Agenda Highlights 6/7/22

The Fort Smith Board of Directors meeting scheduled for 6-7-22 will start with a vote on approval of a zoning change for 1224 School Street to facilitate the sale of an existing single family home on the property.

The Board will vote on approval of a change to the Unified Development Ordinance that would allow single family homes to have access to a classified street. The intent of the change is to eliminate the need for frequent variance requests.

The Board will vote to accept a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign and set in motion the process toward installing two fitness courts at the Arkansas College of Health Education Research Institute and Health and Wellness Center. The two courts will cost $425,000 initially. They will each have a body-weight circuit training system featuring a body-weight training wall and 7 stations featuring 30 pieces of body-weight fitness elements and will feature art on vinyl decals. One court will feature the work “Unbreakable” by world renowned artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. The other will feature work by an as-yet-unnamed local artist. After 5 years, the City will need to decide on licensing another art work for the courts by choosing from another work by Basquiat, another work by a local artist, or a different work from the Nation Fitness Campaign. The courts will cost a total of $425,000 initially. So far, efforts from the Mayor’s office’s fundraising have raised $250,000 from 2 donors. As a result, the Basquiat court is already fully funded and a good start has been made toward funding of the local artist court. The fundraising will still need to continue and sponsors and donors will need to be found to finish funding the project. Fort Smith was one of only 10 cities in the country to be selected by the National Fitness Campaign for this Basquiat art fitness court project. The project reached out to the city to apply for participation and a grant as a result of our existing positive and successful public art efforts, including The Unexpected, attracting their attention.

The Board will vote on whether to apply for a grant from FEMA to purchase existing homes on the Northside that are in the flood plain and experience damage due to flooding.