SPRINGDALE -- The City Council on Tuesday night approved an emergency $60,000 change order in the construction of Watkins Avenue after it determined the entire street was in need of repair.
Mayor Doug Sprouse brought the issue to council members without many of them seeing an amended agenda for the council meeting sent out Friday afternoon.
This road improvement project will run from Arvest Ballpark to 63rd Street. The city expanded Watkins in front of Arvest Ballpark when the ballpark was built 10 years ago.
Sprouse said the city partnered with Northwest Arkansas Community College to improve Watkins in front of the school's new Washington County facility while the school is being built. Milestone Construction holds the contract to build the school and the street.
"We were just going to do the lane in front of NWACC, but it made more sense to do both lanes," Sprouse said.
"We should have thought of that beforehand," he said as he answered questions asked by council members.
Brad Baldwin, the city's director of engineering and public works, said the stretch of street to be improved is older than that in front of the ballpark and has been subjected to construction vehicles for a number of years.
Sprouse said this extra expense could impact a future bond project. The money for the improvement will come from the street portion of the bond project. About half of the bond money dedicated for streets has been committed.
The council also approved 7-0 a contract with Engineering Services of Springdale to design improvements at Randal Tyson Recreational Complex. The contract sets a fee of 7.25 percent of construction costs of the improvements. Sprouse said the city has earmarked $5 million from the 2018 bond park fund for the project.
Park improvements will include parking areas, concession facilities, restrooms, sports fields and other recreational amenities, according to the contract. Improvements also will rebuild the park to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The council also agreed to waive competitive bidding to remove an elevated walking track at the city's new recreation center. A&J Construction will get the contract for $46,600, with the money coming from the city's Capital Improvement Project fund reserved for park land acquisition.
Wyman Morgan, the city's director of finance and administration, said this is the first of the improvement projects needed at the recreation center. Crews couldn't install lights or paint walls until the track was gone.
The city bought the former All Star Sports Arena for $4.1 million in December and knew it needed repair. Engineers ruled the track unsafe and recommended it be torn down. The track hangs suspended over the basketball courts.
NW News on 04/24/2019