SPRINGTOWN — Springtown let a deadline pass to pay back $30,000 the city owes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Mayor Paul Lemke said he has no plans to return the money until he finds out why “we are being singled out.”
The disputed money is the result of differing opinions on how a $30,000 grant from the agency could be used. The agency says the money was aimed to help the city repair a low-water bridge on Aubrey Long Road washed out by flooding in 2008. Lemke said the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, which administers the federal money, told him the city could place the money in its street fund.
Springtown built a new bridge a few feet downstream with a $250,000 grant from the Arkansas Community and Economic Development Program instead of repairing the low-water bridge. The new bridge opened in February.
Lemke said the new bridge was a necessity, replacing a relic impassible after just a few inches of rain. He said residents along Aubrey Long Road would be forced to drive at least 10 miles out of the way in bad weather.
“It’s a 4-foot-tall dam,” Lemke said of the old broken-down bridge
The initial scope of work for the $30,000 grant, written in July 2008, states the city will restore the low-water bridge to pre-disaster conditions. The federal document also notes the city intends to build a new,24-foot-wide bridge near the site, but doesn’t include the new bridge in funding consideration.
The city requested, in December 2010, the $30,000 be included in the larger bridge project, but the federal agency denied the request based on an environmental assessment that didn’t meet agency standards.
Jay Stallard with the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development Council assisted Springtownthroughout the process and helped create the assessment. He said an assessment completed to federal agency standards would cost about $40,000 and asked for an exclusion based on project size.
Negotiation continued along this vein until September, when city officials asked if the money could be used to demolish the low-water bridge.
Scott Bass, division director for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, sent an email to Carla Wasson, Springtown city attorney, explaining why the second request was denied.
“Indeed, demolition is included within the original scope of work; however, it only represents a small portion of the work,” Bass wrote. “In order for the facility to be returned to pre-disaster condition, theentire scope of work must be completed.”
Bass said he was told by Lemke in September the bridge was repaired, and he asked the mayor to submit documentation of the repair. No documentation was ever provided, Bass wrote.
The state agency followed up the conversation with an inspection in November 2011 that concluded the bridge didn’t meet pre-disaster condition. At that point, the agency notified Springtown it had until May 1 to return the money or repair the bridge.
Lemke bases his refusal to do either on a conversation with Sylvia Hardy, a former recovery branch manager for the Arkansas agency. In a Sept. 13 email to three colleagues, Hardy wrote: “Just to let you know that Springtown is resolved. I have spoken quite lengthy (sic) to the mayor. Mayor is going to withdraw the request for improved project. They are also going to keep the funding received for the original bridge because in the past years since the event, they have used the funds for repair and maintenance to their streets and bridges, which is allowable for small project funding.”
Joseph Hightower, also with the Arkansas agency, responded to Hardy’s email Sept. 23, telling her the caseshould stay open until the bridge is inspected.
Lemke said the city started construction on the bridge in November.
“After they said we could have it, we went for it,” he said. “Then they changed their mind.”
The state recently kicked in $17,000 to help the city finish paying off costs associated with engineering fees for the new bridge. Stallard said he wasn’t surprised at the federal agency’s request that the money be returned.
News, Pages 3 on 06/06/2012