Residents concerned about the future of streets in Bella Vista heard good news Monday night.
Aldermen approved two resolutions aimed at improving the new Street Department facility and maintenance of the streets themselves.
The first resolution amended the city's contract with Crafton Tull & Associates, the engineering firm handling development and bidding services for the project. It passed 5-0. Alderman Jim Wozniak was absent.
The firm will receive $65,000 for consulting fees to essentially restart the design process for the new Street Department. The money will come from the 2015 Capital Building Budget. The city's Reserve Fund will pay for the costs of the new facility. There is about $7.5 million in the reserve fund.
The revised plan would relocate the proposed facility's largest building -- a 19,200-square-foot warehouse -- from the southwest portion of a 32-acre property along Arkansas 279 to its northwest corner. The new facility would be across from the Bella Vista branch of the Boys & Girls Club of Benton County.
Mayor Peter Christie told aldermen at the City Council's March 16 work session about the changes, which stemmed from an in-depth review of the project's large-scale development plans.
"When we got to the nitty-gritty, we found that the price went up to about $2.98 million," Christie said, which was substantially higher than early approximations of $2.4 million.
Christie said the potential to save nearly $1 million by taking a $65,000 loss was a "no brainer."
City officials met earlier this month with Mark Clinard, president of Clinard Construction Management Inc. Christie said Clinard offered pro bono advice that could save the city nearly $1 million, ease the construction process and soften the facility's impact on nearby residents.
The initial plans from Crafton Tull outlined construction of the warehouse in an area that required substantial earth work and neighbored a cluster of homes on Sherman Drive, said Chris Suneson, planning and building director.
"(The new location) has significantly less earth work, needs no retaining walls and is close enough to (Arkansas 279) that it eliminates the need for road construction," Suneson said. "It's a pretty easy site to develop. But relocating (the warehouse) to the high-point of the property puts it on flat, open ground."
Suneson added that nearby residents should be happier with the changes because the city is trying to adhere to their concerns. In November, a raucous crowd lambasted planners over the proposed facility. Several said they were worried about noise and light pollution from Street Department activities.
Alderman Frank Anderson, who championed the need for a new Street Department during his time as mayor, said he's for the overall project despite being somewhat leery of the potential to save nearly $1 million.
"We need that building out there," he said. "Rather than delaying it further, let's go out there and get it done."
In addition, aldermen also voted 5-0 to contract with GreenbergFarrow to provide "pavement distress data collection services," according to the resolution. The contract is not to exceed $37,500.
"This is the beginning of a pavement management plan," Christie said. "We need a better plan of determining which streets need what, how long it will take to implement and what it costs and bring that back to the voters."
GreenbergFarrow styles itself as a hybrid architectural, engineering and development firm. The firm has offices on both coasts, and a branch in Bentonville. It will provide detailed imaging of every roadway in Bella Vista, including assessments of current roadway surfaces and distresses.
"They'll go down every street," Christie said. "Even the cul-de-sacs."
The firm will eventually turn in a report that places roadways into three categories: green (good), yellow (fair) and red (lost). Christie said additional research will be done after the assessment to determine a time line and action plan for specific types of repair to various streets.
"We need to have something for voters," Christie reiterated. "This is a starting point -- that first step."
Bella Vista formed its Street Department in 2012, five years after the city incorporated. It currently operates at a site next to TH Rogers Lumber Co., off of U.S. 71.
The city leases the building from Cooper Communities Inc. Before the city took over the department, it contracted with the Property Owners Association at a cost of $1.2 million to maintain the more than 500 miles of streets in the city.
General News on 03/25/2015