Hot Springs Board of Directors Reviews $503K in Bid Awards: Maintenance Software, Higdon Ferry Design Contract, and Lift Station Pump Equipment

The April 30 agenda meeting covered three bid awards totaling $502,848 — a $42,676 maintenance software contract with Brightly Software, a $32,034 city share of an engineering design contract with Krafton and Tull for the Higdon Ferry/Central interchange, and a $264,378 pump equipment bid awarded to Haines Pump and Process for the Hot Springs 3 lift station — but no votes are recorded in the available record.

Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting Agenda Meeting April 30, 2024 Confidence: Medium Independent — not affiliated with the City of Hot Springs

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

View source notes Watch meeting ↗

The short version

The Board considered awarding a five-year cloud-based maintenance management software contract to Brightly Software for $42,676 for the remainder of 2024 and roughly $41,768 per year after that.
The Board considered awarding a $32,034 engineering design contract (the city's 20% share of a $160,172 total) to Krafton and Tull to study improvements at the Higdon Ferry Road and Central Avenue interchange near Oaklawn.
The Board considered awarding a $264,378 equipment bid to Haines Pump and Process to replace 50-year-old sewer pumps at the Hot Springs 3 lift station on Higdon Ferry Road — the only bid received and under the $300,000 budget.
No vote outcomes are recorded in the available record for any of the three items; the meeting_stats show zero votes taken.
Equipment installation at the lift station will be bid separately and is not yet scheduled; lead times for the pump equipment are 22–28 weeks.

By the numbers

Total identified spending

$502,848

Votes taken

includes procedural votes

Unanimous votes

Largest single item

$264,378

Wet Well Mounted Sewer Pump Equipment for Hot Springs 3 Lift Station (R-2482)

Emergency / ratification items

Resident questions unanswered

Money approved

Item	Amount	Vendor	Vote	Source
Lift Station 3 Sewer Pump Equipment (R-2482)	$264,378	Haines Pump and Process LLC	Not recorded	`item:3`
Maintenance Management Software, remainder of 2024 (R-2480)	$42,676	Brightly Software	Not recorded	`item:1`
Engineering Design — Higdon Ferry/Central Interchange, city share (R-2481)	$32,034	Krafton and Tull and Associates Incorporated	Not recorded	`item:2`
Total identified spending	$339,088

Major decisions

Maintenance Management Software — Brightly Software Asset Essentials Enterprise (R-2480)

Item: Bid award — a five-year cloud-based maintenance management software contract procured through the Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Program.
Vote: Not recorded
Cost: $42,676 for the remainder of 2024; approximately $41,768 annually thereafter. Initial training and implementation included.
Vendor / responsible: Brightly Software
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: Water, wastewater, and street departments would use the software to manage work orders and track assets. The Enterprise tier allows additional city departments to be added over time. Residents would not interact with the software directly, but it is intended to reduce manual tracking errors across city services.
What the Board said or did: Staff explained the software integrates with the city's existing ESRI GIS system and that three departments tested an earlier version before the city chose to upgrade to the Enterprise tier. No public comments were recorded.
What remains unclear: Vote outcome is not captured. The record does not identify which specific departments beyond water, wastewater, and streets are planned for future onboarding.
Source: item:1

Engineering Design Services — Higdon Ferry Road and Central Avenue Interchange (R-2481)

Item: Bid award — engineering design contract for traffic improvements at the Higdon Ferry Road and Central Avenue interchange near Oaklawn. The city's share is 20% of the total $160,172 design fee, funded from a remaining congressional allocation.
Vote: Not recorded
Cost: $32,034 (city portion). The full $500,000 congressional allocation remaining is intended to cover both this design phase and future construction.
Vendor / responsible: Krafton and Tull and Associates Incorporated
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: The project focuses on the northbound merge from Higdon Ferry Road onto Central Avenue, which staff described as a bottleneck. Drivers using this interchange near Oaklawn may see future lane additions if the design phase leads to construction.
What the Board said or did: Staff noted the project traces to a November 2020 Board resolution (R-9742) establishing an 80-20 cost-share agreement with RDOC, and that Krafton and Tull completed contract negotiations with RDOC approval. No public comments were recorded.
What remains unclear: Vote outcome is not captured. The design will produce options for the Board to consider; no construction has been approved. The timeline for design completion and any future construction vote is not stated in the record.
Source: item:2

