Springdale utility plans for more work downtown

 A part of Murphy Park in Springdale is cordoned off Wednesday as work begins there and continues near Shiloh Square on Emma Avenue by the Springdale Water Utilities.
A part of Murphy Park in Springdale is cordoned off Wednesday as work begins there and continues near Shiloh Square on Emma Avenue by the Springdale Water Utilities.

SPRINGDALE -- Officials are preparing for possible development downtown by planning water and sewer projects.

The projects are in addition to other ones planned earlier this year and add several million dollars to the cost, said Heath Ward, executive director of Springdale Water Utilities.

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Last week, the Springdale Water and Sewer Commission approved multiple items concerning work on water and sewer lines in and around downtown, Ward said. The utility plans to replace water lines with larger ones on the east and west ends of Emma Avenue. The commission agreed to do improvements on the west side of the street at the same time the city works on sidewalks in that area.

Mayor Doug Sprouse said he appreciates the utility's willingness to work with the city before more development takes place downtown. This will help the city stay ahead of development.

"The best time to address these issues is now," he said.

Some sidewalks on the west side of Emma Avenue downtown are old and need repair, Sprouse said. The sidewalks also need to be made wheelchair accessible.

There's no set date yet to start sidewalk construction, Sprouse said. The city first needs to coordinate with the water utility, other utilities and property owners, he said.

In the short term, the utility plans for Engineering Services to survey the west side and McClelland Consulting Engineers to study the east side to find lines underground, Ward said. This will help determine the best place to put things, such as manholes and utilities. The consultants then plan to share that information with the city, other utilities and contractors.

Ward explained the process is about efficiency. The water and sewer line work on the east and west ends of Emma Avenue downtown would cost about $2 million.

The downtown area is in good shape for a few more years in terms of water and sewer needs, Ward said. This work will help prepare for development.

Infrastructure upgrades are a big part of downtown revitalization, Sprouse said. Upgrades can help attract businesses to downtown. Businesses need sufficient gas, water, electricity and sewer to meet their needs.

Parts of Emma Avenue would have to be closed for all of the work to be done, Ward said. The water line is under the street and the utility would like to move it under the sidewalk.

As far as temporary street closings on Emma Avenue, Sprouse said the city will give people notice and set up detours.

The commission also gave its approval to move forward with engineering related to installing a sewer line extending from Springdale Municipal Airport to the east toward the vicinity of the new poultry incubation center Tyson Foods plans to build on Huntsville Avenue, Ward said.

That sewer line is too small for expected development, Ward said. The utility plans to install another sewer line parallel to it and might make parts of the existing one larger. It first plans to contract with an engineering firm to do a study, which will help the utility decide how to do the project.

"We want to be ahead of the curve," he said.

Ward said the cost of that project would be about $2 million. He said utility officials hadn't anticipated doing this project for another five to 10 years, but they moved it up on the schedule.

The commission also awarded a contract to the low bidder for moving a water line and a sewer line under the pond at Murphy Park, Ward said.

The city is renovating the pond and has drained it. Ward said the utility wanted to move the lines under the pond while the pond was drained and there was already work happening. This project will cost about $500,000.

These projects will be paid for out of the utility's construction fund, Ward said. The fund holds about $54 million, the majority of which is committed to projects.

Ward said the utility plans for these projects to be done in the next 1 1/2 to two years.

The utility previously planned for other water and sewer work downtown, part of which is now underway. Work is being done to add a branch to a sewer line. Part of the line goes under the basement of First Security Bank at 100 W. Emma Ave.

This will create a bypass and add capacity to the sewer system, Ward said. It will also allow the utility to abandon the line under the bank if it becomes an issue. This project will cost about $200,000.

Another project is to replace the sewer line under a portion of Spring Street with a larger line, Ward said. This project would cost about $500,000. Ward said he hopes for the work to be done by late spring.

Bill Palkowsky is the owner of Spring Street Grill & Catering at 101 Spring St. He thinks it's worth it to do the work. Replacements and repairs are needed as time goes by.

Palkowsky said the impact on walk-in traffic to the restaurant hopefully will be temporary. A potential inconvenience will be access in and out of the business for delivery and catering.

"You have to pay a little bit to get improvements," he said.

NW News on 11/26/2015

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