City Hall

LIVE UPDATES: City Council Meeting Recap: April 18, 2017

By Todd Gill ·

File photo

On the agenda

  • Selling about 15 acres in the Commerce District.
  • Rezoning 26 acres at 1722 N. Starr Drive.
  • Rezoning 9 acres at 1840 W. Poplar Street.
  • Amending the Botanical Garden and Fayetteville schools agreement.
  • Authorizing motor vehicle access to West Hotz Drive.
  • Allowing substitute aldermen at City Council committee meetings.

» Download the full agenda

A meeting of the Fayetteville City Council began at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, 2017 inside room 219 of City Hall, located at 113 W. Mountain St. in Fayetteville.

Listed below are the items up for approval and links to PDF documents with detailed information on each item of business.

Roll Call

Present: Adella Gray, Sarah Marsh, Mark Kinion, Matthew Petty, Mayor Lioneld Jordan, Justin Tennant, Sarah Bunch, John La Tour, Alan Long
Absent: None

» View current attendance records

Consent

Consent items are approved in a single, all-inclusive vote.

1. Approval of the April 4, 2017 City Council Meeting Minutes
– Pass 8-0

2. Steve Landers Toyota of Northwest Arkansas (Details): A resolution to award Bid No. 17-24 and authorize the purchase of three 2017 Toyota Tacomas from Steve Landers Toyota of Northwest Arkansas in the total amount of $65,400.00 for use by the Water and Sewer Operations Division.
– Pass 8-0

3. Arkansas Municipal Equipment, Inc. (Details): A resolution to award Bid No. 17-23 and authorize the purchase of a Peterbilt 520 front load refuse truck with new Way Mammoth body from Arkansas Municipal Equipment, Inc. in the amount of $240,592.00 for use by the Recycling and Trash Collection Division.
– Pass 8-0

4. Williams Tractor (Details): A resolution to approve the purchase of six (6) Hustler Super Z mowers from Williams Tractor of Fayetteville in the total amount of $62,345.00 pursuant to a state procurement contract for use by the Parks and Recreation Department.
– Pass 8-0

5. Superior Automotive Group – Transportation Dept. (Details): A resolution to award bid No. 17-26 and authorize the purchase of five (5) 2017 Ford F-550 trucks from Superior Automotive Group of Siloam Springs, Arkansas in the total amount of $313,256.00 for use by the Transportation Services Department.
– Pass 8-0

6. Superior Automotive Group – Water & Sewer Dept. (Details): A resolution to award bid No. 17-26 and authorize the purchase of two (2) 2017 Ford F-550 diesel trucks and a Ford F-250 pickup truck from Superior Automotive Group of Siloam Springs, Arkansas in the total amount of $149,375.00 for use by the Water and Sewer Operations Division.
– Pass 8-0

7. Hilbilt Sales Corporation (Details): A resolution to award bid No. 17-29 and authorize the purchase of a Clement Starlite 3829 dump trailer from Hilbilt Sales Corporation of Benton, Arkansas in the amount of $39,794.00 plus applicable taxes for use at the city Wastewater Treatment Facilities.
– Pass 8-0

8. CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc. (Details): A resolution to approve an out-of-scope agreement with CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc. in the amount of $19,998.00 for design revisions to the access road and berms at the Lake Sequoyah Sediment Removal Project.
– Pass 8-0

9. Watershed Conservation Resource Center (Details): A resolution to approve Task Order No. 5 with the Watershed Conservation Resource Center in the amount of $100,500.00 for continued native vegetation establishment efforts and minor adjustments to existing restoration areas to enhance stream channel stability.
– Pass 8-0

10. Play by Design, Inc. (Details): A resolution to award RFP Bo. 17-03 and authorize a contract with Play by Design, Inc. in the amount of $299,990.91 for the construction of the Rotary Club of Fayetteville Playground at Kessler Mountain Regional Park, and to approve a project contingency in the amount of $30,000.00.
– Pass 8-0

11. Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, PLLC (Details): A resolution to approve Amendment No. 6 to the contract with Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, PLLC in the amount of $100,000.00 for additional legal services related to the White River Water Quality Standards Petition to the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, to approve a project contingency in the amount of $20,000.00, and to approve a budget adjustment.
– Pass 8-0

Unfinished Business

None

New Business

1. Benchmark Construction of NWA, Inc. (Details): A resolution to approve Change Order No. 2 to the contract with Benchmark Construction of NWA, Inc. in the amount of $195,377.00 for the construction of a bathroom and storage building at the Fire Department Training Facility, to approve a project contingency in the amount of $29,306.55, and to approve a budget adjustment.
– Pass 8-0

