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Council OKs agreement to relocate power poles tied to Locust Street widening; work contingent on grant award
Summary
Council adopted a resolution authorizing an agreement with Energy Arkansas to relocate overhead power poles for a Locust Street widening project; council discussed underground fiber lines (Comcast, BrightSpeed) that were installed during design and emphasized no relocation will occur until the grant is awarded and council is informed.
Council adopted Resolution 8 on March 2 authorizing the mayor and city clerk/treasurer to enter an agreement with Energy Arkansas, Inc. to relocate existing power poles required for the Locust Street widening project. The relocation is intended to count toward the city's 20% match for a larger grant (example used in meeting: a $3 million grant would need a $600,000 match).
During committee discussion staff and council highlighted complications from utilities that were installed after the project design. One staff speaker noted that "it was not AT&T, it was the Comcast line and the Bright Speed lines" that were installed without coordination and that such private utility work can complicate city projects.
Council emphasized that no work on pole relocation will be scheduled until the city knows the grant has been awarded. "We are not going to be doing this until we know we received the grant," the mayor said after the resolution passed. Staff agreed to keep council informed and to explore whether legislative changes could improve coordination with fiber companies.
The resolution also waived competitive bidding requirements for that agreement so the mayor and treasurer could execute terms with Energy Arkansas under the state bid or negotiated terms. Council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution, and the mayor recorded that scheduling and expenditures are contingent on the grant award.
