SPRINGDALE -- A move to change priority in the city's street bond program fell short Tuesday after the City Council approved two construction contracts.
The council approved unanimously a $13 million contract with APAC-Central for improvement to 56th Street from Don Tyson Parkway to Bleaux Avenue. The contract to extend the parkway to the east from Hylton Road to Habberton Road met opposition, however.
At A Glance
At A Glance
Council Action
Springdale’s City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• Spending $100,000 to pave the 500-space parking lot on the west side of the Jones Center as part of a lease to create a public lot
• Settling the price for right of way to extend Don Tyson Parkway with Rebecca Magee and David Gulliver for an additional $4,532 and the construction of a replacement fence for $10,217
• Condemnation lawsuits for right of way for the extension of the parkway and improvements on 56th Street with the Linda Hathorn Trust and the Hylton Family Trust.
Source: Staff Report
Since the city will not be able to afford to complete a list of street projects, the ones that could raise revenue for the city should be first, said Alderman Mike Overton.
"Since a new Walmart is under construction on Elm Springs Road, I think it would be more prudent to extend 56th Street," Overton said. "That would be more of a revenue producer."
The council voted 6-2 to approve the contract for Hylton to Habberton extension, a $3.48 million low bid, also by APAC-Central. Overton and Kathy Jaycox cast the no votes.
The contracts are part of a street program paid by a bond sale approved by voters. The bonds raised $43 million for street projects.
The street program will have about $900,000 left after the contracts are awarded, said Alan Pugh, director of engineering. If contingencies written into the budgets for construction aren't used, the city would have about enough money to widen the parkway between Carley Road and 40th Street, Pugh said. The parkway expansion is another project on the street bond list.
In the past, the council has used Capital Improvement Program money to supplement bond programs. That fund has about $5.7 million remaining, said Wyman Morgan, city director of administration and financial services.
There wouldn't be enough to extend 56th to Elm Springs Road even with all the remaining bond money and the improvement program money combined, Sprouse said.
The Hylton to Habberton extension will also increase tax receipts, said Brad Bruns, alderman. The extension will run along the northern edge of a new park that's part of a park bond program. The bond sale also raised $16.1 million for parks.
Building the park will help the city host more tournaments to bring in people who will spend money at city businesses, Bruns said.
Jaycox asked if all of the park would be finished with the park bond money remaining. The low bid for constructing the park, $12.6 million, is higher than budgeted, Pugh said.
The portion of the park that would bring in the tournaments would be built, Sprouse said.
The council also approved a contract to build a mountain bike trail. The trail would use a grant of $825,051 from the Walton Family Foundation. Land owned by the Springdale Water and Sewer Commission would be donated for the park between 40th Street and the wastewater treatment plant.
The land donation would count as part of the city's match to the grant, Sprouse said. Up to $323,797 from the city's park land acquisition fund would be used build the trail and complete the match for the grant, he said.
The council approved selling the Jeff Brown building, 317 E. Emma Ave., to Tyson Foods for $37,313. City officials calculated the price by adding up the money spent on removing asbestos from the building and any possible profit the city would have realized by selling the lot.
NW News on 06/11/2014