In a special noon session Wednesday, the Hope City Board of Directors took the next step in getting a planned new facility for the Southwest Arkansas Educational Cooperative off the drawing board.

By unanimous vote, the board adopted the construction contract for the new facility, pending the completion of financing terms with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Hope City Manager Catherine Cook explained that the contractor, Crossland Construction Co., of Rogers, has shown an intent to hold his bid good for the 60 days required to complete bond financing.

“While the contractor has shown his intention to hold the bid if necessary, there are certain items that need to be ordered by the main contractor that cannot be ordered until he is under contract,” Cook said.
She said some sub-contractors may not hold bids if the project is not under a general contract, part of the reason for the action by the board Wednesday.

“In order to protect the City, a Notice to Proceed would not be issued until all agreements are signed and funding is finalized,” Cook noted.
The board also learned that since Crossland’s bid was some $100,000 below the original estimate of $2.5 million, SWAEC intends to ask the USDA to revise its loan agreement to reduce the loan from $2.2 million to slightly more than $2 million.

The reduction is the result of deductive alternatives in Crossland’s bid which SWAEC has asked the City to exercise.
A public hearing is set for July 21 on adoption of the bond resolution for the City to act as the owner of the building, which is to be constructed on the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope campus.

Also Wednesday, the board unanimously approved two rezoning ordinances, including one for the construction of a proposed offices building for Union Services Industries on West Commerce Boulevard, and another, requested by Nannette Williams, for the rezoning of property at 401 E. Ave G from I-1 Heavy Industrial to R-5 Residential to allow the placement of a single family manufactured home on the property.

The board also adopted a change order for the Greenwood Street project to repair drainage problems encountered at the intersection of Spruce and Greenwood. Cook said the change order will increase the City’s share of the local/state project by about $6,300.

“We do not expect this to be the final change order on this job as we are aware of one in the pipeline for the Hazel Street end of the job,” she said.