Clear path on downtown sidewalk sales

Some downtown Texarkana sidewalks soon will be open for business, thanks to an ordinance approved Monday by the Texarkana, Ark., Board of Directors.

The board voted unanimously to let businesses in the 100 through 400 blocks of East Broad Street use 5 feet the 11-foot-wide sidewalks in front of their buildings for merchandising, decorative displays and seating. The change will go into effect in 30 days.

Any goods sold on the sidewalk must also be offered inside, and sales displays will require review by the city Historic District Commission and a $50 review fee. The ordinance includes provisions to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The board also unanimously approved buying two trucks to be used by the Public Works Department.

The city will pay low bidder McLarty Ford $32,900 for a crew cab three-quarter-ton pickup. It will also buy a truck with a mechanical arm for loading and unloading-known as a trashbed knuckle boom truck-from low bidder River City Hydraulics of Sherwood, Ark., for more than $138,000.

Directors also voted unanimously to approve rezoning property at 900 S. Rondo Road to allow a double-wide manufactured home there.

Ward 2 Director Laney Harris raised a question about the minutes of the last board meeting, asking why a statement he had made was not included in full and suggesting that he had been censored.

Mayor Ruth Penney-Bell explained that the minutes are a summary of the meeting, not a transcript. Ward 6 Director Terry Peavey added that anyone who wants to hear every word spoken can view the video recorded of each board meeting.

The board's next meeting is scheduled for April 2.

On Twitter: @RealKarlRichter

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