Springdale Council Considers Cutbacks On Street Construction

Panel Sends Two Contracts To Full Council

SPRINGDALE -- City Council members received good news Monday about the sale of a historic building and a grant for a mountain bike trail but bad news about how far street bond money will stretch.

Tyson Foods has offered to buy the Jeff Brown building, 317 E. Emma Ave., from the city for $37,313. The Walton Family Foundation grant, for $825,051, would go toward the construction of a bike trail on land east of the city wastewater treatment plant. The shortfall in the street bond program, however, is $14.48 million to complete all the proposed projects, according to a city summary of costs.

AT A GLANCE

Springdale City Council Committees

Committee members voted to recommend:

• Spending $100,000 for resurfacing a Jones Center parking lot

• Condemn two properties for street-bond right of way

• Tabling a proposal by Ecclesia College to share the cost of improving a baseball field at Tyson Park

• More research on a possible $400,000 cost for improving drainage problems by Cambridge Street

* No action on a proposal to allow chickens in residential zones.

Source: City Of Springdale

The council Street and CIP Committee voted to send two construction contracts to the next meeting at 6 p.m. on June 10 with a recommendation for approval. The contracts, included as part of an overall budget for each project, would leave the city with $986,000 to pay for four additional projects remaining.

"We are going to have to make some hard decisions," said Jim Reed, alderman.

The contracts are for construction of the extension of Don Tyson Parkway from Hylton Road to Habberton Road and improvements on 56th Street from Deering Road to Bleaux Avenue. Deering is expected to be renamed Don Tyson Parkway when the new interchange on Interstate 49 is completed.

The Hylton to Habberton contract was for the low bid of $3.48 million by APAC-Central with an overall budget of $4.70 million.

The 56th improvements contract also was for a low bid by APAC-Central for $13 million in a budget of $16.38 million. The budgets include engineering, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation and contingencies.

A budget of $23.76 million to build the Don Tyson interchange on I-49 was approved earlier. The money for the projects comes from a bond sale approved by voters that raised $43 million for street projects.

The remaining projects proposed for the street bond program are extending 56th to Elm Springs Road, widening Don Tyson between Carley Road and 40th Street and improvements on the Elm Springs Road overpass. The 56th Street extension was broken into two projects.

Alderman Mike Overton proposed delaying the Hylton to Habberton extension, saying that would have the least economic impact.

"We have not been careful with our money," Overton said. "We've got to do what is best now."

Other aldermen disagreed. Brad Bruns said not building the extension would kill access to a new park that is scheduled to be built on the south side of the extension. The extension would also help with access to an elementary school and a junior high school in the area, Reed said.

Mayor Doug Sprouse said before the meeting he would support delaying the 56th Street extension and cutting back on 56th improvements north of Sunset Avenue. That savings, along with any remaining contingencies from other projects, could pay for the widening of Don Tyson and improving the Elm Spring Road bridge.

The committee did not set a date for continued discussion of the street bond program.

The price for the Jeff Brown building was set to make sure the city would not lose any money in the sale, said Ernest Cate, city attorney. The price came from the amount the city spent to remove asbestos from the building and any possible profit from tearing down the building and selling the lot, he said.

The building was given to the city by Jim Cypert, owner, when city officials declared it was unsafe. Several possible purchasers looked at the building but decided it was too costly to repair.

No Tyson official attended the meeting.

The Walton grant will have to be matched by the city, according to Patsy Christie, city director of planning. The city will be allowed to use the cost of the property, which is owned by the Springdale Water and Sewer Commission, as part of the match, Christie said. The remaining match will be $323,797.

That money will be taken from that reserved from Capital Improvement Program funds reserved for park acquisition. The fund has $1.2 million, said Wyman Morgan, city director of administration and financial services.

NW News on 06/03/2014

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