Ben Geren agreement pushed to early December

Sebastian County Quorum Court members said Monday they want to see a 2012 county budget before approving a plan to work with the city of Fort Smith on building and maintaining recreational facilities at Ben Geren Regional Park.

The Quorum Court and the Fort Smith Board of Directors met Monday (Nov. 21) at the Elm Grove Community Center at Martin Luther King Park in Fort Smith.

The meeting follows a Sept. 13 joint meeting of the two governing bodies during which consensus was reached on moving forward with what would essentially be a joint operating agreement. The agreement would stipulate upfront capital and ongoing maintenance costs for an aquatics facility and softball fields.

For two years the Fort Smith Board and the Sebastian County Quorum Court have discussed the construction and operation of a new aquatics facility at Ben Geren Park. Questions of size, cost, length of construction, opening date, who will pay, and where the money will come from, have persisted.

According to a draft agreement presented Monday, the county would commit $4 million for the aquatic center project, and the city would submit to voters a $5.25 million plan for the aquatic center and construction of two softball fields. City officials plan in March 2012 to propose renewal of bond financing for wet-weather system improvements mandated by the federal government. The vote would include a provision asking voter approval to use a portion of the 1% sales tax proceeds to pay for the Ben Geren facilities improvements.

If approved, Fort Smith City Administrator Ray Gosack said the aquatics park may not open until the summer of 2014.

The larger aquatic center of two proposed plans would cost $8 million but would come closer to breaking even with projected annual operating costs of $822,772 and a projected annual revenue of $709,300. The loss of $113,472 with the larger facility would be less than the $125,213 net loss the smaller park projected.

A previous consensus of both bodies was to go with the larger project.

The two softball fields, which would replace Andrews Field when it was cleared to make room for expansion of the Fort Smith National Cemetery, would cost about $1.25 million to construct. The city would pay the county $11,000 a year to maintain the fields.

If the plan is approved, the city would annex Ben Geren Regional Park into the city limits. However, the agreement stipulates that the land would be owned and maintained by the county.

Several times during the Monday meeting, Sebastian County Judge David Hudson cautioned members of both bodies to be mindful of the ongoing maintenance costs. He said the agreement does not prescribe a “revenue stream” for future upkeep of the facilities.

Hudson also said the county has for 25 years tried to get a private sector company to build a water park at Ben Geren. To date, the tire-kickers have been scared away by the potential losses, Hudson explained.

Fort Smith City Director Kevin Settle said Monday the agreement creates “a great partnership” between the city and county.

Quorum Court Member Shawn Looper suggested the court have a chance to review the county’s proposed 2012 budget before approving the agreement.

Hudson will deliver the proposed budget to Quorum Court members on Tuesday (Nov. 22). The court will meet Nov. 29 to consider the budget.

To move the process forward in a manner that allows the city to put the issue on a March ballot, the county will meet Dec. 12 to consider the park agreement ahead of a Dec. 13 meeting during which the Fort Smith Board will consider the agreement.