Agenda Highlights 5/17/22

At the Fort Smith Board of Directors meeting scheduled for 5-17-22, the Board will vote on approval of changes to the Project Concern utility assistance program to make it more generous and simpler to understand. The program is available to customers who are at or below 165% of the federal poverty guideline. Proposed changes to the program would keep the existing discounts of 50% off the water base rate and sewer volume rates plus add a 50% discount for water volume and a 50% discount off the sewer base rate (making it simple, that water and sewer are half price, regardless of it’s a base charge or a volume charge or water or sewer)and increase the discount for solid waste from the current 19% to 25%.

The Board will vote to approve payment of $318,000 to Crawford Construction for emergency repairs for a broken sewer line on North 52nd street that included replacement of 500 ft of sewer line, removal and replacement of 2 brick manholes, and repair to driveways and the road.

The Board will vote on approval of a contract with Mickle Wagner Coleman Engineering not to exceed $150,000 for engineering services for construction of a new access road to allow for access to the Transit Department headquarters at 6821 Jenny Lind from South 28th Street. The only access to the facility currently is by going through the parking lot and truck bay lot of Spartan Logistics. In addition to providing easier, more visible, safer access to the Transit facility, the new road would allow greater security for Spartan Logistics by allowing them to close their gate, would allow for a shared maintenance facility with the Fire Department, and would allow all city vehicles better access to the CNG fueling station. 80% of the $1,850,000 cost of the new road would be covered by federal grant funds.

There are two proposed options for dealing with the private property easements that would be involved in building the road. One option is to use the existing public roadway dedication established in the 1970s and place a cul de sac at the end of the road to serve as a turn around. The other option is to obtain a new railroad easement for private dedication located at the north end of the property. The landowner to the east prefers the railroad easement option, so Transit is discussing the matter with Arkansas and Missouri Railroad in an effort to obtain the needed easement.