Hot Springs Board of Directors

September 9, 2025 Civic Briefing

Hot Springs Board Awards $298K Storm Water Drainage Contract, Approves $228K Wastewater Change Order

At its September 9, 2025 agenda meeting, the Hot Springs Board of Directors approved $410,937 in contract spending across two bid awards: a $183,140 change order expanding sidewalk work with Western Milight Commercial Construction, and a $227,797 change order for wastewater force main work with Diamond Construction — plus the underlying storm water drainage contract of $297,498 with JCON, Inc. was also awarded.

Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting September 9, 2025 Confidence: Medium Independent — not affiliated with the City of Hot Springs

Published: May 17, 2026 · Last updated: May 17, 2026

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The short version

The Board awarded a $297,498 storm water drainage repair contract to JCON, Inc. for three locations — Amber/Cedar Street, Delaware/Chelsea Street, and Lakeshore/Oxford Street — and approved a $150,100 budget adjustment to cover the work.
The Board approved a $183,140 change order expanding sidewalk work with Western Milight Commercial Construction at the same unit prices from the original contract, bringing that total contract to $485,236.
The Board approved a $227,797 change order for Diamond Construction to complete pipe and fitting connections at the Davidson Drive wastewater treatment plant headworks as part of the Gulfa Basin force main project.
The Board acknowledged the city's July 2025 financial statements and updated bank account signatories to reflect a personnel change in the assistant finance director position.
The Hot Springs Metro Partnership presented the August 2025 economic development report, highlighting workforce outreach at area schools, aerospace industry activity, and several local leaders receiving state recognition.

By the numbers

Total identified spending

$708,433

Votes taken

includes procedural votes

Unanimous votes

Largest single item

$227,797

Gulfa Basin Force Main Project Change Order

Emergency / ratification items

Resident questions unanswered

Money approved

Item	Amount	Vendor	Vote	Source
Storm Water Drainage Repairs — Amber/Cedar, Delaware/Chelsea, Lakeshore/Oxford	$297,498	JCON, Inc.	Passed	`item:4`
Storm Water Drainage Repairs Budget Adjustment budget transfer	$150,100	—	Passed	`item:4`
Sidewalk Improvements Change Order	$183,140	Western Milight Commercial Construction Company, Inc.	Passed	`item:5`
Gulfa Basin Force Main Change Order No. 1	$227,797	Diamond Construction Company	Passed	`item:6`
Total identified spending	$858,535

Major decisions

Economic Development Report — August 2025

Item: Presentation of the August 2025 Economic Development Report from the Hot Springs Metro Partnership, covering workforce outreach at area schools, aerospace industry activity, and state recognition of local leaders.
Vote: —
Cost: No cost specified
Vendor / responsible: Cole McCascal, Hot Springs Metro Partnership and Chamber
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: Informational presentation on economic development initiatives affecting the community.
What the Board said or did: Received and discussed the August 2025 Economic Development Report.
Source: item:1

Storm Water Drainage Repairs — Three Locations

Item: Bid award — contract awarded to JCON, Inc. for storm water drainage repairs and improvements at three street intersections, plus a $150,100 budget adjustment to supplement the existing $140,440 storm water budget.
Vote: Passed
Cost: $297,498 contract; $150,100 budget adjustment requested to cover the gap between the contract amount and current budget
Vendor / responsible: JCON, Inc.
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: Drainage repairs at Amber Street and Cedar Street (damaged in April flooding), Delaware Street and Chelsea Street (currently causing home flooding), and Lakeshore Drive and Oxford Street. Residents near those intersections should expect construction activity.
What the Board said or did: Staff noted five competitive bids were received and JCON was the lowest responsible bidder. The April flooding damage and ongoing home flooding at the Delaware/Chelsea location were cited as reasons for the work. The Board passed the resolution.
What remains unclear: The record does not show the specific timeline for construction or the individual cost breakdown by project site.
Source: item:4

