Life is not worth housing terrorist detainees in Fort Smith, Arkansas
by February 17, 2009 9:25 pm 62 views
Don’t send enemy combatants, aka terrorists, held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to Fort Chaffee, was the gist of a resolution approved Tuesday night (Feb. 17) by the Fort Smith Board of directors.
The last-minute agenda addition was requested by City Director Cole Goodman, who said he came up with the idea after reading news reports of several state governments asking their Congressional Delegation to not allow the terrorists to come to their state.
President Barack Obama has said he intends to close down the terrorist detention center opened by President George Bush to house terrorists captured overseas by U.S. Armed Forces, but has not said what he will do with the approximately 245 detainees who remain.
“We should be on record” opposing their placement at Fort Chaffee, Goodman said.
However, City Director Steve Tyler suggested federal control of the detainees at Fort Chaffee could inject federal dollars into the economy and create new jobs.
The resolution opposing relocating terrorist detainees to Fort Chaffeee was approved 6 to 1, with Tyler opposing.
OTHER CITY BUSINESS
• A third extension of a franchise agreement between the city of Fort Smith and Cox Communications was approved Tuesday night by the Fort Smith Board of Directors. The extension pushes the end of the agreement to May 31.
Fort Smith Mayor Ray Baker expressed his opposition to extending the agreement, and again berated Cox for moving religious channels and Lawrence Welk to channels that cost more money.
The extension was unanimously approved.
• The board also followed up on a memorandum of understanding and authorized a $500,000 payment to the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority for “industrial development services” in the effort to land three new manufacturing operations at Chaffee Crossing.
The new operations are Mars Petcare, Umarex and a new facility for Fort Smith-based PRADCO. According to the agreement, the city and county have up to 30 years to complete the $500,000 payment. Payment to FCRA comes from property tax revenue received by the city and Sebastian County from the improvements resulting from the new manufacturing operations.
• The board approved $50,000 annually for the continued support of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Fort Smith. The center also gets financial support from the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, with the university providing the biggest percentage of the financial support.
• The board approved a $35,690 “services agreement” with the Fort Smith Classic — a professional golf tournament under the umbrella of the Professional Golf Association — that includes $4,200 for sanitation services and $5,050 for police support.