In the July Black Rock City Council Meeting, the City of Black Rock led by Mayor Bonnie Ragsdale voted to offer the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Dive Team a 10 year lease on a building owned by the City of Black Rock. The building located on Main Street in Black Rock was formerly the city shop and originally the Black Rock Fire Department.
Representatives of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Dive Team were on hand for the meeting and took the offer to Sheriff Yates for his approval. Sheriff Yates supported the effort explaining that Lawrence County would benefit from the Dive Team being in a central location in the county.
The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Dive Team in conjunction with Mayor Bonnie Ragsdale and City of Black Rock will hold an Open House in September once the move is completed. The new facility not only offers storage for equipment but allows the team to hold meetings and have a central location for staging before deploying.
Started in 2011, the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Dive Team has worked with Sharp, Clay, Randolph, Fulton and Jackson County on recoveries working along side with local law enforcement, fire departments, FBI, Arkansas Game and Fish and Arkansas State Parks.
The new facility has also gained support from Lawrence County Judge Dale Freeman and State Representative James Ratliff of District 60.
LCSO Dive Team Coordinator Buddy Williams stated “ The team is truly blessed with this facility offered by the City of Black Rock, Mayor Ragsdale and the support and leadership of Sheriff Yates. We also would like to acknowledge the help of Lawrence County Judge Dale Freeman and State Representative James Ratliff. Recently we approached Mr. Ratliff and requested his assistance with some lighting, within hours Mr. Ratliff delivered new lighting and bulbs for our building.â€
For more information on the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Dive Team visit www.lawrencecountysheriffsoffice.com and “like†them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LawrenceCountySheriffsDiveTeam
