Helping navigate issues around historic buildings and the flood plan in one of the issues that is leading to the possibility of forming a local committee.

At the Harrison City Council Committee meeting Thursday night, a presentation was made by Public Works Director Wade Phillips to consider the formation of the Historic District Commission to cover the Downtown Harrison Square.  Phillips said that having a local commission in place to consider exceptions to FEMA and other regulations can help take pressure off of the state agency that is currently making those determinations in addition to making those decisions local. Phillips said it is a tool many communities use to help preserve historic buildings that were build in a flood plain. 

During his presentation, Phillips mentioned working through these issues was the cause for the discontinuation of efforts to bring a new restaurant downtown. Rapp's Barron Brewing Company of Mountain Home had been going forward on a project to put a restaurant in one of the buildings downtown and Phillips had been working through the state to get through all of the requirements. 

Mayor Jerry Jackson and City Spokesperson Donna Braymer echo those thoughts when asked about the project on Friday's edition of KHOZ's "Around the Table" program. Jackson disputed some social media claims that the city had held up the project and during the conversation, took a call from Explore Harrison's Matt Bell who had spoken with Russell Tucker from Rapp's Barron saying that escalating costs and rising interest rates were major factors in ending the project despite the best efforts of the city to help moving forward.  

An ordinance to consider the formation of Historic District Commission will be considered by the full Harrison City Council at their next meeting on June 27. 

A recap of the Thursday meeting plus the full interview with Jerry Jackson and Donna Braymer can be found on the "Around the Table" Facebook Page.