional RV pads at Lake Leatherwood, replaced collapsed culverts, and landscaped lake entrance with native plants.
Downtown, Berry said that the Basin Park fountain was repaired and new landscaping added. The Dog Park got new gravel walkways and had dead trees removed, then “Parks is refocusing on the mission statement directive “to preserve, protect and enhance.”
Berry said the Hospital Commission installed three negative pressure rooms specific for Covid-19 patients and obtained six ventilators that went unused in 2020.Berry said that Eureka Springs Hospital has treated 13 in-patient and 69 out-patient positive Covid-19 cases. He mentioned that the hospital does not currently have a CEO but is searching.
Commission snippets included that the Historic District Commission survived a ballot issue to keep it from being abolished and the Planning Commission has placed a hold on the revision of the tree preservation ordinance until it is safe to hold a public workshop.
The municipal solar energy agreement which lowers the city’s utility costs got a mention. “We are happy to announce,” Berry said, “that ground has been broken for the solar array in the second phase of this project.
“The pandemic has brought us some gifts,” mentioning the stylish masks made by community creators. “If we must go through a pandemic, there is no other place on earth I’d rather be than Eureka Springs.”