County Approves Revised Maps for Fire Departments

RISON - The Cleveland County Quorum Court approved some revised boundaries for the county's volunteer fire department service areas during its regular monthly meeting Monday night.In addition, County Judge Jimmy Cummings informed the quorum court that the county has received a $183,900 grant to make some repairs to the courthouse while a motion to give county employees at paid holiday for Friday, July 5, did not meet the two-thirds majority needed to pass it.Cummings told the court that the Arkansas Geographic Information System Office had in-formed that the county should be approving boundary lines for the service areas of each volunteer fire department in the county on an annual basis.Cummings said the quorum court must approve the maps, and then those maps must be certified by the county judge. He could not recall the last time that was done in Cleveland County.After visiting with each of the fire chiefs in the county, Cummings presented the quorum court Monday night with a revised set of maps that tweaked the last set of service area maps that were on record.Rather than relying on roads for boundaries, Cummings said an effort was made to use natural boundaries instead. Previously, Cummings said some departments handled one side of a road while another served the other side, which he said could confuse some in the event of a fire.Cummings said most of the changes were relatively minor, while fire departments gained territory that had never been assigned or was included in the service area of a fire department outside the county.One of the most significant changes was for the Woodlawn Fire Department. Cummings said part of the county roughly north of Rodgers Road was tech(see (continued from page 1) nically part of the Hwy. 63 South Volunteer Fire Department service area. Hwy. 63 South is based in Jefferson County. Justice of the Peace Owen Rushing, who is the Woodlawn fire chief, said Woodlawn often had to respond to calls in that Hwy. 63 South service area due…