By Martin Couch
Residents of the Hurricane Creek Greens apartments have voiced their concerns over the speeders cutting through the area to the Bryant City Council for the last three months. But on Thursday night, needing six yes votes to pass the issue to have the Bryant Police Department patrol through the area at certain times of the day, a motion failed when it received just five votes from the Council.[more]
Alderman Adrian Henley was the only one of six Council members present at the meeting that gave the issue a "no" vote. The other five voted to pass it. There were only six members present at the meeting.
"I just want to let the people know that the police department is ready to help them," Bryant Police Chief Tony Coffman said. "It's frustrating. I've got people looking to me to give them help and I needed this ordinance to be passed with an emergency clause. That way we could have been over there today helping them out. But, at this rate, it's going to take three more Council meetings to do it and anything can happen during that time."
The Council had previously looked at an ordinance to allow local police on the private property to stop the speeders three months ago. All of the alderman agreed unanimously that the ordinance should be revisited by the Council for a solution and the city attorney drew up a revised ordinance to update the legalities of the city police going onto private property for security reasons.
"We have cars cutting through from Springhill Loop to Woodland Park," Coffman said. "They are going through the apartment complex and racing around the buildings."
The police department started receiving complaints in June from residents of the Greens. An old ordinance, 82-11, had to be revised by the city attorney, which was done and the issue was brought up to the City Council again on Thursday.
"I told the Council these citizens are looking at me for help and they really need to consider passing the ordinance," Coffman said. "There were six of them there and Alderman Henley wouldn't vote for that. I don't know why. I need this to protect the kids or anybody else from getting run over or hurt in any way by these cars. It's going to be my officer explaining to those people if something like that happens, why we could not do it when there is a sign there."
Suggestions were made for school zone lights to be put up in that location and a school crossing be painted on the road, as well as adding a police patrolman there during the bus loading and unloading times to deter speeders. And with the permission of the property owner, Lindsey Inc., the posted speed limit signs would allow policemen to come onto the private property to slow down the speeding and cut-throughs in the area.
After the motion was declined the first time, Alderman Ken Green suggested that it be brought up again for another vote, however that motion was declined, as well on a 5-1 vote.
Henley was unavailable for comment. He was with his wife at the hospital as she was giving birth.
