The Conway city council approved ordinances allowing the Conway Fire Department to use the Homeland Security grant at its Jan. 28 meeting. 

The grant, totaling $336,300, will be used to fund the fire department’s bomb squad. 

“We spend the money, we turn in the receipt and then we are reimbursed,” Fire Chief Mike Winter said. 

The Homeland Security grant, according to fema.gov, supplies “risk-based grants to assist state, local, tribal and territorial efforts in preventing, protecting against, mitigating, responding to and recovering from acts of terrorism and other threats.”

The ordinance was passed unanimously, though Alderman Shelly Mehl did express concern over “some of the funds on hold” that have been supplied by the federal government. 

“This very well could be one of them,” Winter said. “So we will make sure which way it is before we spend anything.” 

Winter remained at the podium for most of the meeting as the fire department had four items on the memo. 

The council approved putting $250 from the city’s general fund into the fire department’s uniform account. 

The department also received a $6,383 Municipal League insurance fund for repairs to a fire truck–which was also approved unanimously.

Additionally, the council approved $82,614 in paid overtime from services the department had performed in New Mexico. 

Alderman Andy Hawkins questioned why the funds were being sent from Pulaski County if the service had been provided in New Mexico. 

Winter answered that it was simply to receive the money quicker.

“New Mexico reimbursed the state of Arkansas, the state of Arkansas then reimbursed Pulaski County, where Task Force One is based,” Winter said. “Having to wait on the federal government, it would probably take them much longer.”

Task Force One is an urban search and rescue team based out of Pulaski County.

Winter said it was Task Force One who was deployed to New Mexico for two weeks in 2024.

The council also approved appropriating funds for completing the Conway Community Center’s construction.

“This is just an accounting ordinance appropriating the funds that we discussed after the design phase was complete,” Community Center director Jamie Brice said. 

The Conway Community Center began construction in 2023 and is expected to open in 2025. It will be located at 450 Corporate Drive. 

The center will feature pickleball and volleyball courts, along with a community lounge and party rooms. 

The council approved a private club permit for Guacamole Social Club, who will be opening as Guacamole Inc. at 2585 Donaghey Ave.

The council unanimously approved one land ordinance during the meeting. 

The ordinance was a rezoning of a property at lot 22 of the Miller’s Creek subdivision from R-1, which is intended for single-family residential use, to R-2, a low-density residential zoning district for the purposes of cleanup. 

The rezoning, which was initially approved in 2018 until the original owner could not complete the cleanup, came with 15 ordinances recommended by the Conway Planning Commission. 

A second land ordinance, which involved annexing 43.05 acres on Sturgis Road, was struck from the memo at the request of the owner.

The ordinance was moved to the council’s Feb. 11 meeting. 

Seven of the eight council members were in attendance, with only Ward 1 alderman David Grimes not in attendance. 

The next city council meeting is set for 6 p.m. Feb. 11.