Sidewalk Improvements Change Order

Item: Change order to an existing contract with Western Milight Commercial Construction Company, Inc. — adds $183,140 to expand the scope of 2025 sidewalk improvements using the same unit prices from the original bid.
Vote: Passed
Cost: $183,140 additional; brings the total contract to $485,236, which staff stated is within available funding for the year
Vendor / responsible: Western Milight Commercial Construction Company, Inc.
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: Additional sidewalk improvements will be completed at locations not specified in the available record. The work uses favorable pricing compared to prior years.
What the Board said or did: Staff explained that the original bid came in below estimate, leaving funding available, and that the city approached Western Milight about adding work at the original unit prices. The Board passed the change order.
What remains unclear: The record does not identify which streets or neighborhoods will receive the additional sidewalk work added by this change order.
Source: item:5

Gulfa Basin Force Main Change Order No. 1

Item: Change order to the existing contract with Diamond Construction Company for Phase 2 of the Gulfa Basin force main project — adds $227,797 for pipe and fittings needed to connect the new force main to the Davidson Drive wastewater treatment plant headworks.
Vote: Passed
Cost: $227,797; funded from the wastewater bond fund. Staff noted this is less than 5% of the original contract but exceeds the $60,000 threshold requiring board approval
Vendor / responsible: Diamond Construction Company
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: This work connects the new sewer force main into the city's wastewater treatment facility at Davidson Drive. Completion of the connection is needed to bring Phase 2 of the project to full operation.
What the Board said or did: Staff explained that Diamond Construction paused the final connection work because of uncertainty about coordination with a separate contractor (identified in the transcript as 'Max Foot's construction') working at the same headworks location. The change order provides the materials to complete that connection. The Board passed the resolution.
What remains unclear: The record does not specify the identity or scope of the separate 'Max Foot's construction' project referenced, the overall timeline for completing Phase 2, or when the connection will be operational.
Source: item:6

Approved without separate discussion

These items passed without individual debate as part of the consent agenda.

July 2025 Financial Statements

Vote: Passed · No spending commitment — acknowledgment only

item:2
Bank Account Signatory Changes

Vote: Passed · No cost

item:3

Locations affected

Amber Street and Cedar Street

Storm water drainage repairs; damage occurred during April 2025 flooding

Status: Scheduled
Delaware Street and Chelsea Street

Storm water drainage repairs; current conditions are causing home flooding

Status: Scheduled
Lakeshore Drive and Oxford Street

Storm water drainage repairs

Status: Scheduled
Davidson Drive Wastewater Treatment Plant

Change order for pipe and fitting connection at plant headworks as part of Gulfa Basin force main Phase 2

Status: Scheduled
Sidewalk improvement locations — multiple streets

Additional sidewalk work under change order to Western Milight contract; specific streets not identified in the available record

Status: Scheduled

Watch list

Open follow-up issues we'll check on in future briefings.

Sidewalk work locations not yet identified

Open

The record does not identify which streets or neighborhoods will receive the additional sidewalk work added by the Western Milight change order.

Why it matters: Residents and the public need to know where construction activity will occur and which neighborhoods will benefit from the improved sidewalks.
Next check: The next briefing should check whether that list has been published by the Public Works department.

Max Foot's construction project scope unclear

Open

The role and scope of the separate contractor referenced as 'Max Foot's construction' at the Davidson Drive wastewater headworks is not explained in the available record.

Why it matters: This separate project affects the timeline and coordination for completing the Gulfa Basin Phase 2 connection and bringing the wastewater improvements to full operation.
Next check: The next briefing should note whether that project affects the timeline for completing the Gulfa Basin Phase 2 connection.

Vote counts not recorded in transcript

Open

No vote counts were recorded in the available record for any of the five votes taken at this meeting.

Why it matters: Vote breakdown indicates whether decisions were unanimous, close, or showed dissent, which is important for understanding board consensus and transparency.
Next check: The next briefing should check whether approved minutes provide the breakdown.

Source notes

This briefing is based on the public records below. Every claim above can be traced back to one or more of these sources.

video: Meeting video
agenda: Meeting agenda items 1-6

Confidence: Medium

Transcript and 6 agenda items available; minutes not yet published and individual vote counts not recorded in source material.

How we know this

We do not invent facts.
We cite source records.
We distinguish what happened from what remains unclear.
We use neutral language.
We correct errors when found. See corrections.