Board hears complaint about phone service outage

An ongoing telephone service outage endangers his elderly mother's health, a Texarkana, Ark., man told the city Board of Directors on Monday.

During a regular Board meeting in City Hall, Vincent Earl Brown said his 95-year-old mother, Eula Brown, a cancer patient, has been without Windstream landline phone service since June 23. She is "not cell phone savvy," so she has no way to communicate, he said, and it is impossible to check on her without driving to her Morrison Street home.

"I'm pleading for your help," Vincent Brown said.

The outage is affecting multiple homes and businesses, Mayor Allen Brown said, adding that he had worked earlier in the day on resolving the issue.

"I hate to tell you this, but you're not the only one in that boat," he said.

Both Allen Brown and Vincent Brown said they had been unable to get satisfactory answers from Windstream as to what exactly the problem is and when it will be repaired. Vincent Brown characterized the company's response as "a runaround" with multiple different explanations.

Windstream representatives were not available for comment at presstime Monday.

Allen Brown said he has requested the help of the Chamber of Commerce in the matter and will continue to look into it personally.

In other business, the Board voted to allow the Paragon Lounge to apply to the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division for a private club license. A Board vote was required for the state-level process to move forward; city approval will not grant the establishment a license.

The Paragon Lounge plans to open at 112 E. Fifth St., where until recently the Arrow Bar operated across the street from the downtown courthouse.

The Board also voted to authorize budgeted spending on cleaning sludge ponds at the Millwood Water Treatment Plant and buying a compact excavator for Texarkana Water Utilities.

The Arkansas side's portion of the cost of the pond-cleaning project is more than $58,500. The city's portion of the cost for the excavator is more than $27,000.

The Board's next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 5.

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