SPRINGDALE : Garver gets nod to design new exit
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
SPRINGDALE — The City Council on Tuesday agreed to enter into contract negotiations with Garver Engineers for the design of an exit at Interstate 540 and Don Tyson Parkway.
Alderman Eric Ford, who at one point said the city should consider a different firm, expressed none of his prior concerns and even helped seal a unanimous vote in favor of Garver.
Before Tuesday, Ford had said that the choice of Garver should be questioned since it was obvious that the money they made in this region was being funneled south to North Little Rock, where Garver is building a $ 10 million facility.
Springdale, Ford argued, should look at hiring a firm like Crafton Tull Sparks, which is based in Rogers and has deeper roots in the area’s economy. But when Tuesday’s vote came before the council, he made no comments and quickly voted “yes” along with his colleagues.
Now that the vote is done, staff can proceed with Garver, who placed ahead of Crafton Tull when the two firms were evaluated by the Department of Planning and Community Development.
“It’s definitely a lengthy process, but you can’t get to the end until you get started,” said city Chief Engineer Ben Peters. He hopes to have a draft contract before the Street and Capital Committee by Aug. 19.
The exit at Don Tyson Parkway is considered essential for growth in west Springdale around Arvest Ballpark, where developers want to build a 1, 000-acre mixed use campus with retail, residential, sports and corporate outlets.
The exit also would create unprecedented access to south Springdale east of I-540.
The design contract covers all phases of development, from preliminary planning to groundbreaking. Firms competing for the job had to estimate how many man hours would be used, how much the design would cost and show multiple routes for the exit.
The contract is not to exceed $ 3. 7 million.
The City Council on Tuesday did hire Crafton Tull as the engineer for improvements to Hylton Road at the eastern terminus of Don Tyson Parkway.
Under Arkansas Code 19-11-803, a city can bypass the first firm if, among other things, the firm does not have the “capacity and capability” to complete the job, or if the firm does not have the “specialized experience and technical competence” for the job.
Ford, who had referenced the law when he suggested hiring Crafton Tull for the exit, made no mention of it Tuesday.
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