The Caraway city council paid tribute to the All American Red Heads for their national honor and made plans for new Fire Department building and street repairs at the council meeting held Thursday, Sept. 13.

The city proclaimed Sept. 7 as American Red Heads Day in recognition of them being named into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in Springfield Mass. The team's home base was in Caraway while owned and managed by Orwell Moore.

The council voted to hire an architect to complete work on the new Fire Department building.

"The application for the $50,000 grant is due by Nov. 1," Mayor Barry Riley said. "It is a requirement that we use an architect. His fee is 10 percent of the grant money received and will be taken out of the grant itself."

Riley reviewed estimates in constructing the building which could run from $86,000 to $100,000 overall.

The council discussed plans for the ongoing main street resurfacing project, which involves removal of all old asphalt (12 inches in height) and laying a three-inch layer of new asphalt, to allow proper drainage downtown. The main street area involves pavement from New York Street to St. Louis Street and includes work on eight-inch water lines and four water hydrants.

Bid received on the project included $115,000 from API Asphalt of Jonesboro and $125,550 from Atlas Asphalt Inc. of Jonesboro.

The Craighead County Road Department has agreed to remove the excess asphalt and make repairs on the roadbed.

Terry (Couch) will have two people helping him with the water lines and hydrants," Riley said. "This will save us a lot of money.

"All street corrections to entrances and exits along main street will be taken care of. The expenses would come out of the General Fund and sales tax accounts. We are looking at the cost with hopes of starting in the spring."

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Caraway City Council paid tribute to All American Red Heads