Happy Thanksgiving!
Lighting up the parks
Make plans Thanksgiving night to view holiday lights at Creekmore, Riverfront, and Pendergraft parks in Fort Smith. The Creekmore Holiday Express will operate Friday and Saturday evening after Thanksgiving, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Formal kickoff for the Creekmore Express is Monday, December 1, featuring fireworks, the steam engine, hot chocolate, popcorn, and Santa.
Shopping local
Saturday, November 29 is Small Business Saturday, as proclaimed by Mayor Sandy Sanders earlier this month at Brick City Emporium. The Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and the city’s board of directors join Mayor Sanders in urging us all to shop locally this holiday season. Mayor Sanders says, “When we shop locally for Christmas, we have the opportunity to purchase hand-made items that reflect the flavor of our hometown, even as we support area entrepreneurs. Shopping at home also helps us support our local emergency service providers, parks, and public infrastructure through sales tax collections.“
Designs on excellence
The Fort Smith Fire Department’s newest station has earned national design honors from Firehouse Magazine. Among the lowest cost construction projects in this year’s nominations, Station 11 at Chaffee Crossing was noted for its energy efficiencies, training opportunities built into the structural elements of the facility, enhancements for firefighter safety, and quick access from any location in the station to the engine bay. Since the new station opened earlier this year, response times to the facility’s coverage area have been cut by half or better. Funding for Station 11 and other critical fire service improvements was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2012. Read more.
Arkansas city of distinction
Fort Smith’s new
myFortSmith app has earned a 2014 City of Distinction Award from
Arkansas Business and
Crews and Associates. The technology will be featured in an upcoming issue of the publication. Awards will be presented early next year at the
Arkansas Municipal League winter conference.
Read more.
Serving with excellence
For the 29th consecutive year, the City of Fort Smith has earned a Certificate for Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). The award was established in 1945 by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. Comprehensive Annual Financial reports from 1999 through the most recent report are available on the Department of Finance web page, under the “documents“ tab. Read more.
Thanksgiving holiday service impacts
Residential sanitation routes normally run on Thursdays will be collected the day before Thanksgiving. No fixed routes or demand response service will be available through Fort Smith Transit on Thursday.
City offices are also closed Friday, so please check here for Friday service impacts.
Emergency services are, as always, available through 9-1-1.
For utility-related emergencies, call 479.784.2342.
