After years of planning, the Fort Smith Parks Department is getting to move forward on a plan to add about seven miles of trails to the existing system at Chaffee Crossing.

The Fort Smith Board of Directors approved as part of the consent agenda at its meeting Tuesday three resolutions related to the project.

One resolution was to amend a current contract with Mickle Wagner Coleman engineers in Fort Smith. The original contract was for nearly $80,000. Parks Director Doug Reinert requested an additional $40,346 due to work required to meet Arkansas Department of Transportation regulations and easement acquisition. There was also a request for an additional $69,300 to complete the design for segment two.

Reinert said at the Parks Commission meeting Wednesday that 60 percent of the phase two design is complete. When finished, it will be ready for easement requests and the bidding process, he said.

The board also approved a contract for the construction observation of phases one and two. Reinert said in a memo to Fort Smith City Administrator Carl Geffken this process is “a critical component” of construction projects to evaluate weather delays, land changes and other needs.

“This process ensures timeline oversight and the justification of pay applications as the project moves forward,” Reinert wrote in the memo. This will be worth nearly $109,900.

Finally, a contract with Steve Beam Construction was approved for the 1.7-mile first segment of the trail, which will start at Wells Lake Road and end at Roberts Boulevard.

“We can move forward with that finally. I’m excited for that project,” Reinert said at the Wednesday meeting. “We’ve been working on it for two years and finally are getting through all the easements and making everybody happy. We’re there.”

The project is going to occur in three parts with the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) contributing $500,000 per segment. Fort Smith also received a $500,000 grant for the first phase.

Phase one is worth an estimated $1.35 million. One company, however, bid $1.26 million but was considered non-responsive by the Arkansas Department of Transportation for failure to complete anti-collusion and debarment certification forms.

The Parks Department plans on investing more than $1.2 million into the project this year, according to its five-year capital improvement plan. About $737,000 will be invested in 2020 and $2.28 million in 2021.

According to the FCRA website, the trail system will “connect all of Chaffee Crossing to the Fort Smith Master Trail Plan and regional trails.”

Reinert encouraged the commissioners to visit Chaffee Crossing, which features the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education, several local businesses and construction on multiple residential areas.

“That area is starting to develop. If you haven’t been in that area in quite awhile, it’s worth going out there to see what’s going on,” Reinert said. “It’s pretty exciting. I’m out there every single week, and it changes week by week.”

51 acres

The directors also approved a resolution amending a contract with Petree Construction for a maintenance building at the Riverfront Sports Fields. Originally, the board approved a little more than $120,400, but due to delays, material costs have increased.

Reinert told At-large Director Neal Martin the company had not purchased any supplies and wrote in a memo to Geffken the contractor had to extend its builder's risk policy.

The board approved a $14,540 increase for a new contract of about $135,000.

Reinert previously said the city’s acquisition of more than 300 acres on the riverfront for soft-surface trails helped get the final easements needed for the 51 acres.

The next step is installing the waterline and getting electricity at the fields, which will allow for restrooms, water fountains and the maintenance facility, Reinert told the commission. It will also include an inclusive playground, a challenge course, additional parking and more soccer fields, according the department’s capital improvement plan.

Parks Commission Chairman Casey Millspaugh mentioned again the importance of park maintenance. He said the city has built new features, but it has to take care of what it has. Reinert said the building on the lot will allow Maintenance Supervisor Jim Mackey and his crew to have a location on the west side of town and not have to haul things across the city.

“I know it’s been a long, slow arduous process, but we’re actually moving forward,” Reinert said.