Board aims to find resolution to flooding issues
FORT SMITH — The School Board is considering Illinois-based company Envista Forensics to investigate the multiple Peak Innovation Center drainage system failures and determine what party or parties may be at fault.
Board member Dalton Person said at the board meeting Monday he spoke with two other companies about the project but was told they weren’t interested in determining fault. He said Envista has a $10,000 retainer then would bill the district based on a to-be-determined fee schedule.
Board member Phil Whiteaker proposed Person speak with Envista for the board and discuss an agreeable price range after the retainer is reached before the district enters in a contract.
Whiteaker’s proposal was approved in a 6-0 vote, with Talicia Richardson abstaining.
“I am willing to spend more money to find a concrete resolution to this, knowing that we’ve had exhaustive conversations. All parties involved have been a focus of attention throughout social media, news media and so on. We have thousands of students who pass through a $20 million facility in our School District, and I feel like we need to put an end to this conversation,” Whiteaker said.
Charles Warren, the district’s chief financial officer, told the board the district will be looking into rebate recoveries and interest earnings to pay Envista and will not touch millage or taxpayer dollars.
Joseph Velasquez, district construction project manager, said in June repairs are expected to cost almost $4 million.
Peak’s parking lot first flooded in June of 2022, putting a custodian’s car under water.
The center flooded for the second time during spring break in March, with water entering the front office area, the adjacent hall and nearby classroom areas, according to the district. The district said no classrooms had damage and the center was open the following Monday.
Peak flooded for the third time in June, with Superintendent Terry Morawski emailing School Board members notifying them water again entered the office and the unfinished area nearby. He said the flooding wasn’t as extensive as in March, with no water damage to the carpet or furniture.
The center opened to students in March 2022 as a collaboration between the School District and the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith but owned by the district. It serves roughly 280 students from 22 school districts across Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Scott and Sebastian counties through the university’s Western Arkansas Technical Center program.
The center houses courses for automation and robotics, computer integrated machining, electronics technology and industrial maintenance, emergency medical responders, medical office assistants, network engineering and unmanned aerial systems. It’s the last of the district’s Vision 2023 plan projects to be completed, which were paid through a 5.558-mill property tax increase voters approved in May 2018 generating roughly $121 million.
At the board’s special meeting in June, it agreed to open a request for qualification for a consultant to investigate the multiple Peak drainage system failures as well as the current systems in place. The board agreed to have the consultant report to and operate under the direction of the board instead of district administration. The board also agreed to exclude board member Sandy Dixon, who’s the president of Turn Key Construction, the construction manager at risk for the Peak project.
Person said he thinks the scope should involve the consultant being on-site, interview all entities and review communications among them, as well as Peak designs, contracts, change orders and other documents related to the current drainage systems.