FORT SMITH -- A city park will receive a significant upgrade in the future, albeit at a greater cost than what was originally allocated for it.
The city Board of Directors unanimously voted Tuesday to approve a resolution accepting a bid and authorizing the mayor to execute a contract to install multipurpose artificial turf on four of the Kelley Park ball fields. The contract is with United Turf and Track and the amount for it is not to exceed $551,250.
The board approved an ordinance amending the fiscal 2020 budget and parks capital-improvement plan to include an allocation of $250,000 for this project during its Dec. 17 regular meeting. These public funds would be used to match private funds of the same amount.
Sam Sicard, president and chief executive officer of First National Bank of Fort Smith, and Bobby Aldridge, owner and principal engineer of Frontier Engineering Inc., proposed the project to the board during its Nov. 26 study session.
In a memo included in the Dec. 17 meeting packet, Deputy City Administrator Jeff Dingman wrote that improving Kelley Park fields with artificial surfaces would make the park more attractive and usable for hosting travel baseball and softball tournaments, with it being less likely that the tournaments would be canceled by inclement weather.
The effect of youth sports and tournaments of significant size from across the region would benefit the local economy as a result of the hotel, retail and restaurant sales that could be realized, the memo said.
Doug Reinert, city parks director, explained in his own memo that sealed bids for the project were received and opened on Jan. 14. Ten companies requested bid documents, with six submitting bids. United Turf and Track submitted the lowest bid.
"As a reference, the home football fields at Northside and Southside High Schools have the exact turf to be installed by United Turf and Track," Reinert wrote.
The city will pay the professional services for the project, which include design and construction observation, in addition to the $250,000 it allocated, Reinert wrote. A $56,000 contract has been entered into with Frontier Engineering.
Although the city has yet to receive the private sector's matching funds, Reinert wrote it is understood that this $250,000 has been secured. The private sector also is working to raise additional funds for the contract overage. If it is unable to raise more private funds, the parks one-eighth percent sales and use tax will need to be amended to add another $51,250 toward the project.
Aldridge, who was also present at Tuesday's meeting, said the fields included in the bid from United Turf and Track are the Flocks, Skokos, Higgins and Kuykendal fields for a total of 55,350 square feet.
When asked by City Director George Catsavis if the city had the additional $51,250 available in the parks one-eighth percent sales and use tax, Reinert responded that the parks capital improvement plan would have to be adjusted.
City Director Andre Good asked Reinert if he knew offhand some of what would be affected by this money being moved in the capital-improvement plan. Reinert said this would include, among other things, some of the city's preplanned trails projects and the Creekmore Park Pool Bathhouse project.
"We're zeroing out the [capital-improvement plan], and so, once we start moving money around, it's going to affect, we either do this or we do that and there's no way around it," Reinert said.
Good afterward clarified that he was supportive of the project.
"I'm just getting some information out to the public and us, just to remind us that these funds aren't readily available," Good said. "They come at a cost."
In regard to Reinert's mention of "zeroing out" the capital-improvement plan, Geffken said this means that the end of the parks one-eighth percent sales and use tax is approaching. This tax was voted on and approved in 2012 with a sunset date of October 2022, according to a previous Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article.
In addition, Geffken said the proceeds stemming from a resolution approved by the board earlier Tuesday accepting a $210,273 bid from XFED Commercial Properties for about 68.15 acres of city property at Chaffee Crossing would go back into the tax.
State Desk on 01/23/2020