BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace agreed Thursday to seek federal assistance in replacing the Spanker Creek Bridge
Jeff Clark, public service administrator, told the members of the Finance Committee the bridge was damaged in flooding in both 2011 and 2013.
County cleanup
Benton County’s annual fall cleanup event is set for Oct. 10, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the county’s Road Department locations in Bentonville, Decatur and Garfield. A list of the materials accepted at the event and other information can be found at www.bccleanup.org.
Source: Staff report
"In both 2011 and 2013 that bridge was basically topped," Clark said. "The bridge was under water in both of those events. We're trying to prevent that from happening in the future."
Clark said a traffic count indicated more than 4,000 vehicles cross the bridge on a daily basis. The proposed work would raise the bridge and its approaches above the 25-year-flood level for the area. Clark said the flooding in both the years he mentioned was including in federal disaster declarations, which increases the chances of approval of the grant from the federal Economic Development Administration. Brenda Guenther, comptroller, said the grant would require the county to provide half the cost of the project, which is expected to cost about $846,100. The county's share would be $423,050. Guenther said the county would have to budget for the full cost of the work and the federal grant money would be available as reimbursement for money spent.
Guenther told the panel Rep. Steve Womack's office has provided a letter of support for the project and the Quorum Court also has to express it's support as part of the grant process. The committee approved and sent on to the Committee of the Whole a resolution authorizing County Judge Bob Clinard to apply for the grant.
The justices of the peace also discussed possibly ending the county's two countywide cleanup events after the 2015 fall cleanup, set for Oct. 10. The Quorum Court has already expressed its support for a pilot program meant to expand the county's convenience center operation, now open at the Benton County Solid Waste District site near Centerton on Saturdays. The pilot program will expand the convenience center operation, adding locations in Rogers and Siloam Springs and expanding the days the center is open to include weekdays.
The justices of the peace were split on whether to continue the cleanup events entirely or keep them in conjunction with the convenience centers. Tom Allen, justice of the peace for District 4 and chairman of the committee, said he thinks the cleanup event should be discontinued.
"I would take the position right now that we're not going to have the cleanups next year," Allen said.
Barry Moehring, justice of the peace for District 15, said he favors keeping the cleanups, citing their popularity with residents.
"I'm not convinced we should get rid of these cleanups yet," he said. "I would be wary about eliminating that entirely and going ahead with the pilot program. I do think it's a mistake."
Allen said he doesn't think the county will be able to gauge the real value of the convenience centers if the county cleanup events remain.
"I'll make a prediction, he said. "If we keep both a pilot program and the cleanup, the pilot program is going to suffer."
The justices of the peace took no action on the question of keeping the county cleanup events at Thursday's meeting. The issue was sent on to the Committee of the Whole for more discussion.
NW News on 10/02/2015