City OKs Dam Assessment

Engineer Prepares For 'Worst Case Scenario' Regarding Cost

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

BENTONVILLE — The city is preparing for a “worst case scenario” when it comes to further dealings with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on replacing a dam at Lake Bella Vista, a city engineer told City Council members Tuesday night.

Aldermen unanimously approved a $200,000 contract with CP&Y engineering firm to do an environmental assessment for the replacement, but Ben Peters, city engineer, said he hopes the cost is closer to $75,000.

“The reason I asked for the worst case scenario price is that anytime I talk to FEMA, it’s a different person with a different answer,” Peters said. “I just want to be able to do this as quickly as possible — get one person and move on.”

The dam started leaking after a flood in 2008 and was damaged in a second one in 2011. The city made temporary repairs to the dam, but it requires constant monitoring, Peters said.

At A Glance

Hourly Rates

Bentonville is contracting with CP&Y for an environmental assessment costing up to $200,000. Hourly rates for the company are:

Principal: $244

Project manager: $190

Environmental manager: $190

Senior geologist: $165

Architectural historian: $98

Environmental specialist: $82

Support staff: $60

Source: City contract

“Every time it rains, I cringe a little,” he said.

A thorough assessment could cost $200,000, but Peters said the federal agency may require a less stringent assessment costing about $75,000.

Bill Burckart, an alderman, said he’s concerned if the city awards a $200,000 contract, the engineering firm will have little incentive to advocate for the less expensive assessment. He said he would rather award a smaller contract and grant more money if the full assessment is required.

“I would like to have a tighter budget,” Burckart said.

Peters said the firm stands to make much more than $200,000 if they are awarded a design contract, something that won’t happen if they mismanage the assessment, he said.

Mayor Bob McCaslin said Peters compiled a 3-inch binder of communication between city staff and the federal agency on the project over the years. Progress on the dam stalled after the federal agency pulled money from a separate disaster project with the city last year. The city won an appeal to get the money approved.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., walked over to the agency office in Washington and talked to agency staff to get the dam money back on track, McCaslin said.

“We’re doing this with the minimal cost regardless. This has been a debacle since March 2008,” McCaslin said. “We’ve burned thousands of calories trying to make this right and have met with nothing but bureaucracy.”

The assessment could take 18 months to complete, with at least a year of construction to follow, Peters said. Estimated construction cost is $3.6 million, but could increase depending on what’s under the more than 60-year-old dam.

State and federal emergency and disaster money will repay the city for almost 88 percent of planning and construction costs. The environmental assessment will be reimbursed by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Community Development Block Grant funds.

“We have to start now and jump through all the hoops to get that money,” Peters said.