Council votes against renaming West Main for Blagg

A proposal to rename a section of West Main Street in honor of the late police chief Larry Blagg was voted down by the Trumann City Council at its monthly meeting Tuesday, June 9.

The council deadlocked 4-4 against the honorary name change with one member abstaining.

The name change, which was suggested by TPD chaplain Anthony Patterson, would have changed West Main to Larry N. Blagg Boulevard from the intersection of Hwy. 463 to Hwy. 69.

Councilman Don Cole, who voted against renaming the roadway, said he didn't think Blagg would have wanted the city to go through all of the fuss over renaming a street on his account.

"I don't think he would want us to keep going with this," Cole said. "I think Larry would finally say 'folks, this is enough.' I think we've gone far enough with this. Let's move on."

Councilman Sonny Moon agreed with Cole and said he had a number of residents urge him to vote against renaming the street.

"That's kind of the way I feel about it too," Moon said.

Blagg, who was killed during an ice storm in January, has had a number of public tributes come his way in recent months.

The city unveiled a monument at the Sports Complex in March and in May planted a tree in his memory in front of the Trumann Police Department.

Also, last month, a Lake City monument company donated a bronze plaque with a tribute to Blagg to be placed on front of the police department building and a plaque for the inside of the building bearing his picture and a replica of his badge.

Mayor Sheila Walters said the name change was strictly honorary and that residents would not have to change their mailing addresses.

"I checked with the post office. The name will remain West Main," Walters said. "The addresses will not change for folks who live in that area. This is just an honorary name, and I'm for it."

The city of Jonesboro made the signs for the city at no cost.

Voting to approve the change were council members Letha Owens, Rick Atkins, James Evans and Larry Henderson.

Voting no besides Cole and Moon were council members Bonnie Winkles and Carl Wilson.

Council member Shorty Hargrove abstained while council member James Baker was absent.

Walters said she was extremely hurt by the vote.

"It made me sick," Walters said. "I'm not mad at anybody over it. That's their business how they want to vote. They had a right. Maybe they did get a bunch of calls. People only call when they are opposed to something. But I was hurt."

She said if anyone deserved the honor of having a street named after them it was Blagg.

"We have had a lot of people in this city who have been prominent and done good things for the city," Walters said. "But he is the only one who ever gave their life for the city.

"I don't understand why they didn't approve it because it wouldn't have hurt anyone. All you would have had is an extra sign up at the end of the road."

In other business:

* Council members voted 8-1 to waive the bidding process to purchase four new lift station pumps at a cost not to exceed $60,000. " We want to utilize the same company that we used last time," Trumann Water Works manager Scotty Jones said. "The last two pumps we purchased the same brand of pumps. We just want to stay with that pump."

* Voted 9-0 to approve the second reading of a noise ordinance. "You've got guys running up and down the road with these boom boxes jarring your house," said Council member Sonny Moon. "There should be something done about it."

* Voted 9-0 to increase fees on misdemeanor offenses from $10 to $20 to help defray the cost of housing prisoners. "The cost of everything has gone up," said Chief Tony Rusher. "It's just a way for us to help offset costs. Just because we're raising it to $20 doesn't mean the fine is going up. It means that the money comes out of that fine."

The measure takes effect Wednesday, July 1.