Benton County officials OK court needs study

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials agreed Thursday to spend $80,000 to study the proposed new justice center.

The Finance Committee voted to proceed with a needs analysis of the courts facility by the consulting team of Perkowitz & Ruth, Cromwell, Dewberry. County Judge Bob Clinard selected that group from three finalists the county had been considering. The group proposed examining two sites, one in downtown Bentonville and one on Southwest 14th Street, which prompted a lengthy discussion

The justices of the peace balked at authorizing the full scope of the study, with several advocating limiting the study to possible locations in downtown Bentonville while Clinard argued the county can't restrict the study to a single site.

"In my mind, when the Public Safety Committee was formed, I felt like it was our task, as you had given us, to pick a site," Pat Adams, justice of the peace for District 6, told Clinard. "I almost feel like we've wasted a year to get to where we are now."

Joel Jones of District 7 said the justices of the peace have voted several times in support of a downtown location. Jones said the county judge has the authority to recommend a site, but the Quorum Court has to agree if the plan is to be authorized and any vote on a funding method approved by the public.

"Judge, I completely understand your authority," Jones said. "But if we're not on board, it's not going to happen."

Clinard said the county wouldn't be acting responsibly if it didn't consider all options and compare the pros and cons of each against the other.

"I think the taxpayers of this county, looking at a facility for 50 years or longer, need to have options," Clinard said. "I don't know how you're going to have options if you only look at one site. I cannot imagine we would limit this study to one site. How are you going to compare that if you have nothing else on the table?"

Brent Meyers of District 14 agreed with Clinard on the need to consider more than a single downtown site. Meyers said the justices of the peace need to know what the differences in cost between the locations may be.

"It might be $1 or it might be $15 million," Meyers said. "We'd be spending our taxpayers' dollars without knowing what we're spending it on. In my mind, we're saying we're willing to spend $10 million more here and disregard everything else. We need good, hard numbers and we don't know what those numbers are unless we have both options. We have to have all options on the table before we spend the taxpayers' money."

Clinard suggested the committee consider a compromise, authorizing the consultants to proceed with the needs analysis while the county continues discussing location options.

"We can limit this first part to just the needs analysis," Clinard said. "That's two months. We don't even have to consider the site in this first two months."

Benton County has worked on plans for a courts building for the past few years. A study completed in January 2014 identified three sites -- two downtown and one on Southwest 14th Street near the jail and Road Department. Clinard favors the Southwest 14th Street location. The Public Safety Committee endorsed a downtown project early in 2015 and the Finance Committee has been exploring financing options for a downtown project.

Work on the proposal was delayed in September after six circuit judges submitted a letter to Clinard and the Quorum Court opposing both downtown plans as inadequate. The letter, citing concerns over security, access for the public and judicial system employees, parking and expansion, prompted the decision to seek a consulting firm to help with the project.

Clinard has said the new study will examine both the internal design and function of a courts building and how the proposed building fits into the spaces being considered. The study should also provide some information about how the building fills current needs and can be expanded as the county grows.

The justices of the peace also approved a proposal for design work on the repair of the historic War Eagle Bridge. The committee recommended asking Great River Engineering of Springfield. Mo., to complete the work in the next five months. If the company agrees the work can be done on that schedule the cost will be $99,500.

The county spent more than $640,000 on repair to the bridge in 2010 but state inspectors found critical deficiencies in 2013. The county has reduced the bridge's posted weight limit to 3 tons while preservation options are being considered.

Historic bridge

Built by the Illinois Steel Bridge Company in 1907, the War Eagle Bridge is significant as one of six Parker through trusses in Arkansas. The bridge is next to a reconstructed grist mill, which is fourth in a series of mills on the same site dating back to 1832.

Source: Library of Congress

General News on 02/10/2016