Conway council authorizes one‑month MOU to clean Blackwater Market restrooms; vote 6–1

Conway City Council authorized a one‑month memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Blackwater Market owners to allow city staff to clean and restock the market's shared restroom during a December test period, approving the motion 6–1.

City staff told council the market's restroom functions as a de facto public facility during high‑traffic periods and that the temporary arrangement would require an MOU limiting the city's role to cleaning and restocking. "It would require an MOU with the city," staff said when introducing the request, and recommended using December as a trial month.

Mayor Pro Tem Goldfinch supported the proposal as a narrowly tailored, atypical response to unusually heavy demand: "This is the right thing to do. This is a truly unique situation," he said. Other council members emphasized operational boundaries — who would perform repairs, how often staff would clean, and whether the facility should be mapped and signed as public if the city participates.

Councilmember Hardwick asked whether the city could ultimately take over responsibility; staff said an MOU would be limited to cleaning and restocking and would not commit the city to repairs. Council discussion included concerns about a "slippery slope" of municipal involvement in private business operations, and requests that any trial define schedules, signage, and cost expectations.

On a motion to authorize the city administrator to enter a one‑month MOU with market owners and return with recommendations, the council voted 6 in favor and 1 opposed. Council materials and the motion specify the trial will test staffing needs and supply costs and that staff will report back with a recommendation about future assistance.