Stories from Saturday, June 11, 2011

The Marked Tree Rotary Club is deciding what future community projects they want to tackle. The club's last project was to plant flowers at Marked Tree Elementary School, which was completed through a District Simplified Grant. Bonnie Thompson said the club has received lots of compliments on the flower bed. Thompson led the Rotary group in a discussion of potential projects. Some ideas included reading to students or being lunch buddies at the schools, helping with Youth Outreach Ministry in some way, volunteering for the Delta Area Museum or Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, visiting residents or doing landscaping projects at Three Rivers Nursing Center, or doing something with the empty lot on Frisco Street. Thompson talked about an empty lot in Helena that had been a burned out building until people turned it into a nice park area. Some ideas for the lot on Frisco Street discussed by the club included cleaning it up and installing park benches, picnic tables, planting flowers and shrubs, turning it into an area for a farmers' market or even putting in a stage for music. Nothing is set at this point. The club will see what most people are interested in doing and proceed from there. "Part of Rotary is community service," Thompson said. The club also got the finished Rotary Club sign to go by the flower bed at Marked Tree Elementary. Bill Stanley said a metal stand for the sign was contributed by Allied Systems and Planning, which does engineering and prefabrication work. "They got right on it and did a great job," Stanley said. "You couldn't ask for a better deal than that."

Vicki Trimble has spent most of her life working for Arkansas State Parks and has always enjoyed the beauty of the Harrisburg area, so it was with great pleasure that she took the new superintendent job at Lake Poinsett State Park about a month ago. Trimble began her career as a naturalist at Village Creek. She worked there for over 18 years before transferring to Lake Frierson State Park as the park's assistant superintendent. "I was familiar with the area before I moved," said Trimble. "There are so many warm, genuinely nice people here. I was excited because I knew most of the staff already." As an administrator, Trimble handles the paperwork of the park, but she says she finds the greatest fulfillment in working with children. "When the kids get something out of a program or do something they have never done before, that's wonderful to see," said Trimble. "Most state park workers have a passion for working with children -- it makes the long hours worth it." Lake Poinsett State Park was founded in 1963 and holds a 640-acre lake. The park has grown tremendously throughout the last few years, adding more and more recreational opportunities for the community to take part in. The lake itself contains multiple boat ramps and plenty of crappie, bass and catfish for those who love fishing. There are 29 campsites located at the park and one pavilion that is screened. The pavilion can be used for anything from church gatherings to family reunions. There is also a 1.1-mile hiking trail around the lake. The park also includes picnic and play areas. Park attendees can even rent a kayak, canoe or fishing boat to take out on the lake. The park also offers fishing equipment, both to rent and buy. Lake Poinsett State Park offers a wide variety of events throughout the year. One popular event is the Dutch oven workshop. During the class, participants learn how to cook an entire meal in a cast-iron Dutch oven. There is even an advanced workshop for those who have been through the first, offering more recipes and techniques. "We do a lot of school education," said Kathy Evans, assistant superintendent of Lake Poinsett State Park. "Kids love the animal programs we do and, with these programs, we teach a lot of local history. All of this is free to the schools. State taxes go to help pay for the education programs we provide." Lake Poinsett State Park also works closely with local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to help them earn badges and with other scout projects. The park offers many activities for children throughout the year. One event that took place last month was a horse-riding day, where children had the opportunity to ride "kid-broken" horses, with the safety of a bike helmet, in a corral. Every year the lake also hosts a Kids' Fishing Derby. The park will offer a geocaching (global, technology based scavenger hunt) class from 6 to 8 p.m. today (Thursday, June 9) to learn the basics of using a GPS and techniques to use during the hunt. They will then host a free geocaching event at the lake from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 11. Classes, cooking workshops and festivals pick back up in the fall, beginning in August with a hunter education class. Those who want more information on upcoming events or Lake Poinsett State Park may call (870) 578-2064.

Corner Chapel Baptist Church in Payneway hosted a gathering last weekend for residents to meet with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA). Poinsett County Judge Charles Nix also was present. Poinsett County Office of Emergency Management coordinator Frank Kraft said between 75 to 100 people showed up to receive information and have their questions answered concerning plans to rebuild after the May flooding. Poinsett County recently was placed under a federal disaster declaration, making individuals and households eligible for federal disaster relief. "Almost every county in Northeast Arkansas has been declared a disaster area," Kraft said. "Individual assistance has been approved. Public assistance -- which would cover roads, bridges and sandbagging, has not yet been approved, but I anticipate that it will be." FEMA public information officer Brad Craine emphasized at the meeting that people can get a head start on cleaning up, but added they need to document every step of the clean-up so damage can be proven. "Take pictures of everything to show what it looked like before cleaning up," Kraft said. "Keep receipts on everything. Turn everything in and have proof of everything. The worst they can say is no. The best they can say is: here's a check." "The maximum amount of help people can get from FEMA is $30,200 for each person," Kraft added. "How much each person gets will depend on a lot of things, like how much damage they had and if they have insurance. FEMA will cover residences but will not cover storage areas and fences." Cynthia Cowell, SBA public information officer, gave people information about low-interest loans for homeowners and businesses affected by the flooding, as well as their disaster assistance program. Jay Paul Woods also spoke about the after effects of the flood. Many houses may have mold in them following the flooding, and Woods shared information on how to get rid of it. Anybody who has not yet filed with FEMA can call FEMA at 1-800-621-3362 or go to their website at fema.gov to sign up for assistance. "Fill out all the paperwork, whether you think it pertains to you or not," Kraft said. The SBA's website is sba.gov. Kraft also said that during the clean-up and rebuilding process, people need to be safe and be conscious of what they are doing. "Take care of yourself and your neighbors. We've shown that a lot of times in disasters, people come out and help each other," he said.

