Freyer Stepping Down As Rison’s Utilities Director Effective April 30

RISON - The Rison City Council formally accepted the resignation of Utilities Director Joe Freyer during a special called meeting Tuesday night at Rison City Hall. Freyer’s resignation becomes official next Thursday, April 30.Freyer served as both the water and wastewater operator for the city, having both certifications. Rison Mayor Charles Roberts said after the meeting that a search for a new utilities director will begin immediately.Freyer first worked as a consultant for the city under the late former mayor Vernon Dollar,  who reached out to Freyer to help the city get in compliance with Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) wastewater discharge guidelines. He was able to get the plant working to the point that ADEQ allowed it to continue to operate under a “cap” that limited the amount of wastewater that could be treated.Roberts brought him one as  the city’s full-time utilities director in October 2022. Since then, Freyer has overseen three major infrastructure projects for Rison.Utilizing about $8.8 million in federal grants and loans, the city  refurbished both water tanks while equipping the tanks and water wells with new generators and other equipment as well as a remote alarm system; replaced water mains and water lines - some more than 100 years old - in the downtown area and for most of the residential area; and the construction and activation of the new wastewater treatment plant at the solid waste transfer station on Hwy. 79.During the regular city council meeting held April 7, Freyer told the council that the city had met ADEQ guidelines on two consecutive wastewater tests and the city was submitting for a permit to operate at full capacity again.While Freyer was not at Tuesday night’s meeting, Roberts and the city council expressed their appreciation for his accomplishments as utility director.Freyer submitted a letter to the editor to the Herald about his re...