Work to merge cities moves ahead

Springdale, Bethel Heights officials seek to ease transition

SPRINGDALE — Joetta and Lawrence Bowen finally are enjoying their yard in Bethel Heights.

They live next door to the Bethel Heights wastewater treatment plant on Lincoln Street. For years, untreated wastewater from the plant spilled into their yard, bringing stink and bugs with it.

But since Springdale and Bethel Heights voters on Tuesday approved annexing the smaller town into the bigger, the Bowen’s yard has been dry. And remnants of the town’s used toilet paper are gone, Joetta added.

Residents proposed the annexation to resolve the issue of Bethel Heights’ failing sewer system. The measure passed with 81% voting in favor of the measure.

The change will become official Friday when the election commissions of both Washington and Benton counties certify the results.

Springdale Water Utilities went into action early on the morning after the election.

Heath Ward, the executive director of the utility, directed the drivers of White River Environmental Services to keep pumping water from the system and haul it away.

The Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality in 2019 ordered Bethel Heights to haul wastewater for treatment elsewhere. The department required the city to remove 25% of its daily 80,000 gallons of wastewater — or no less than 20,000 gallons a day — until wastewater stopped surfacing at the Lincoln Street plant.

Bethel Heights had contracted with White River Environmental to remove the wastewater.

By Thursday, the wastewater was delivered to the Springdale Waste Water Treatment Plant rather than the treatment plant operated by the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority in south Bentonville, Ward said.

“The system is working because we are still pumping,” he said. An extra five loads were transferred Thursday to greatly reduce the chance of the system overflowing, he noted.

Bethel Heights sewer customers should be served by Springdale Water Utilities within about two weeks, Ward said. The utility currently provides water to the town.

Ward said he also is eager to get the data regarding the city’s sewer customers to set them up with the lower rates Springdale residents pay for water and sewer service.

And the city will work through the Bethel Height’s contract with Inland Waste Systems and Springdale’s with Waste Management to provide trash, recycling and heavy waste pickup, said Mayor Doug Sprouse.

Springdale’s Fire Department already has taken over fire and emergency medical service for the Bethel Heights’ residents. The city closed its fire department on the night of the election, Sprouse said.

Springdale’s Police Department will respond to calls in the Bethel Heights area starting Aug. 22. The Bethel Heights police officers finished their duty Friday, and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office will respond to calls in the interim, Sprouse said.

Other than those changes, residents of neither city shouldn’t notice a difference when Bethel Heights officials hand over the keys to the city, Sprouse said.

Springdale city staff went to Bethel Heights on Friday to meet with that city’s staff. Sprouse said they were very accommodating and willing to help.

The directors of Springdale’s various departments made introductions, saw equipment Bethel Heights owns and asked questions.

“We’ll probably be sending a lot of emails,” said Denise Pearce, the Springdale city clerk.

Sprouse on the morning after the election hand-delivered to the Bethel Heights city hall a list of items Springdale would need to make the transition. He said he could not reach any Bethel Heights staff on the phone.

“We were not well received,” Sprouse said after the visit.

But after Friday’s session, that list seems less critical, and Sprouse leaves his department heads to work with the Bethel Heights staff to get the items as needed.

Springdale officials also sang high praises of the Bethel Heights planning director, Amanda Fenton.

Pearce said the woman seems to keep the small city running.

“She’s wearing a lot of hats,” Pearce said. “She is very organized, and she cares a lot about her city.”

Pearce said Fenton has the Bethel Heights payroll ready for city employees’ final checks and the city’s accounts paid up-to-date.

Sprouse said he hopes to add Fenton to the Springdale payroll to help during the transition.

“If she’s around, things will go very smoothly,” Pearce predicted. “She’s willing to help — and I really like that. It seems like it’s going to be an easy transition, if she helps.”

Laura Favorite, Springdale’s director of finance, asked Fenton what kind of system Bethel Heights uses for accounting.

Pearce recalled Favorite’s response — “I’ve heard of that” — and thought it was a good sign.

Pearce said she really doesn’t know what she needs from Bethel Heights but listed personnel files, accounts payable and business licenses.

Ward said the Springdale utility next week will hire a licensed plant operator who has worked with the Bethel Heights system.

Ward and his staff also are working to quickly lay a polyethylene plastic pipe above ground to direct the wastewater to Springdale’s plant before it gets to the Bethel Heights system. The route is planned, and a contractor has been hired, Ward said.

He hopes it will be in place about two weeks after the annexation is in effect.

The utility will follow up with a pipe underground and ultimately close the Bethel Heights system, he said.

Ward said he also started conversations this week to receive money from the state promised to Bethel Heights to fix the system.

“The money would have been spent anyway,” Ward said. “Maybe it can help us offset some of the cost.

“We’re cleaning up this mess, and it will solve a lot of problems for the state. Any help would be appreciated.”