Board approves Lee Creek lagoon cleaning contract after questions about scope and price increase

The Fort Smith Board of Directors on June 17 approved a contract to clean a lagoon at the Lee Creek wastewater treatment plant, voting on the consent agenda after a separate discussion about scope, cost and disposal.

City staff said the work will clean one of the plant’s concrete lagoons; staff performed a similar job last year and plan roughly one lagoon per year. The contract award was the subject of questions from several directors about why only one bid was received, where the slurry or sludge would be land-applied, and why the bid showed a percentage increase from the prior contract. Administration said the apparent 76% figure in documentation was an error and the correct increase is 32%.

Staff said Denali (vendor name referenced in discussion) was the lone bidder this year; staff indicated the project was publicly advertised and that last year two bids were received. The work involves pumping slurry from the lagoon, hauling it and land-applying it to permitted fields near the Van Buren/Lee Creek facilities, and using track equipment to remove residual solids.

During discussion directors asked staff to evaluate whether the city could perform similar work in-house and to cost out long-term alternatives—buying land and equipment for city-managed land application could reduce recurring outside-contract costs, a director said. Staff agreed to investigate lifecycle costs and bring a report back.

Vote: The lagoon-cleaning contract passed as part of the consent agenda with a recorded vote of 4 in favor and 2 opposed on that item specifically; the overall consent agenda otherwise passed 6-0 for the remaining items.

What’s next: Staff will proceed with the awarded contract, correct the packet error on percentage change, and investigate whether land-application equipment or permitting would be cost-effective in the long run.