2. Fayetteville Commerce Park, Peter O. Kohler, LLC (Details): A resolution to sell about 14.9 acres of land in the Commerce District to Peter O. Kohler, LLC for $223,500.00.
– Pass 8-0

Notes: The vacant land will sell for $15,000 per acre instead of the advertised $20,000 per acre. City staff said the lower price is an incentive to bring in more production facilities to the Commerce District. Kohler plans to build a medical products manufacturing facility called OurPharma on the property. Chung Tan, director of economic development for the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, praised the decision and called it one of the biggest developments for the district in years. Alderman Tennant said adding technology-based businesses signifies economic growth and told fellow council members “this is exactly the kind of thing we need to promote.”

3. VAC 17-5749 (495 W. Prairie St./Infill Group) (Details): An ordinance to approve VAC 17-5749 for property located at 423 W. Prairie St. to vacate a portion of a drainage easement containing approximately 40 square feet.
– Pass 7-0

Notes: This project is for a long planned multi-story building with apartments on the upper floors and an Apple Blossom Brewing Co. taproom on the ground floor. Alderman Petty said he is involved with this project. His name is included on the application along with Infill Group, LLC. He recused himself from the discussion and vote.

4. RZN 17-5734 (1722 N. Starr Dr./St. Joseph’s School) (Details): An ordinance to rezone that property described in rezoning petition RZN 17-5734 for about 26.09 acres located at 1722 N. Starr Drive from R-A, Residential Agricultural and RSF-4, Residential Single Family, 4 units per acre to P-1, Institutional.
– Pass 8-0

5. RZN 17-5732 (1840 W. Poplar St./Poplar St. Mobile Home Park) (Details): An ordinance to rezone that property described in rezoning petition RZN 17-5732 for about 9.20 acres located at 1840 W. Poplar Street from RMF-24, Residential Multi Family, 24 units per acre to CS, Community Services.
– Pass 8-0

Notes: During the March 27 Planning Commission meeting, several residents of the property spoke about the difficulties of being displaced from their homes because of this rezoning. This was mentioned by city staff tonight, but City Attorney Kit Williams said if the landlord is able to terminate his leases with the tenants, the city cannot legally block the rezoning.

6. Amend Ordinance 3898, Botanical Garden and Fayetteville Schools Agreement (Details): An ordinance to amend ordinance 3898 by removing approximately 1.7 acres from the Lake Fayetteville Nature Study Center Reserve, to approve an amendment to the joint lease agreement with the Fayetteville School District to reflect the removal of the 1.7 acres, to approve an amendment to the Botanical Garden land lease agreement with the Botanical Garden Society of the Ozarks, Inc. to add approximately 1.7 acres to the leased premises, and to approve an amendment to the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks Master Plan to add an operations center on the additional acreage.
– Pass 8-0

Notes: This amendment will remove a portion of land from the city’s lease with the school district to allow the garden more room to build an operations center to store its tools and trucks, and to house its offices. There were no objections from the school district, city staff, or any of the City Council members.

7. University of Arkansas, West Hotz Drive (Details): A resolution pursuant to Ordinance No. 5652 to authorize motor vehicle access to West Hotz Drive from property owned by the University of Arkansas.
– Pass 6-2

Notes: Alderman Petty said he believes since the traffic light was installed at Razorback Road and Meadow Street, traffic has increased in terms of sending more vehicles into the neighborhoods west of Razorback Stadium. He said allowing access to Hotz Drive from the subject property could help alleviate that issue. Alderman La Tour agreed. Alderman Long and Alderman Kinion voted against.

8. Enact Article XXXI Equipment Committee and Article XXXII Substitution for Absent Fellow City Council Ward Member (Details): An ordinance to enact Articles XXXI and XXXII of the Fayetteville Code to codify membership and duties of the Equipment Committee and to provide for a City Council member to substitute for an absent ward representative on a standing City Council Committee.
– Tabled indefinitely 8-0

Notes: Mayor Jordan requested the item be tabled to allow more time to consider the issue.

Announcements

– The city’s Community Resources Division will host a Community Development Block Grant reception from 2-4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19 at the Fayetteville Senior Activity and Wellness Center, 945 S. College Ave.
– The city’s summer adult softball league is now accepting team registrations for the 2017 season.

Adjourned

This meeting was adjourned at 7:11 p.m.