By John Howell
C and S Real Estate partner Dave Smith is scheduled to appear at today’s meeting of Batesville’s mayor and aldermen to seek a decision on a variance he requested  during a public hearing March 3. The variance would allow development of Cottage Creek subdivision along an extended McBride Street.

The developers plan to extend the street 830 feet into the midst of the 11 acres which comprise the project, ending it in a cul-de-sac, which requires a variance according to current subdivision regulations. Present regulations limit cul-de-sacs on streets longer than 500 feet.
The new neighborhood will be the first built since the city adopted more stringent regulations for subdivisions in 2008.

Smith’s presentation at the March 3 hearing drew about 20 residents of the adjacent Westmoreland Heights subdivision who were interested in details of the proposal.

Other visitors listed on today’s agenda include Brad Clark of Clark Insurance Agency who represents the city in several areas of its insurance.

Farmer’s Market
Batesville Main Street Manager Colleen Clark is scheduled to speak to city officials about Springfest and the Farmer’s Market.

Doris Morris is scheduled to speak about the Friends of the Library.

Also on the agenda is Cable One representative Sandy Melton, who has been invited to address officials’ concerns about the lack of a CBS affiliate on the city-franchised cable provider.

The mayor and aldermen will hold public hearings on five matters, starting at 3 p.m.
Public hearings at 3 p.m.

Paul Williams of Custom Signs is seeking a variance for a sign at Love’s Tire Barn and a representative of Mid-South Signs is scheduled to request a variance for Guaranty Bank’s new building on Highway 6 East.

Fadi Salameh is expected to appear in connection with a variance to site and building design standards at Raceway.

Larry Cole is scheduled to request a variance to site and building design standards at AAAA Safe Storage on Highway 6 East.

All of the requests have been recommended by the Batesville Planning Commission and come to the mayor and aldermen for final decision.

Also scheduled is a public hearing on Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) proposals.
Reduced fee use
City officials will consider three requests from school organizations and a non-profit for reduced-fee-use of the Batesville Civic Center.

The South Panola High School Band has requested its use on April 21 for a concert.

The American Cancer Society’s local chapter has requested the civic center’s use for its annual Relay for Life on May 8.

South Panola High School has requested use of the civic center on May 23 for high school graduation.