Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting

April 9, 2024 Civic Briefing

Hot Springs Board Agenda Meeting Reviews 2024 Paving Program, Authorizes $240K Water Line Engineering Contract

The April 9 agenda meeting previewed four items scheduled for action — a $240,000 engineering contract with Hanson and McLaughlin LLC for 2024–2025 water line improvements, a term contract for street paving and milling with Cranford Construction, a pest control term contract with Advanced Pest Control, and acknowledgment of February financial statements — with no votes taken at this session.

Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting Agenda Meeting April 9, 2024 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

This was an agenda meeting, not a voting session; zero votes were taken on any of the four items presented.
The largest item discussed was a roughly $240,000 contract with Hanson and McLaughlin LLC for engineering design and construction management for 2024 and 2025 water line improvements on 13 streets.
The 2024 street paving program, to be carried out by Cranford Construction (the only bidder), is expected to cover approximately 21 to 21.5 miles at roughly $328,828 per mile.
A pest control term contract was awarded to Advanced Pest Control after the city reviewed five proposals; overall cost increased approximately 14.9% over 2023.
The Board acknowledged receipt of the city's February 2024 financial statements as a routine informational item.

By the numbers

Total identified spending

$240,000

Votes taken

includes procedural votes

Unanimous votes

Largest single item

$240,000

Contract for Professional Engineering Design and Construction Management for Water Line Improvements

Emergency / ratification items

Resident questions unanswered

Money approved

Item	Amount	Vendor	Vote	Source
Contract for Professional Engineering Design and Construction Management for Water Line Improvements	$240,000	Hanson and McLaughlin LLC	—	`item:4`
Total identified spending	$240,000

Major decisions

Water Line Engineering Contract — Hanson and McLaughlin LLC

Item: Authorization of a contract with Hanson and McLaughlin LLC for professional engineering design and construction management services for the 2024 and 2025 water line improvement projects — estimated at approximately $240,000.
Vote: —
Cost: Approximately $240,000 for engineering services only
Vendor / responsible: Hanson and McLaughlin LLC
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: Engineering work on 13 streets is planned, with three streets prioritized first in coordination with the 2024 paving program. Completion of engineering and Arkansas Department of Health approval is anticipated by July 2024, at which point the projects would be ready for construction bidding.
What the Board said or did: Staff explained that the engineering phase must be completed and Arkansas Department of Health approval obtained before construction can be bid. Staff noted that two major water line contractors — Diamond and Kajaks — are expected to be nearly finished with current projects by the time engineering is complete, freeing them for the next phase.
What remains unclear: The specific 13 streets involved were not identified by name in the available record. The construction cost estimate for the actual water line work (beyond the engineering contract) is not shown in the record.
Source: item:4

Street Paving and Code Milling Term Contract — Cranford Construction

Item: Award of a term contract to McGeorge Contracting Company, doing business as Cranford Construction Company, for street paving and code milling services for 2024. Cranford submitted the only bid response.
Vote: —
Cost: Priced at approximately $328,828 per mile for a 24-foot roadway; 2024 program expected to cover approximately 21 to 21.5 miles
Vendor / responsible: McGeorge Contracting Company d/b/a Cranford Construction Company
Discussion level: Extended Significant debate, public comment, or multiple speakers
Resident impact: Approximately 21 to 21.5 miles of city streets are scheduled to be paved in 2024. The contract includes a completion deadline of December 31; if work is not finished by that date, the contractor must apply a 5% discount on in-place asphalt. Staff also noted that three streets and two parking lots left over from the 2023 program are expected to be completed within a few weeks.
What the Board said or did: Staff noted that Cranford was the only company to submit a bid and is the only local contractor with the equipment needed for milling services, as it maintains asphalt plants in Hot Springs. Staff explained that the per-mile cost increase over prior years is driven largely by rising rock prices. A notice of intent and award was published and no protests were filed. Staff acknowledged that Cranford uses subcontractors and schedules city paving work around Arkansas Department of Transportation jobs.
What remains unclear: The specific streets included in the 2024 paving program were not listed by name in the available record. The total contract dollar value was not stated as a fixed sum.
Source: item:3

Pest Control Term Contract — Advanced Pest Control

Item: Award of a term contract to Clowers Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Advanced Pest Control, for circuit pest control service.
Vote: —
Cost: Overall cost is approximately 14.9% higher than in 2023
Vendor / responsible: Clowers Enterprises, Inc. d/b/a Advanced Pest Control
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: City facilities covered by this contract will continue to receive pest control service.
What the Board said or did: Staff noted that five vendor proposals were reviewed across affected city departments and Advanced Pest Control was selected as the top choice.
What remains unclear: The specific city facilities or buildings covered by the contract are not identified in the available record. The total contract dollar value is not stated.
Source: item:2

Approved without separate discussion

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

Acknowledgment of February 2024 Financial Statements

Vote: — · no cost specified

item:1

Locations affected

13 streets (unnamed)

Scheduled for water line engineering design and Arkansas Department of Health review in preparation for construction bidding. Three streets prioritized for coordination with 2024 paving program.

Status: Planned
Winnington Street and three additional streets (unnamed), plus two parking lots

Remaining 2023 paving work; staff indicated completion expected within a few weeks of the April 9 meeting.

Status: Scheduled
City streets, approximately 21–21.5 miles (specific streets unnamed)

2024 paving and milling program under the Cranford Construction term contract.

Status: Planned

Watch list

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

Water line engineering streets not yet named

Open

The names of the 13 streets slated for water line engineering work have not been disclosed in the available record.

Why it matters: Residents near aging water infrastructure may want to ask the city's Water Utilities department which streets are included to understand if their neighborhood is affected.
Next check: Check for publication of street list; confirm engineering completion timeline by July 2024.

2024 paving street list not published

Open

The 2024 paving street list has not been published in the available record.

Why it matters: Residents and property owners need to know which streets are scheduled for paving to plan accordingly.
Next check: Contact city's Public Works department for current paving schedule; confirm which streets are included.

Arkansas Department of Health water line approval timeline

Open

Arkansas Department of Health approval for the water line projects is anticipated by July 2024.

Why it matters: This approval is a prerequisite for construction bidding; delays would affect the water line improvement schedule.
Next check: At next briefing, confirm whether July 2024 timeline held and whether construction contracts were bid as planned.

Sole bidder condition for paving and milling services

Open

Cranford Construction's status as the sole bidder for paving and milling services has been a recurring condition.

Why it matters: Limited competition may affect pricing and service quality; broader competition could benefit the city.
Next check: Monitor whether the city seeks to broaden competition in future bid cycles for paving and milling services.

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: Video Transcript
agenda: Agenda Item 1 - February Financial Statements
agenda: Agenda Item 2 - Pest Control Term Contract
agenda: Agenda Item 3 - Street Paving and Milling Contract
agenda: Agenda Item 4 - Water Line Engineering Contract

Confidence: Medium

Video transcript and 4 parsed agenda items available; minutes not yet available to confirm vote record. No votes were taken at this agenda/preview session.

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.