Triplett Address Facility Issues In First Meeting as County Judge

RISON - Facilities and broken equipment dominated County Judge Don Triplett’s first time to preside over the regular monthly meeting of the Cleveland County Quorum Court Monday night inside the courthouse.Triplett was appointed county judge during the quorum court’s February meeting, succeeding the late County Judge Jimmy Dale Adair, who himself was appointed last September to fill the unexpired term of the late County Judge Jimmy Cummings.It was also the first meeting for newly appointed District 6 Justice of the Peace Pat Berry of Calmer. Gov. Sarah Sanders appointed Berry to fill the unexpired term of the late Owen Rushing, who died in January.Some of the issues addressed Monday night dealt with the county’s solid waste transfer station on Hwy. 79 at Rison. Triplett informed the quorum court that the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality and another agency that regulates storm water runoff had conducted inspections of the transfer station.Triplett said they discovered that the county has not turned in a storm water runoff test since 2013, and needs to begin sending those in on a quarterly basis to be in compliance.Jessica Shirey, who manages the transfer station for the county, said the pH test kit to test the runoff water will run about $145 and should last for several years. She said the quarterly tests will be submitted to a testing lab and the cost will be about $136 per test. Justice of the Peace Donnie Herring motion motion to cover the costs out of the solid waste fund was unanimously approved.In another issue related to the transfer station, Triplett said the new covers that will go over the roll-off containers have arrived but he wanted input from some of the quorum court members as to how they should be installed.Adair announced last November that the county had received a $31,000 grant through the Southeast Arkansas Solid Waste Management District to pay for the covers. Triplett said Monday ni...