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Board awards demolition contract for condemned Hot Springs High School gym
Summary
The Hot Springs City Board of Directors voted 6-1 on May 6 to award Milton Excavating Inc. the contract to demolish the condemned former Hot Springs High School gym at 228 Orange Street after multiple bid rounds and completion of asbestos remediation.
The Hot Springs City Board of Directors voted 6-1 on May 6 to award a contract to Milton Excavating Inc. to demolish the condemned former Hot Springs High School gymnasium at 228 Orange Street.
The gym was condemned by the board on Sept. 6, 2022, and city staff said donors and the owner did not complete required improvements, raising public-safety and blight concerns that prompted the demolition effort. Chief Building Inspector Michael (staff member) told the board the city opened three separate bid requests since 2022 and completed phase 1, asbestos and lead-paint abatement, before soliciting final demolition bids.
Michael said that in November 2022 the city received two bids (Environmental Enterprises Group at $246,249 and Milton Excavating at $78,000) but that earlier bids did not include asbestos remediation. The city organized the work into two phases; phase 1 asbestos abatement was awarded in August 2024 to Environmental Protection Associates and completed. In a March 2025 bid opening, one bidder from Texarkana returned $1,222,660 while Milton Excavating submitted $130,000. "Therefore, the recommendation is to proceed with phase 2 of the demolition and request the board award the bid for demolition to Milton Excavating as the lowest responsible bidder," Michael said.
Board members said they had no open permits on the structure and that the main roof and roof rafters were deteriorating. Michael estimated the structure at "a little over 25,000 square feet" and said a lien of $26,030 remains on the property for asbestos removal. Director Erin Holiday voted no; Directors Marsha Dobbs Smith, Dudley Webb, Karen Garcia, the trustee, and Mayor Pat McCabe voted yes.
By roll call the board adopted the resolution (6 yes, 1 no). The resolution directs staff to proceed with phase 2 demolition under the awarded contract. The city did not specify a demolition start date during the meeting.
Background documents provided to the board included past bid summaries, survey material, and the August 2024 asbestos-abatement contract. The city's staff report emphasized that the structure remained a public-safety risk and a neighborhood blight since 2022.
