Every good story has to start somewhere.
Recent Facebook posts led a local newspaper, Cleveland County Herald, to publish an article about the Cleveland County Road Department using demolition debris along its road systems.
The Reckoning received a tip this week concerning more than one location around the county with an overwhelming amount of what appears to be literally everything from nails to electrical wiring scattered along roads and ditches in areas that often flood. There's even a toilet.
We decided to look deeper into the situation from the perspective of a citizen traveling down these backroads of Cleveland County and the potential impact on unsuspecting drivers.
The first stop was Jones Lane, a side road off Highway 35 North near Staves, that ends at a farm.
Sure enough, it was not hard to locate the debris along the side of the county road.
Rip-Rap on Jones Lane in Cleveland County
After leaving Jones Lane I decided to hop on over to check out Lonesome Dove Road where the feature picture at the top of the story was taken in March. Notice how it looks today.
Robin Peddy, a cattle farmer who lives near the Lonesome Dove Road dump site, told the Reckoning she had reported the trash and debris to the EPA. Their response was to provide a link to the Arkansas Department for Environmental Quality for her complaint.
Peddy told the Reckoning the county had recently, before last week's torrential rains, placed gravel over the debris. The gravel and debris has since mostly been washed away.
"When the rain hit, it sent it down into the creek," Peddy said. "It's weaved it's way around depositing it [debris] everywhere."
Lonesome Dove Road is in the Herbine community south of Rison on Highway 35.
Peddy lives one road down from Lonesome Dove and now has foam in her yard as a result of the county's attempt to use the rubble from the former Cleveland County Nursing Home to stop erosion.
As a cattle farmer, Peddy is worried about her cows, and the debris that have now been swept down the creek where her cows drink daily. Cows will be cows. This summer they will no doubt spend time in the creek cooling off. Peddy's concerns may be validated. A cow stepping on sharp objects is troubling and very well may be a reality.
Leaving Herbine headed north on Highway 35, I traveled to Highway 79 to go to Trucksville. My route to Trucksville would be through Dunkeffie Road.
Dunkeffie Road is just north of the Highway 212 and 79 junction. Dunkeffie leaves Highway 79 heading east towards Trucksville and even to Woodlawn. After the recent flooding, Dunkeffie Road remained mostly intact, possibly from the counties use of the nursing home debris along its ditches. An issue exists on this road. The debris has found its way into the road.
The Reckoning went to the Cleveland County Courthouse to talk to County Judge Jimmy Cummings. He was out of the office. The Reckoning did receive a call on Thursday afternoon from Cummings concerning the counties use of the debris.
"It makes good rip-rap to stop erosion," Cummings said.
Cummings also confirmed the debris had, in fact, came from the Cleveland County Nursing Home, but that the county had ceased using the debris for erosion control due to the foreign material such as foam causing concerns across the community according to Cummings.
Another issue of concern is the potential metal, nails and materials causing flat tires.
"The intent wasn't for it to get up in the road," Cummings said. "Our intent is to try to get what's in the right of way [out] that could cause a problem for travelers."
I told the judge that I had personally removed debris from Dunkeffie Road and he thanked me, "that got washed up there with the flood we had I'm sure, or the road grader may have been down it today. He may have drug some of it up in the road, too." Cummings said.
Cummings told the Reckoning that he had provided the ADEQ with the information they had requested concerning the possibility of hazardous materials being in the debris.
Various county judges and the Quorum Court discussed demolishing the nursing for years.
Initially, the building was the Cleveland County Memorial Hospital, which was built in the 1950s, according to the Cleveland County Historical Society records. The nursing home was added to the hospital and opened in 1967. At some point in the 1980s, the hospital closed and the nursing home remained. However, the building has been vacant for decades.
The former nursing home on April 10, 2025
As for the foam, Cummings said he had no idea it was in the debris and stated he will continue to clean it up.
Cleveland County residents and those who may travel the backroads of the county beware. Some areas may remain ripe for flat tires for years to come, especially during or after receding flood waters.
Even after the county grades its roads.
