By Ray King

With no dissent, the Pine Bluff City Council on Monday approved a resolution creating the position of cultural specialist in the Economic and Development Department.

Council member Bruce Lockett, chairman of the Council’s Development and Planning Committee was asked why the position is needed.

According to the resolution, the person hired for the position will be paid $50,000 plus benefits with the money coming from $2 million that the council set aside from the 5/8th cent sales tax for the Delta Rhythm and Bayous Cultural District Project.

Lockett went on to say the person hired will also work with other museums and cultural attractions to boost their attendance and profile.

Also during the brief meeting, a resolution authorizing Mayor Shirley Washington to contract with Crafton Tull and Associates to conduct a flood study at the site of the old Southeast School at 20th and Ohio Street. The property is being developed for family housing and Crafton Tull and Associates submitted what the resolution called the “most reasonable proposal for the work.”

A more than $7 million budget adjustment moving money received from the American Rescue Plan in 2021 to 2022 was also approved. The Mayor said those funds had been allocated to a variety of on-going projects but had not been spent yet.