Council moves forward with lights

Project will not exceed $310,000

SPRINGDALE — City officials are moving forward with installing lights at Bobby Hopper Park.

“Bobby Hopper is our only ball field park that does not have lighting,” said Bill Mock, parks and recreation director.

All ball field parks need lighting, he said.

The new lighting for Bobby Hopper Park will not exceed $310,000, the City Council decided Monday at its committee meeting.

The park is on East Huntsville Avenue and is mostly used for soccer. Lighting for the park has been pushed back, City Council member Mike Lawson said.

“When we upgraded it, we couldn’t afford the lighting, and we just never had the adequate lighting out there, if any,” he said. “And, it’s just been a long time coming.”

Voters in February approved a $224.6 million bond issue. Lawson said $19 million of that was to go toward parks, and up to $310,000 for lights would be a part of that.

“It’s needed. It’s a wellused park,” Lawson said.

The six 70-feet tall light poles will be purchased from Musco Lighting, Mock said.

The city can purchase the lights at any time, Lawson said, but there’s not a set time for when they will be installed.

The lighting at Bobby Hopper Park is another installment in city park upgrades.

The City Council in August unanimously approved $235,000 for cameras — largely because of vandalism — at Murphy Park downtown and the C.L. “Charlie” and Willie George Park in the southeastern part of the city. The camera system, which also included “presence detectors” in the bathrooms covering the hours when the bathrooms are closed, were also to be paid for with bond money.

Mock said preventing vandalism isn’t a part of the reason for purchasing the lights at Bobby Hopper Park.

In other business, the City Council members also approved:

■ Amending the Street Department budget to include $2 million budgeted but not spent in 2017 for the Dean’s Trail project for general construction and engineering.

■ Spending $164,743 from the capital improvement projects fund to purchase a trash loader for the bulky waste program.

■ Waiving competitive bidding to buy staff vehicles not to exceed $85,717 from Superior Automotive Group for the Fire Department.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER The Springdale Committee of the Whole on Monday approved lights at Bobby Hopper Park on Huntsville Road.