Lincoln Expands Sewer Rehab Project

LINCOLN — Lincoln City Council agreed last week to use up to $105,000 of its federal covid funds to expand the scope of a sewer infrastructure project along Sugar Hill Road.

The council previously made the decision to spend the city’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act money, about $420,000, on the rehabilitation of more sewer infrastrature in the city limits.

The council on May 17 approved a resolution to authorize the city to enter into a contract with McClelland Consulting Engineers, Inc., of Fayetteville, to amend the work order for the Sugar Hill project. The additional work cannot exceed $105,000 in expenses.

The city is using a $307,285 grant from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to help pay the costs to repair about 1,100 linear feet of sewer lines and manholes along Sugar Hill Road.

Rhonda Hulse, city business manager, said the city is adding about 1,600 linear feet to the project. The engineering cost to design the expansion is about $105,000.

In other action, the council approved an ordinance to authorize the mayor to enter into a contract with Central Alabama Training Solutions Corp., for the purchase of a specialized air compressor for $38,750. Within the same ordinance, the council repealed action taken last month to purchase the air compressor from another vendor for a higher price of $42,034.

Washington County Quorum Court has approved spending some of Washington County’s American Rescue Plan Act money to purchase new self-contained air packs for fire departments in the county. The county’s purchase and delivery of these apparatuses to Lincoln is contingent on Lincoln Fire Department buying and installing the correct type of compressor needed to fill the air packs.

Under announcements and committee reports, fire Chief Thomas Pinder said the fire department has received a $15,000 grant from Arkansas Rural Development that will be used to purchase new extraction equipment.

Mayor Doug Hutchens said the city will have to repair damage from flooding around Lincoln Lake, as well as repairing damage to gravel streets in the community. South Park also has some erosion from flooding.

The council gave Hutchens the OK to move ahead with trimming trees and cleaning up corridors, up to $15,000. Hutchens said the city already has spent $33,900 and probably had another $10,000 to $12,000 in work to be finished. He said he didn’t want to do any more work without the approval of the council.

The city has not had to trim trees in the past because ice storms took care of that, Hutchens said.

“Now, it’s so high and hanging down that we have safety issues,” Hutchens told council members.

Hulse said the money for trimming trees will come from the capital improvements fund. She said she will have an appropriation ordinance at the June council meeting to show all the costs for trimming trees.

Hulse said the library has budgeted $40,000 for new shelving and has spent about $20,000 so far. She said library director Dianna Payne wants to spent another $50,000 on new shelving and wanted to make sure the council would be in favor of that before moving forward. Payne has the money in the budget to cover the cost, along with an additional $20,000 in unexpected revenue from the Washington County Library System.

The council did not take a vote on spending the money but no one objected to it.