Nearly $18 million in state and federal disaster funds has been awarded to eligible individuals and families to assist in recent storm related recovery. Across Arkansas, seven Disaster Assistance Centers will open in the coming days. These centers are geared to bring those who have experienced disaster into contact with state and federal government, who can asset them in their efforts to rebuild. Those in need will be able to speak with both Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) workers and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Remaining center schedules for this area include: Jackson County -- 4 to 8 p.m., June 10, Diaz City Hall, 3401 South Main, Diaz, AR 72403. Clay County -- 4 to 8 p.m., June 9, Corning Community Center, Wal-Mart Room, 536 East Elm, Corning, AR 72422 The Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce also has set up a page on its website to help assist local residents in applying for disaster relief at www.harrisburgchamber.com/disaster-assistance. The website offers tips on how to receive relief efforts through SBA and what SBA can offer. According to the website, "SBA offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, business of all sizes and private, non-profit organizations," and "homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace their primary residence." The website also gives tips on how to register with FEMA and how to apply for SBA once registered. Those effected by the recent floods may register online at www.disasterassistance.gov, via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov, or by telephone toll free at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Specialists are available by phone from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available. Follow FEMA tweets about the Arkansas disaster at www.twitter.com/femaregion6. Other online resources include http://blog.fema.gov, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema.

Robert William Jones Jr., 87, of Marked Tree, died Saturday, June 4, 2011, in St. Bernards Regional Medical Center at Jonesboro. He was born March 18, 1924, to Robert William Jones Sr. and Priscilla Ann Kingsbury in Houston, Texas. Raised on a farm during the Great Depression, he picked cotton and had a newspaper route as a young boy. Jones joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor in 1941 and was stationed in the Philippine Islands during World War II. In 1945, he received and was proud of an Expert Rifleman Award. When the war was over, he rode home on the famed aircraft carrier the Ticonderoga. On Dec. 2, 1946, he married Wanda Edna Florence Johnson. They met at a USO dance and were married for over 65 years. He was a construction foreman and blueprint expert by trade, a plumber, lumberjack, pipe fitter and electrician. He and Wanda built many homes across the country wherever they settled, his favorites being a farm in the Arkansas Ozarks and a home in Hawaiian Paradise Park. His hobbies were fishing and camping. He loved the outdoors and taught his daughters to do the same. For 20 years, he had a goat farm in Arkansas where he milked goats and grew strawberries. He also spent 10 years managing a gift store for Hawaiian tours on Big Island. He loved snow skiing at Lake Tahoe, Calif., and swimming at Hapuna, Hawaii. He became a Christian at the age of 40 and was a member of First United Methodist Church in Marked Tree. His last years were spent at Three Rivers Nursing Home in Marked Tree with his dearly loved wife "Babe." He loved to joke and laugh. A fun man to be around, his jolly personality had everyone loving to be around him. "That sweet, happy man is what we will all miss the most about 'Bob' Jones," said a friend. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Priscilla Jones, Sr.; brother, Douglas Jones ,and an infant great-granddaughter, Sheri Funk. Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Wanda Edna Jones of Marked Tree; three daughters, Barbara Ann Funk (John Funk) of Pioneer, Calif., Lt. Col. Phyllis Faye Jones (Barry Tiermann) of Beale Air Force Base, Calif., and Carol Ann Dabney (Michael Dabney) of Marked Tree; eight grandchildren, Robert Alan Funk, Sheri Lee Funk Park, Aeon Brooke Jones, Christopher Michael Dabney, John Joseph Dabney, Melissa Elena Dabney, Priscilla Michelle Dabney Woods and Joshua David Melekamealoha Dabney; eight great-grandchildren, Jamie Ann Funk, Felicia Marie Funk, Bradley Funk, Lino Lee Kaimana Sebastian, Jaysen Parks Jr., Noah Dabney Armstrong and two who were adopted out, and two great-great-grandchildren, Lyric Lee Funk and Aiden Funk. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at Three Rivers Nursing Home in Marked Tree. His urn and military marker will be at the National Veterans Cemetery at 3568 Towner Avenue in Memphis.

Just before 5 a.m. Wednesday, June 1, electric power to Trumann, Harrisburg and Marked Tree was interrupted to all three substations. The cause of the problem was a snake that came in contact with the high voltage lightning arrestor and bushing on top of the Trumann substation transformer, creating a fault. Since the fault occurred on the high voltage side of the transformer, the transmission system protection devices sensed the fault and opened sectionalized switches in the area, disrupting the power supply to the Harrisburg and Marked Tree substation. Power was restored to Harrisburg and Marked Tree about an hour and a half later. Most of Trumann received power by late afternoon, but not before affecting many residents and businesses. Neal Vickers, owner of Trumann Auto Parts, said he lost close to $1,000 from the all-day power outage. "We were running with a handicap," said Vickers. "We weren't at full capacity. We used a generator to run the lights and equipment, but we didn't have air." Vickers ran his store for a while on power from the generator, but because generators are not a clean source of energy, one of his computers was destroyed. "I lost some equipment because we ran on generators, but we couldn't afford not to," he said. Vickers also is president of the Trumann Chamber of Commerce. "As a member of the Chamber, I surveyed streets. Highway 463 was dead. All of the restaurants and stores were closed." Michelle Sanders of Couch's BBQ said the heat was the main contributor to hindering running at full capacity at the restaurant. "We served breakfast, but closed by 10 that morning because of the heat in the kitchen," said Sanders. She said the restaurant lost some food, like fish and other meats, due to the power being off for eight to nine hours. "The community was really great though," said Sanders. "Generally the customers understood the situation. We ended up having a busy dinner."