GREENWOOD -- The City Council is set to consider two items to provide water service for just under 36 freshly annexed acres at its meeting Monday.
The aldermen will decide whether or not to approve an offer to the James Fork Regional Water District, a rural water association, to purchase the water rights for the land for $79,112. They will also make a decision concerning an agreement with Sebastian County to provide access to water services for a new, larger facility for the Sebastian County library, which is planned to be on the property.
The City Council was originally slated to discuss the items at a special meeting Tuesday . However, the meeting was quickly adjourned and both were postponed until Monday due to not enough council members being in attendance to have a quorum.
The council approved annexing the 36 acres at the northwest corner of Arkansas 10 Spur and U.S. 71, April 4. It covers six parcels owned by Jacob Burton of MJE Construction and is planned to be a mixed-use development called the Curve.
Sonny Bell, Greenwood's planning director, has said the city needs to acquire the water rights to provide the Curve property water and fire protection services, which are among the services the city has to extend to it within "a reasonable period of time" per the annexation ordinance.
Cheryl Garner, a Realtor with the Fort Smith-based Keller Williams Platinum Realty who's working with Burton to market the property, has said commercial development essentially can't happen without things such as water and sewer service and the ability for fire suppression.
Aside from the new library, the Curve is planned to be the site of developments such as multifamily buildings, multistory commercial buildings, restaurants, a highend convenience story and a boutique hotel, none of which can move forward until the city secures the water rights.
The City Council tabled a proposal April 4 that would've allowed the city to acquire the water rights for $79,112 contingent on certain conditions. One was for the city to also purchase certain district customers along Center, Rockside, Shady, and Hillcrest streets, which are adjacent to the annexed property, within five years at an agreed upon price and subject to the annexation of this property.
Mayor Doug Kinslow has said the city suggested the district separate the purchases of these two sets of rights at a meeting June 6 to expedite development for the Curve property and out of uncertainty over whether the other property will be annexed within five years.
A letter to the James Fork Regional Water District Board included in the packet for Monday's meeting only mentions the city providing $79,112 for the Curve property water rights. However, it states the city would continue to negotiate with the board and pursue buying the water rights for the other district customers, of which there are 53.
Kinslow said Friday while $79,112 is the district board's original asking price for the Curve water rights, the board has not yet agreed to separate them from the other water rights.
"They continue to insist that those two things are together, but we're just going to go ahead and say, 'Here's a check for this amount of money, let's get that done,' and see if that makes a difference to them," Kinslow said.
Representatives of the Arkansas Natural Resources Division are set to come to Greenwood July 29 to try to help negotiate a resolution to this matter with the city and the James Fork Regional Water District, according to Kinslow.
The agreement between the city and Sebastian County states the city would provide the Curve property, which is planned to house the new county library facility, access to water services at an estimated cost of $167,900. Doing so will serve as the city's matching contribution to the library, something that provides services to Greenwood residents. Sewer services are already accessible on this property.
The current county library in Greenwood is at 18 N. Adair St. and was built in 1965.
Special meeting attendance
A.C. Brown Jr. and Ralph Meeker, who represent Greenwood’s Ward 3 in the position 1 and position 2 seats respectively, were the only aldermen present during the City Council’s special meeting Tuesday. Daniel McDaniel, Rod Powell, Lance Terry and Tim Terry, who collectively represent wards 1 and 2, were absent.
Source: Greenwood