Sewer Pump Equipment — Hot Springs 3 Lift Station, 2344 Higdon Ferry Road (R-2482)

Item: Bid award — equipment only for replacing wet well mounted sewer pumps at the Hot Springs 3 lift station. Installation will be bid separately.
Vote: Not recorded
Cost: $264,378.40 bid; project budget was $300,000.
Vendor / responsible: Haines Pump and Process LLC
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: The lift station handles wastewater from the causeway area south of the city. The original pumps date to 1974 and have been submerged multiple times. The replacement increases capacity to 650 gallons per minute. Residents and businesses in the causeway service area are the primary group affected.
What the Board said or did: Staff explained the station sits behind All Creatures Vet Clinic and Waffle House at the end of Higdon Ferry Road. The new above-grade design improves access and capacity. No public comments were recorded.
What remains unclear: Vote outcome is not captured. Equipment lead time is 22–28 weeks; the installation bid has not been released. Staff noted the installation contract may not require Board approval depending on timing and cost, but the record does not specify the threshold.
Source: item:3

Locations affected

2344 Higdon Ferry Road (near All Creatures Vet Clinic and Waffle House)

2344 Higdon Ferry Road, Hot Springs, Arkansas

Replacement of 1974-era sewer pump equipment at Hot Springs 3 lift station. Equipment delivery pending 22–28 week lead time; installation not yet scheduled.

Status: Planned
Higdon Ferry Road and Central Avenue interchange (near Oaklawn)

Oaklawn

Engineering design study for northbound lane improvement. Design phase authorized; construction not yet approved.

Status: Planned

Watch list

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

Hot Springs 3 Lift Station Installation Contract Approval Threshold

Open

The installation contract for the Hot Springs 3 lift station has not been brought to the Board. Staff indicated it may not require Board approval depending on timing and cost — the cost threshold that would trigger a Board vote was not stated in the available record.

Why it matters: Understanding the approval threshold is essential for tracking when the installation phase will come before the Board and ensuring appropriate oversight of public spending.
Next check: Monitor for the installation bid release, which is expected after the 22–28 week equipment lead time.

Missing Vote Outcomes for April 30 Agenda Items

Open

No vote outcomes are recorded for any of the three resolutions from this agenda meeting. Confirmation that these items passed — and the votes by which they passed — should be verified against the minutes of the next regular Board meeting.

Why it matters: Vote outcomes are essential for the public record and for confirming that agenda items were formally approved. The absence of recorded votes raises questions about how the meeting was conducted or whether votes occurred at a different meeting.
Next check: Review minutes from the next regular Board meeting to verify approval of R-2480, R-2481, and R-2482.

Brightly Software Contract Annual Renewal Terms

Open

The Brightly Software contract runs five years; the record does not show whether the annual renewal amounts are fixed or subject to adjustment.

Why it matters: Clarifying renewal terms is important for budget planning and understanding the true cost of the five-year commitment.
Next check: Review the full Brightly Software contract to confirm renewal pricing for years 2–5.

Higdon Ferry/Central Interchange Design Timeline and Construction Approval

Open

The engineering design by Krafton and Tull will produce options for the Higdon Ferry/Central interchange before any construction decision comes before the Board. The timeline for design completion and any future construction vote is not stated in the record.

Why it matters: Knowing the design schedule and expected Board decision timeline helps residents and stakeholders understand when construction impacts may occur.
Next check: Monitor for design completion milestones and any future Board agenda items related to construction approval for the Higdon Ferry/Central interchange.

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.

agenda: Agenda Item 1 — Maintenance Management Software (R-2480)
agenda: Agenda Item 2 — Engineering Design Services (R-2481)
agenda: Agenda Item 3 — Sewer Pump Equipment (R-2482)
video: Meeting Video Transcript
video: Video Transcript — Brightly Software Discussion (00:01:19)
video: Video Transcript — Higdon Ferry Design Discussion (00:10:12)
video: Video Transcript — Lift Station Equipment Discussion (00:21:13)

Confidence: Medium

Transcript and three parsed agenda items available. Vote outcomes are not captured in the available record; all decisions are described as presented rather than confirmed as approved.

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.