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Siloam Springs Board approves infrastructure contracts and fee changes, remands one rezoning after safety and compatibility concerns
Summary
At its April 7 meeting the board approved a manhole rehabilitation contract ($175,925), a cemetery GPR purchase ($25,500), a Fire Department Act 833 amendment ($60,000), an MOU with U.S. Marshals and an ordinance waiving competitive bidding for WWTP switch-gear ($64,000); the board remanded a rezoning (R2→R5) back to Planning Commission for further review.
The Siloam Springs Board of Directors took a series of routine and non-routine actions after the staff workshop on April 7.
Contracts and budgets: The board approved a $175,925 contract with Midwest Infrastructure Coatings to apply a polyurea liner to roughly 500 vertical feet of manholes in sewer basin eight to reduce inflow and infiltration, with funding coming from general line maintenance. Directors also approved a $25,500 budget amendment from the Perpetual Care Fund to purchase ground-penetrating radar for cemetery grave location and a $60,000 additional expenditure from Act 833 grant funds to expand a Fire Department training/storage building project. A previously listed ambulance purchase for $337,690 was withdrawn by staff.
Public safety and intergovernmental agreement: The board approved an MOU with the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Apprehension Task Force to designate a part-time task-force officer to assist on violent-offender and fugitive apprehension operations.
Procurement: The board adopted Ordinance 26-05, waiving competitive bidding to authorize a sole-source replacement of a proprietary Kohler HMI/PLC controller and switch gear at the wastewater treatment plant; staff said the item is obsolete, disrupted automatic transfer, and that an authorized regional Kohler distributor, Nixon Power Systems, provided the $64,000 quote. Capital budget funds of $100,000 were available for the work.
Fees and ordinances: Staff presented Ordinance 26-02 to update parks rental and cemetery fees (including CPI adjustments for certain facilities) and the board placed it on first reading. Board approved a first reading for a rezoning to allow an office use at 1218 East Kenwood (R2→C2).
Rezoning remand: The board remanded a separate rezoning request (800 block of S. Arkansas Highway 16 from R2 to R5 to permit townhomes) back to the Planning and Zoning Commission after directors and public speakers raised concerns about traffic, privacy, and the use of a temporary fire-access drive. The fire chief and fire marshal confirmed the northeast access is a temporary emergency access and that a future required connection (East J Street) would provide permanent access; the board voted unanimously to ask Planning and Zoning to rehear the item on May 12.
Votes: Roll-call votes on the contracts, budget amendments, MOU and ordinances were recorded as unanimous among present directors. Several items will advance to Planning and Zoning or return to staff for further action; the board returned from a later executive session with instructions to send candidate-question responses concluded in that closed session.
