SPRINGDALE -- Banging, clanging and the screech of saws filled downtown streets Thursday as workers gutted the former city administration building to begin the second and final phase of a new municipal campus.
It was quieter at the city's Animal Shelter on the eastern end of town, open a year now. Oreo climbed kitten-size stairs. Littermate Marmalade scratched at a cat pole as volunteer Madison Pocius, 12, stroked his back.
Money to build both buildings, three fire stations, parks and streets came from a $200 million bond project approved by the voters in 2018.
The accounts for the animal shelter, Fire Department and parks will close soon, said Wyman Morgan, the city's director of administration and finance. Six road projects are complete, and city staff have moved into the nearly completed first phase of the municipal campus.
Mayor Doug Sprouse on Thursday said he was pleased with what the city has done with the bond money.
He's concerned, though, delays caused by the covid-19 pandemic and its resulting supply chain issues and rising cost of material might put a pinch on what the city can do with money remaining in the road bond fund.
"Some projects we have not bid yet, and I'm afraid inflation will return those bids higher than we expected," he said. "We'll take the projects as far as the money goes."
The bonds earned the city about $157 million to spend on projects, after paying off a 2013 bond and fees associated with the new bond issue.
Morgan and the city's bond agents then invested part of the money that wouldn't be used immediately, earning the city an additional $8 million. Donations, matching grants and other sources of money also helped the city stretch its dollars, Morgan said.
Getting rocky
City Council and city staff determined 16 projects to improve roads in the fast-growing city, starting with $89 million to spend.
Staff expects to complete two more projects this fall.
An extension of Ford Avenue to Butterfield Coach Road will open next month and should ease access to the city's industrial park and Northwest Technical Institute, according to information provided by Ryan Carr, assistant director of the city's Engineering Department.
The city also expects to finish improvement of Spring Street in front of the municipal campus this fall.
Construction crews are waiting for the removal of an electrical pole from what will become the center of the street, Morgan said. The pole supplied power to the city administration building and remained in place until the building was vacant.
The utility crew scheduled to take it down was sent south to help restore power after Hurricane Ida, Morgan said. The pole remained in the middle of the roadbed Thursday.
The roads fund still holds $59 million, but if prices continue to rise, the city might have to shorten some projects, he said.
Six road projects paid by the bond are completed: the widening of Watkins Avenue from Gene George Boulevard to South 64th Street; the extension of George Boulevard from Bleaux Avenue to Elm Springs Road; an extension of North 48th Street to Bob Mills Road; widening of West Downum Road, Ball Street and West County Line Road around Shaw Family Park; extension of Maple Avenue from Holcomb Street to Park Street; and an overlay of West Huntsville Avenue.
Five projects are under construction: Ford Avenue; Spring Street; the widening of South 64th Street from Watkins Avenue to West Sunset Avenue; the first phase of an extension of South 56th Street; and improving the intersections of Park Street and Caudle Avenue and Park and East Emma Avenue.
Five more projects are still in early stages, with completion not expected until 2023: the extension of South Dixieland Road from West Apple Blossom Avenue to Wagon Wheel Road; widening North 40th Street from Falcon Road to the Spring Creek bridge; extending Har-Ber Avenue from North 48th Street to South Gutensohn Road; widening Watkins Avenue from George Boulevard to South 48th Street; and improvement of Kendrick Avenue in the city's northern industrial land.
The road projects also offer upgrades for cyclists and pedestrians. All include a 10- or 12-foot-wide foot path and 6 feet of greenspace, Carr said.
At home
Lt. Jeff Taylor said he enjoys having the Police Department under one roof again.
The department and district court staff have spent about a month in their new home, the northern half of the municipal campus.
The department nearly 20 years ago moved its detective division out of the city administration building because of lack of space, Taylor said. The criminal investigation division was housed in various properties rented by the city along Spring Street.
"If I need to talk to a detective, I don't have to get in my car and drive or walk down a block," said Taylor, a department spokesman. "I just have to walk down a hallway."
The building also has a gym for officers and space for training -- even tactical training, Taylor said.
The City Council and Planning Commission are holding meetings in the Wayne Hyden Training Center, a tiered classroom overlooking Shiloh Memorial Park, until new council chambers open after the construction.
Phase two should be complete in about a year, Morgan said.
Construction of the municipal campus started with a budget of $41 million, $23 million for phase one, Morgan noted.
The southern part of the campus will include the Building Department, the clerk's office, the Engineering Department, the Planning Department and the mayor's office.
Sprouse has sported a "one-stop shopping" opportunity for residents as offices they need to access are near each other.
Easy living
Alphonse, Edward and their siblings, all kittens awaiting adoption at the Springdale Animal Shelter, napped in the Exploration Room.
Dogs in the adoption wing thumped their tails upon hearing the approach of a visitor, before breaking out in the usual cacophony as they tried to outbark each other.
Courtney Kremer, the city's director of Animal Services, said the staff hasn't seen much difference in the number of adoptions and surrenders when comparing the new shelter to the old one on East Randall-Wobbe Lane.
The shelter still works with about 2,500 animals a year, she said, adding it doesn't seem quite so overwhelming with the additional 5,000 square feet in the new shelter.
"Right now, we've got 43 dogs, 60 cats, a cockatiel, a guinea pig and a rat," Kremer said Thursday.
Kremer said she appreciates the space that allows the shelter staff to isolate animals recovering from injury or illness. Previously, staff had to relocate animals in the few kennels available.
The shelter budget started with $5.1 million in bond money, and a $300,000 donation finished the building, Morgan said.
He reported $2.83 left in the shelter construction account.
A little left
The city will transfer any money remaining in the bond funds to repay the bonds after the bills are paid, Morgan said.
The park fund retains $1,452 of $20.3 million after building Shaw Family Park in the northwest part of the city, making improvements to Randal Tyson Recreational Complex and buying the Recreation Center when the opportunity arose, he reported.
The city built three fire stations and a classroom building for its Mickey Jackson Fire Training Center with $16.4 million.
The account retains less than $10,000, Morgan said.
Fire Chief Mike Irwin said the money probably will buy a second extractor for the fire training center. An extractor cleans the bunker gear firefighters wear, he said.
