Washington County bridge inquiry spurs changes; more on the way

FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County officials on Tuesday unveiled several changes to improve the Road Department's safety, structure and morale in response to the ongoing bridge controversy, and more changes could come soon, they said.

The changes include bidding for outside help in bridge construction, reviving an employee-run safety committee and addressing questions about favoritism and retaliation by overhauling the department's structure, County Judge Marilyn Edwards and human resources director Lindsi Huffaker said.

"It is a work in progress," Huffaker said.

The Quorum Court heard about the changes, a proposed changes in ambulance service along the county's northern edge and other county business during its meeting Tuesday evening.

Edwards, who oversees the Road Department, said her recent request for qualifications seeking a temporary bridge supervisor had netted one response. If that person takes the position, work will resume at the Stonewall Bridge outside Prairie Grove with county crews working under engineering firm GTS Inc.'s supervision, she said.

The incomplete bridge was partly torn down in March to be rebuilt after officials found several problems with its steel and concrete.

The 2-year-old Harvey Dowell Bridge outside Fayetteville has many of the same problems and is under a 3-ton weight limit. The county will seek bids for reinforcing the structure starting this weekend, Edwards said. That project wouldn't use county workers.

A Safety Committee organized by Road Department and Environmental Affairs employees should start meeting within the next week as well, Edwards said. The group has existed for years but hasn't met because of employees' leaving and other factors, she said. It'll be a place for employees to discuss safety concerns, such as during bridge construction or clean-up projects, and to undergo more training.

"Some of them are very excited," Edwards said, noting the department already undergoes more training than in most Arkansas counties.

An investigation by Justice of the Peace Eva Madison, Assessor Russell Hill and consultant Carl Gales in recent weeks found the bridge problems stemmed from lack of training and equipment and a casual disregard for an engineer's designs, according to their report May 5. They based it on several hours of interviews with supervisors and employees.

The investigators found several safety concerns. Workers didn't wear hard hats even when a crane was lifting material over their head, for example, and many didn't use safety harnesses as they worked on the spans. Some employees, though not all, also complained of cliques in the department, where the favored would win coveted jobs and promotions while others might not even hear about the chance.

Huffaker said that will change. All openings will be advertised at least within the department, and the department's working on a concrete system to gauge workers' experience and skills for such decisions. Huffaker said she's also working with Blair Johanson to streamline the department's job structure. Some employees said they sometimes don't know what their job entails and who they work for.

"Most counties are in the exact same boat we're in," Huffaker said. "There's definitely some work that needs to be done."

Edwards said she's still "wading" through the hundreds of pages of interview transcripts before she makes other changes in the department.

The Quorum Court also got its first look at changes in rural ambulance service that will come next year. Springdale's service is pulling out of the county's northern corners, meaning Central Emergency Medical Service will need to pick up the slack.

Central EMS chief Becky Stewart told the justices the county would need to contribute about $100,000 for start-up costs and $28,000 a year for an ambulance on top of the $230,000 it already pays Springdale. The Quorum Court took no vote on the plan Tuesday.

NW News on 05/22/2015