City board to consider clearing land for new kayak park

Plans for a kayak park adjacent to Lake Francis Dam could move a step closer to reality when the city board hears a contract proposal from Patton Ltd., LLC., to begin clearing a piece of property for the project.

City board members will consider the contract at their next meeting on Jan. 7.

Patton Ltd. is proposing the city allow 17.25 acres of land owned by the Siloam Springs Water Resource Company (SSWRC) to be cleared and grubbed (remove stumps and tree roots), according to a staff report prepared by City Administrator Phillip Patterson. The property which will house the kayak park is presently owned by Patton Ltd., and the SSWRC, the report states.

The park has been in the works for more than five years, the report states. Plans for the park are currently being reviewed by the Corps of Engineers and will be funded by the Walton Family Foundation, the report states.

The park will be owned and operated by the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA), it states.

If the Corps of Engineers approves the plans for the kayak park, the property will need to be cleared before March 31 so as not to interfere with with the roosting and foraging of the Northern Long-Eared and Indiana bats, the staff report states.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation prohibits the clearing and grubbing of large properties when those species of bats are present after March 31 through approximately October, the report states.

Clearing and grubbing the land will not have a financial impact on the city, the report states. If the project is not approved by the Corps of Engineers by March 31, then nothing will happen on the project until the plans are approved, Patterson said in an email.

GRDA has contracted with Crossland Construction to be the construction manager at risk, according to the staff report.

Once the Corps of Engineers approves the plans and Crossland determines a price for the work to be done, Patton Limited and the SSWRC will deed the land to GRDA, the staff report states.

The city will also welcome Police Chief Allan Gilbert during their meeting on Tuesday. Gilbert was previously the deputy chief of police for the Tupelo Police Department and has experience as a patrolman, detective, special operations officer, SWAT team

member, Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) member and school resource officer, according to his resume. The new police chief will assume his duties on Jan. 6.

Other business on the agenda for the Jan. 7 board meeting includes:

• A budget amendment regarding a new diesel exhaust removal system for Fire Station #2 at the cost of $35,000

• The dedication of a pedestrian access easement located at 1645 W. U.S. Hwy. 412

• The third reading of first phase of Ordinance 19-27 regarding drivethrough uses

• The third reading of Ordinance 19-28 regarding the rezoning of the 2500 Block of South Waukesha Road

• The first reading of Ordinance 20-01 concerning the annexation of 4.99 acres located at 3480 Hwy. 412 E.

• The first reading of Ordinance 20-02 regarding the installation and relocation of utility and communication lines below ground

• Resolution 01-20 regarding the Siloam Springs Electric Utility Underground Master Plan

• Resolution 02-20 concerning procedures and organizational matters of the board of directors

• Resolution 03-20 regarding the recording of municipal meetings

• Resolution 04-20 which concerns setting a hearing date for the right-of-way vacation of the 300 block of Arkansas Highway 59

• An update on the pilot bike project.