Officials place aquatics park on ballot

The Sebastian County Quorum Court and Fort Smith City Board of Directors approved an inter-local agreement at a special joint meeting Thursday night (Feb. 16) to move forward on the approximately $8 million Ben Geren Park Aquatics Facility.

The plan was in danger when, on Jan. 24, the quorum court voted 7-6 against suspending the rules for a second and third reading, thus facilitating the need for an agreement revision and Thursday’s special joint meeting. This time, the votes were there.

By a tally of 9-4, the quorum court agreed to put the item on the ballot March 13 for final approval. The city vote followed with only Director George Catsavis dissenting in a final tally of 5-1. On the quorum court side, Shawn Looper, Phil Hicks, Tony Crockett, and Johnny Hobbs voted against. All members were present.

One major change that resonated with quorum court members was that “annexation of Ben Geren Park into the City of Fort Smith does not denote ownership but facilitates investment of stated City funds for recreational facility enhancements at the Park,” the revision states. In other words, should the operation cease to function, ownership would revert to the county.

The revision also establishes an Aquatics Facility Oversight Review Committee consisting of the county judge, city administrator, one quorum court member to be determined, one city director to be determined, and one member each from the City Park and County Park Boards.

Despite the better than two-thirds majority approval, court members still have reservations. The facility projects a first year loss of $113,472, according to a 2010 study conducted by Ballard-King & Associates, Ltd., and Larkin Aquatics.

Court member Linda Murry agreed to put the item on the ballot, but before voting “yes” declared the facility was “not a sound financial investment,” adding that the “county and the city struggle financially.”

Murry continued: “However, the people in my district will have the opportunity to vote on this, and I will stand behind what they decide with my full support.”

Court member Shawn Looper, one of the dissenting votes, told The City Wire after the meeting had adjourned: “A lot of the revisions were good, especially the changes with annexation, but for me, it still came down to spending $4 million when we have other priorities, such as the ambulance facility. We’ve increased our staff down there, but we’ve still got a way to go, and the water park is a financial burden.”

Looper continued: “It (aquatics) is not a financially sound decision. The revisions do need to be made in order to have a fair agreement, but this will be a loss, and it will come directly out of the general fund. That will affect employee salaries, employee raises, and every other aspect of county government. If that deficit grows on the water park, it will be a direct drain on our general fund.”

City Director George Catsavis agreed. “I look at things as we’re a business, and this is projected to lose $130,000 or $150,000 per year. No one in their right mind could take this project to a banker and get approval. That’s just the way I look at things. I do see some value in it in the future when the economy is better, and we don’t have to rob one fund to pay another. I’m tired of going into projects that are going to lose, lose, lose. You can only lose so much before disaster happens. But if the voters approve it, great,” Catsavis said.

The next meeting of the Sebastian County Quorum Court will occur Feb. 21.