The idea of selling or leasing Arens Field is drawing opposition from its board of aviation commissioners. Board President Jeremy Wegner refuted claims that the publicly-owned airport simply subsidizes people with private jets and crop dusters, during this month’s joint Pulaski County Council and Commissioners meeting. “I think it’s more than that,” he said. “It’s open to everyone.”
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Pulaski County officials will continue discussing the future of Arens Field tonight. The county commissioners recently agreed to hire Daryn Wilder as airport manager, even though some county officials had expressed interest in privatizing the airport. Board of Aviation Commissioners President Jeremy Wegner is expected to weigh in on Bluebird Ag’s interest in buying or leasing the airport during tonight’s joint county council and commissioners meeting.
Continue readingArens Field has a new manager. The Pulaski County Commissioners appointed Daryn Wilder to manage the airport Monday, at the recommendation of Board of Aviation Commissioners President Jeremy Wegner.
Continue readingSome Pulaski County officials are open to the idea of privatizing Arens Field, but there would be a number of obstacles that would have to be overcome before that could happen.
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Almost $675,000 in additional appropriations was recently finalized by the Pulaski County Council. A large chunk of that is the funding for preliminary work on the courthouse renovation and justice center expansion that wasn’t figured into the 2020 budget.
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Pulaski County Courthouse renovation plans could take another step forward this morning. A contract with architecture firm Rowland Design will be up for the county commissioners’ approval.
Continue readingFunding for Pulaski County’s COVID-19 response will be up for the county council’s approval tonight.
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The Pulaski County government is getting its share of federal COVID-19 response funding. The county commissioners Monday agreed to let the EMS department accept a funding distribution from the CARES Act.
Continue readingPulaski County Emergency Medical Services may temporarily suspend collections due to the COVID-19 pandemic. EMS Director Brandon DeLorenzo is expected to discuss the issue with the county commissioners this morning.
Continue readingSecurity at the Pulaski County Courthouse will continue to be discussed by the county council and commissioners tonight. The commissioners have limited access to a single point of entry which now will be renovated by local locksmiths 365 professionals to grant easier access and also called for the addition of security guards.
Continue readingArens Field is set to get some new fencing, but the Pulaski County Commissioners will have to do more research to see if the County Highway Department could help with the work. County Commissioner Kenny Becker brought the request to the rest of the commissioners last week.
Continue readingA preliminary step for the renovation of the Pulaski County Courthouse and expansion of the Justice Center will be considered by the county commissioners this morning.
Continue readingAs Pulaski County’s budget discussions continue, one county council member has come up with a list of ideas for the county commissioners to explore that might cut costs and increase revenue. Kathi Thompson presented her discussion points during Monday’s special council meeting, with all three commissioners in attendance.
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The Pulaski County Council finalized more than $70,000 in additional appropriations this week. A large chunk of that was pension and vehicle funding for the Sheriff’s Department, according to Auditor Laura Wheeler.
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The Pulaski County Commissioners have decided to continue outsourcing the lawn care at certain county properties, after all. Last year, the county contracted mowing at certain county properties out to TK Lawn Services. In January, the commissioners decided to rebid the contract for this year, but they decided last month to hold off on awarding the contract until Maintenance Director Mia Salyers could see what it would cost to repair or replace her department’s zero-turn lawnmower.
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Funding arrangements for upgrades to Arens Field are back in place, following action by the Pulaski County Council last week. The airport is in the process of getting more than $200,000 worth of improvements. Pulaski County only has to pay five percent of the cost, since the rest will be covered in state and federal grants. However, much of the local match was apparently cut from this year’s budget.
A set of written guidelines on Pulaski County’s pay structure are expected to be approved during tonight’s county council meeting. An 11-page draft document was presented to council members last month, and department heads were given a chance to offer input. The guidelines are designed to clarify a number of issues, including the pay rate for part-time employees and the process of amending the pay structure going forward.
The Pulaski County Council is making funding arrangements to keep airport upgrades on track. Aviation Board President Jim McDaniel says Arens Field is in the process of getting more than $200,000 worth of improvements, “A new parking lot out front, more security across the fuel farm, working closer towards, someday, they’re going to request that we fence the whole place, but there’ll be a gate.”
Arens Field is seeing the benefits from some recent upgrades, and a few more improvements may be coming. Thanks to federal and state grant funding, the airport was able to install a new fuel system last year giving pilots access to both jet fuel and low-lead fuel 24 hours a day.
Pulaski County is hoping to clean up the property insurance policies for various buildings at Arens Field. Last week, the county commissioners decided to add hangars and other buildings to the county’s insurance policy. In return, the airport plans to reimburse the county, by passing the insurance costs on to users.
