Jonesboro finance committee forwards four resolutions to full council, including amended grant for $500,000 inclusive playground

The City of Jonesboro Financial Administration Council Committee on July 29 voted to forward four resolutions to the full City Council, including an amended application for an Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism matching grant to build a $500,000 all‑inclusive playground at Craighead Forest Park that would require a $250,000 city match.

The committee also recommended entering contracts for alleyway improvements with Michelle's Excavating Inc., and for Jonesboro Economical Transit (JET) bus‑shelter upgrades with Crabtree and Sons Inc., and it recommended formal adoption of a Title VI civil‑rights program for the Jonesboro Economical Transit System (JETS). Committee members instructed staff to take the resolutions to the full council for final action; the transcript does not record full vote tallies at the committee level.

The resolution to contract with Michelle's Excavating Inc. would use Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY24 public‑facilities funds for alleyway improvements. Committee Chair read the resolution into the record and asked staff whether only one bid had qualified; a committee member confirmed the city engineer had verified that only a single qualifying bid was received.

The Crabtree and Sons Inc. contract would be funded by a FY21 Buses and Bus Facilities grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and…