Fort Smith City Director Lavon Morton talks about what’s next
Fort Smith City Director Lavon Morton talks about what’s next for him and the city
The Fort Smith Board of Directors will discuss several significant matters during its Jan. 21 meeting, including demolition orders, property purchases, and grant-related projects.
The board is slated to proceed with the purchase of 623 Garrison Ave. A resolution to accept the building inspection report and an ordinance to amend the 2025 budget by allocating funds for the purchase are included.
Bashears Construction did a walkthrough and presented a report. Beshears concluded, “The building has been renovated many times and maintained since original construction. It appears in typical condition for a building of its age.” Nothing in the summary report indicated any significant flaws or defects.
Bashears did not conduct a specific asbestos survey. However, the company reported it suspected areas containing asbestos, including plumbing pipe insulation, the boiler, and 9×9 floor tiles. In the report, Bashears noted several stickers on items that caution about asbestos, so it believes a previous survey was conducted at some point.
Mission Installation Resilience Grant
The directors are expected to adopt an ordinance and resolution to work with Converge Strategies LLC, which will study and assess vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure concerning the Ebbing Air National Guard Base, including water, gas, electric and sewer systems. The findings will enable the city to pursue additional grants to achieve a 14-day resiliency target for the base, which has expanded its role by hosting training for the U.S. foreign sales of the F-16 and F-25.
The 14-day resiliency target for military bases refers to the ability of a base to sustain essential operations for at least 14 days without relying on external infrastructure. This includes ensuring access to critical resources such as power, water, gas and sewer systems during emergencies like natural disasters, cyberattacks or other disruptions.
Dilapidated properties demolition
An ordinance will be considered to order the demolition of dilapidated and substandard structures at 3301 Neis St., 407 North 17th St., and 920 North 10th St. The measure includes authorizing the city administrator to oversee the demolitions.
Consent agenda
Numerous resolutions and ordinances are on the consent agenda, including:
- Submitting a Notice of Intent to the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management.
- Authorizing changes to street overlay and reconstruction projects.
- Approving an engineering services agreement for stormwater mitigation and master planning.
- Executing agreements for community services with organizations such as Project Compassion and the Fort Smith Museum of History.
- Accepting bids for bulk fuel purchases and amendments for infrastructure projects.
- Approving final payments and reconciliations for the Carol Ann Cross Park Greenway & Boardwalk project.