10/27/2026 Board of Directors - Study Session

The City of Fort Smith Board of Directors held a study session on October 27, 2026, with discussion focused on infrastructure capital plans and the management and finances of Parrot Island Water Park. City staff reported that Sports Facilities Management had been selected as the prospective new water-park operator and that contract negotiations were ongoing; the draft agreement incorporates more specific financial-reporting requirements informed by the agreed-upon procedures review. No operator contract was approved. Staff reported approximately $230,000 in park vendor payables and less than $5,000 in cash on hand. A change order of about $193,000 may be needed to complete the water-slide project, with additional appropriations also anticipated to close out the 2026 season. Directors asked staff to discuss whether the prospective operator could help fund slide completion before seeking more city funding and raised options including sponsorship, naming rights, or privatization.

Staff presented proposed Public Works and Engineering capital plans, including street, drainage, water, and wastewater projects. The 2027 sidewalk program is expected to cost about $1 million overall, while a proposed in-house paving program includes roughly $12–13 million in upfront equipment costs and was flagged for further financial analysis. Water plans include a $6 million Arkansas River crossing project and transmission-line work; staff said the city narrowly missed a federal grant of about $13 million and is revising the application. Directors also discussed consent-decree program management services and the associated financial plan, but no procurement award or funding vote was taken; members requested clearer cost and savings information, and staff planned to present service options at the following meeting. No other spending or procurement approvals were recorded during the session.