Springdale council to offer 100,000 masks to residents

SPRINGDALE — The City Council on Friday unanimously agreed to buy masks for residents who need them.

Council members approved spending $41,705 to purchase 100,000 disposable masks to help stop the spread of covid-19.

Northwest Arkansas has seen a spike in cases over the past several weeks, leading the state and setting records for new cases.

Washington County led the state with 122 new cases, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday. That number rose by 98 on Saturday. Benton County reported 68 more cases Friday, with the number rising by 119 Saturday.

Hutchinson said that as of Friday, 43.3% of covid-19 hospitalized patients were in Northwest Arkansas.

Council members held a special meeting to approve the purchase. Wyman Morgan, the city’s director of administration and finance, said they needed to vote to waive competitive bidding.

“In this case, we just didn’t think we had the time to wait for bids to come in,” he said. “We need to get these masks in the hands of people who need them.”

The city staff was expected to order the masks Friday afternoon.

Mayor Doug Sprouse said the masks should arrive at City Hall by the middle of this week. City staff members will coordinate a dispersal plan, he said, noting they have already talked to leaders of various community organizations.

Morgan said officials are researching grants that might reimburse the city.

A team of scientists from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arrived in Northwest Arkansas earlier this month to assess the situation.

Spokesman Jason McDonald said the agency sent a team of scientists to the area at the request of Arkansas health officials.

Bill Rogers, vice president for special projects and communication for the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, reported large companies are providing barriers between workers, requiring testing for covid-19, and are continuing to pay employees who test positive for the virus as incentive for them to stay home.

This action by the city dovetails with chamber efforts, Rogers said.