SPRINGDALE — Design contracts have been recommended for a new animal shelter and trail.
The City Council Committee recommended Monday the City Council hire SCM Architects of Little Rock to design a new shelter and $61,500 be paid to the firm for the conceptual design and needs assessment.
“It will get us visuals for us to look at,” Mayor Doug Sprouse said.
City leaders hope to include a new shelter in a bond issue for voters next year. Wyman Morgan, the city’s director of finance, estimates residents will be asked to vote in February or March. City leaders hope the shelter will be among many projects in the bond issue, which also likely will include a Criminal Justice Complex, renovation to the administration building, two to three new fire stations, a northwest park and road improvements.
The bond would be a continuation of a sales tax the city levied in 2004, said Morgan.
The shelter has around 48 cages for large dogs and about 50 for cats, and sometimes the animals have to be doubled up in cages. Currently there are 47 dogs and 85 cats in the shelter, said Courtney Kremer, shelter director.
“Right now I got dogs that have been in there since February or March,” Kremer said.
The shelter also lacks sufficient ventilation, which creates a risk of sickness spreading among the animals, Kremer said.
“An animal shelter really is desperately needed,” said Alderwoman Kathy Jaycox.
Alderman Colby Fulfer suggested Springdale try to work out a deal with Washington County’s shelter to use its available space to alleviate the Springdale capacity. However, Kremer said the county shelter doesn’t have the means to absorb 2,500 additional animals a year.
Sprouse said the city needs to invest in a new shelter instead of trying to send its animals out of town.
“I think there’s certain things you own and we’re better off owning this,” he said.
The committee also recommended hiring Fayetteville-based engineering firm Garver to design Dean’s Trail and to pay the firm $65,500.
The City Council approved a grant from the Walton Family Foundation in November to help pay for the trail. The foundation awarded a $1,823,500 matching grant for the first three phases of construction on the trail.
The lighted trail will be 5 miles and run along the east side of Springdale, beginning at The Jones Center, crossing through the industrial area and the neighborhoods surrounding Parson Hills Elementary School. It then will cross Robinson Avenue at Oriole Street, connecting Kelley Middle School and Knapp Elementary School, continue south to the tunnel under Don Tyson Parkway and end at a connection to Fayetteville’s trail system.
“This is a big trail that’s going to connect a lot of different places in our city,” Jaycox said.
The trail will be named after Dean Lagrone, an original member of the trails task force who was instrumental in determining the need and location of the trail.
Money paid to both SCM Architects and Garver for design services will come from the Capital Improvement Project Fund, Morgan said.
The fund has about $2 million of undedicated money. The money comes mostly from local sales tax, but is also made up of miscellaneous income, such as profit from property investment, Morgan said.
Other action
Springdale’s City Council Committee also recommended waiving bidding to buy a GridSmart traffic video detection system for street intersections.
Source: Staff report
Hicham Raache can be reached by email at [email protected] or Twitter @NWAHicham.