The City of Alma is going solar.
On Feb.5 Alma held a Flip the Switch event to commemorate the completion of Phase 1 of their solar panel project.
The 4 acres of solar panels are located at the wastewater treatment facility in Alma and expected to save the city over $1.7 million dollars in taxpayer money over 25 years. The alternative energy will power over 80% of the city s usage with Arkansas Valley Electric.
The project began two years ago and the city partnered with Entegrity energy from Little Rock. It was great to partner with the city of Alma, said Sam Selig of Entegrity. We re very excited to get this up and running. It s taken a long time to get to this point. We re very happy with the city s patience.
Press Argus-Courier
Alma City Officials prohibited the public recently from hearing discussions in a specially called meeting believed to be about Alma Mayor Jerry Martin.
The city council called the special meeting Thursday, Feb. 4 to review a personnel issue, but did not list the mayor as the subject. Citizens have posted complaints on social media channels about the mayor s alleged illegal surveillance.
A Jan. 27 Alma Police report states that an Alma woman, Kylee Jacobs, was notified by a neighbor on Jan. 14 about a Facebook messager allegedly sent by Martin asking someone to keep an eye out for an older black Chevy truck. The Facebook messager allegedly identified as Martin then asked the person to take a picture of the tag or write down the tag number.
While city leaders had explored the prospect of solar energy for years, the project economics significantly improved after the Solar Access Act passed in 2019. Senator Bob Ballinger and Representative Bruce Coleman voted in favor of the Solar Access Act and made this array possible for the City of Alma.
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“I’m excited to see communities I serve take advantage of legislation we’ve worked so hard to pass. Projects like this change the places we call home for the better by bringing economic growth and opportunities,” stated State Senator Ballinger.
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“I want to congratulate Mayor Martin and the city council for the successful completion of this project, one that will work to bring significant investment to the community. Thank you for your public stewardship through this tumultuous year.” added Representative Coleman.
Alma residents call on mayor to resign, citing police reports that allege stalking and abuse Share Updated: 10:45 AM CST Feb 5, 2021 Share Updated: 10:45 AM CST Feb 5, 2021
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Show Transcript THE MEETING DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD NOT TELL US WHO THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT, BUT PEOPLE WHO SHOWED UP HERE TONIGHT SAY IT WAS TIED TO POLICE REPORTS FILED BY MAYOR MARTIN’S EX-WIFE THAT ALLEGED STALKING AND ABUSE AND THEY SAY TONIGHT THAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I DON’T THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET ANYMORE. I THINK THAT HE SHOULD HAVE TO FACE UP TO WHAT HE DID IF WE AS CITIZENS HAD DONE THE STUFF THAT HE HAS DONE. I FEEL LIKE WE’D ALREADY BE LOCKED UP ACCORDING TO ALMA. PLEASE MAYOR MARTIN’S EX-WIFE HAS FILED MULTIPLE POLICE REPORTS THAT ALLEGED MARTIN HAS BEEN STALKING HER AND HER SON A REPORT FILED IN OCTOBER SAYS MARTIN’S WIFE FOUND A GPS TRACKING DEVICE UNDER HER CAR WHICH SHE CLAIMS TH