Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

School Agrees to Pick Up Sewer Overages

Grudgingly, the Gurdon School Board agreed to pay the overages for the water and sewer project in order to get the services to the new high school by the first of the year.

Bids for the project were let a second time at the school's request and did come in lower than they were the first time. In fact, there were five bidders on the project, with the lowest being Bobo and Bain of Hope. Their bid was $349,189.32. According to project engineer Charles Summerford, Bobo and Bain is capable of handling the job and has done two other projects for him.

The cost of the water portion of the project was lower than before, while the sewer portion was higher. Overall, the bid was $35,753.74 below the first bid. Still, the overages amounted to $58,700, which the school district was asked to pick up.

In a special meeting of the school's governing body, Superintendent Bobby Smithson said the school had been asked to pick up the overage so the project can get underway. The water portion of the project is funded by the Arkansas Industrial Development Council (AIDC), while the sewer part is funded by the Farmer's Home Administration (FmHA). The funding cannot, by law, be commingled.

Smithson told the board the AIDC will pick the overage on the water project, but there is no one to pick up the extra monies needed on the sewer overages. "We have two choices," he told the panel. "We can pick up the $58,700 or get service in the fall of 1996. Neither is a good choice."

The choices were given at the regular meeting of the Gurdon City Council Sept. 11, when the council said if the district didn't pick up the overage for the sewer, the school's part would be placed in the overall parent project and be done at that time. The overall project could take a year or more to complete.

Smithson said the school is being blamed for delays in the project, and for the increase in costs, but really isn't responsible. "We're just another customer," he said. "We've been asked to pick up a tremendous amount and we're not the reason for the overages. The depth of the lines are." According to Smithson, the pump station will be 18 feet deep, while some of the sewer lines will be buried 14 feet underground.

Before putting forth a recommendation, Smithson told the board of the district's building fund status. He said $2.2 million has been spent to date on the new high school, and there is $153,234 left to pay of the contractors on the first four buildings. There has been $153,229 paid out on the gymnasium part of the project at this time.

He said the slab is half poured for the gym, with the plumbing and electrical work roughed in.

Smithson then reminded the board how the original bid for the new school was $1.4 million over budget and it was whittled down by $900,000 by rebidding several times. However, the school project specifications were changed at each rebidding, while the water and sewer project could not have its specs changed without a massive delay in construction.

The board was informed there is $206,934.17 left in the building fund and canopies still have to be built over the five foot wide sidewalks. Smithson said the canopies will need to be at least seven feet wide.

He said the last estimate on getting the gym finished was $278,357, and does not include bleachers and goals. Bleachers, he said, are high dollar items. "We're looking at permanent bleachers with rails to keep kids off the playing area," he said. "Rollaway bleachers are a housekeeping nightmare."

Smithson said the district would be $78,433 short on getting the gym completed. "I think we've done well," he said. "We've tried to hold costs down and save."

The district has $300,000 in its contingency fund, which is less than 10 percent of its budget. Smithson said people don't understand the district simply doesn't have $100,000 to spend, but recommended going ahead and picking up the overages for the water and sewer project.

"We can't afford to wait," he said. "I intend to build the gym, one way or another. We could go to a revolving loan and repay it in six years. It gives us a way out. We need $130,000 to finish the gym and sewer.

"I'm terribly disappointed in the other agencies for not coming to rescue us. We have our work cut out for us, but we've climbed bigger hills. I'm sorry we've been made the scapegoats and people blame us for the hold up. It's a bitter pill to swallow."

The board agreed and voted to pick up the $58,700 overage.

Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith said he was ecstatic the school board voted to fund the project. "The reason the city took the position to do the interim financing was to speed up the project to the school," he said. "The only reason for getting the sewer system was for the school, we had no provisions for it. The council wants the same thing the school wants -- for the new school to open as soon as possible and build the gym.

"We've done all we can do, and I commend the board on deciding to pay the overage and not hinder the project any longer. I think the school got a sweetheart of a deal. If the city had not got involved, the school would have had to pay 100 percent of the project."