SPRINGDALE -- The City Council heard Monday night that construction of a new animal shelter on Ford Avenue might cost as much as $550,000 more than if the shelter is built in J.B. Hunt Park.
A report from Nabholz Construction stated that the Ford Avenue site will require the additional money to ensure proper drainage at the site and to access utilities. The city hired Nabholz in February to oversee the construction project.
Springdale citizens approved $5.2 million in a February bond issue to build the shelter near the eastern entrance to the park on Pump Station Road, but residents of the area have opposed that site since the vote. The city staff determined an alternate location along a planned section Ford Avenue, connecting with Dean's Trail, currently under construction, in the city's industrial park. Extending Ford Avenue from Old Wire Road to Butterfield Coach Road is a priority for the city's bond program, Mayor Doug Sprouse said.
The city would have to take the additional money for Ford Avenue construction from the city's capital improvement fund, which currently holds $2.7 million, said Wyman Morgan, the city's director of administration and finance. The fund pays for construction and repair projects that are not part of the 2018 bond program.
"While I will be fine with either site, I'm concerned about spending another half-million dollars," Sprouse said. He said he doesn't want the quality of the planned animal shelter to suffer because the city needs that money for site preparation.
"I don't want that building jeopardized," he said. "I don't want to take away of what we can build. It's going to be just as nice at either site you choose."
Other action
In other business, the council:
• Approved $240,000 in repair work to the Lake Springdale trailhead to the Razorback Greenway, the Sanders trailhead and the area of the trail along Magnolia Gardens to be completed by Emery Sapp and Sons. The sites were damaged in the spring 2017 flooding, and will be paid from the city’s capital improvment fund with partial reimbursement by FEMA.
• Approved a $950,000 contract with APAC Central to make improvements to Huntsville Avenue and Elm Springs Road from Thompson Street to Interstate 49. The money will come from the 2018 bond program.
• Approved a $405,000 contract to hire McClelland Consulting Engineers as construction manager on street and drainage improvements along 40th Street from the Spring Creek Bridge south to Falcon Road. The money will come from the bond program.
• Approved a $25,000 contract with Milestone Construction Company as construction manager for Shaw Family Park. The money will come from the bond program.
• Accepted the guaranteed maximum price of $2.9 million submitted by Milestone Construction for the the construction Fire Station No. 7. The money will come from the bond program.
Source: Staff report
Councilwoman Kathy Jaycox pointed out that the city already took an on-site veterinary clinic out of the plans proposed in a 2017 needs assessment prepared by Shelter Planners of America.
Springdale's director of animal services, Courtney Kremer, told the council members that the Hunt Park site "checked a lot of boxes" listed in the needs assessment -- including public visibility near the park and trails, which have been shown around the country to increase adoptions.
Kremer reported the shelter held 52 dogs before the shelter opened Monday morning, but is full at 40.
"I do hear and understand that you have issues," Kremer said to the residents gathered to oppose the site. "But I think a lot of your concerns won't be concerns when you see how well we'll manage it and you hear our hopes and dreams and aspirations for it.
"Where ever it goes, it's going to be great," Kremer continued. "I want it to be someplace you want to come visit, someplace you can be proud of."
Sprouse pointed out that Monday was the first chance Council members had to discuss the location of the shelter after the public comment period closed May 24. All discussions about city business among elected officials must take place in public according to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, Sprouse explained to citizens gathered.
The Council meets the first and third Monday nights of each month for reports from its various committees and city staff, gathering information to vote on actions to affect the city during the Council meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday nights.
But council members postponed their discussion. Councilman Jeff Watson said discussion on this much-debated issue should be held prior to the vote in a regular Council meeting, when citizen have a chance to comment and the meetings are broadcast on television.
"Tonight is to hear information like that from Courtney," he said. "We would be doing a disservice to the city if we took all our communication tonight."
"The citizens have been great," Sprouse said. "We want their involvement, and we want to make the process as open as we can. I am sorry if it is frustrating, but this is the process we have to go through."
But he also did not want the Council to delay their decision as those neighboring residents have been concerned about the project for several months.
The Council and city staff members answered questions from the residents gathered Monday, but agreed citizens could comment during the June 12 Council meeting before the members discuss and vote on the site.
NW News on 06/05/2018
