Arkadelphia City Manager Gary Brinkley told the City Board of Directors during its Tuesday meeting that his administration is planning to rebid a sidewalk rehabilitation project on Feaster Trail.

During his city manager’s report, Brinkley said the project, from 26th Street to Baptist Health Medical Center, would be open for bidding again. Directors in September rejected the only two bids that were offered, the lowest of which was $250,000. Brinkley reported that the city of Greenbrier opened a similar bid this week with “favorable” results, giving Arkadelphia “hope we can move forward with this project.”

Also in Brinkley’s report, he thanked Southern Bancorp for the invitation to the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Little Rock. “It was good to see the business community reuniting to discuss commerce again,” he said.

He also thanked the Clark County Industrial Commission for keeping the new housing subdivision on track (keep visiting The Arkadelphian for more details later).

In regards to the recent grant from the Arkansas Department of Transportation, Brinkley said the 80/20 matching grant will allow the city to make improvements along North 16th Street and Caddo around Peake Rosenwald as well as “significant work” at the 12th and Caddo streets intersection. A sidewalk will be added on South 10th Street from Crittenden to the Arkansas Department of Human Services. “This has been a particular concern” for Arkadelphia Police Chief Jason “Shorty” Jackson, Brinkley noted, “as the hill makes it hard to see pedestrians walking in the street at some points on the road.”

Brinkley said he also executed a change order to a contract for the Arkadelphia Water Utilities/Gum Springs project for $9,724. The project will add two additional valves and all the plumbing for that pump station. “As we looked at how water was flowing through the pump station, we determined we did not have enough water valves to manage the system in our best interest in case of rupture in one of the distribution lines,” Brinkley said. 

Installing the valves will allow the redirection of flow and keep “most of the customers with water should an issue occur outside the primary distribution line,” he said. 

Brinkley thanked the Clark County Retired Teachers for hosting him at a meeting Tuesday.

Finally, Brinkley encouraged the community’s attendance of a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at the new Northridge subdivision on Country Club Road. “This project has been in the works for nearly three years and it will be a great day to celebrate this accomplishment,” Brinkley said of the 10:30 ceremony.