The Arkadelphia Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 5:30 p.m. in the upstairs board room at Town Hall, 700 Clay St., Arkadelphia.

Awaiting directors’ approval is a change order in the amount of $65,693 to the water/wastewater extension in Gum Springs. Arkadelphia Utilities’ existing line ends at McClelland Boulevard, on the east side of U.S. Highway 67; the approved project will add a 1/4-mile utilities extension along the highway to the corner of the EDCCC’s Super Site on the west side of the highway.

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Engineers extended their design to include a manhole and an 8-inch PVC sewer line, which would be encased in a 12-inch steel pipe, to run beneath the highway. City Manager Gary Brinkley informed directors in a memorandum that the city initiated the change order to “better provide service to that side of the highway in the future.”

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The overall project included a contingency fee of $75,200. Brinkley noted in the memo that the additional work included in this change order is using most of the contingency early on in the process. The change order brings the contracting fees to $817,708. Engineering fees in the amount of $137,000 puts the total price tag of the project at $964,215. The change order leaves $9,507 in contingencies.

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City employee health insurance on rise

Directors are also expected to consider increasing the city’s expenditures as they relate to employee insurance premiums.

In a separate memo to directors, Brinkley said his office was notified last week that those premiums will be increasing in 2023. City employees are insured through the Arkansas Municipal Health Benefit Plan.

Directors will be provided with the new rates at the meeting Tuesday and will consider the price increase.

In other business

Directors will hear the third and final reading of a pair of ordinances raising water and sewer rates for Arkadelphia’s residential and wholesale customers.

The board will also hear the second reading of an ordinance adopting electrical codes.