Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting

May 28, 2024 Civic Briefing

Hot Springs Board Approves $586K Trail Planning Grant Application, $91K Bus Shelter Purchase

At the May 28, 2024 agenda meeting, the Hot Springs Board of Directors authorized filing for a $586,480 federal trail-planning grant (with a $117,296 city match) and approved a $91,200 federally funded purchase of 12 bus shelters, and condemned two deteriorated structures for demolition.

Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting Agenda Meeting May 28, 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

The Board authorized filing for a $586,480 Active Transportation grant to fund survey, design, and environmental work on several trail corridors, including Gulf of Trails greenways, Stokes Creek Greenway extensions, and school connector paths; the city would contribute $117,296 as a required local match.
The Board approved purchasing 12 prefabricated bus shelters from Brasco International for $91,200, funded 80% by a Federal Transit Administration grant and 20% by local funds ($18,240 city share); delivery is expected roughly six months after the purchase order is issued.
The Board approved a work order amendment for engineering services tied to a state-approved hangar construction grant at Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport, with the city contributing $104,100 from airport fund balance.
The Board condemned the structure at 106 Barrett Street — owned by an out-of-state resident who did not make repairs after multiple notices dating to May 2023 — and ordered it demolished.
The Board also condemned the structure at 242 Wahoo Street for demolition and removal.

By the numbers

Total identified spending

$677,680

Votes taken

includes procedural votes

Unanimous votes

Largest single item

$586,480

2024 Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program Grant

Emergency / ratification items

Resident questions unanswered

Money approved

Item	Amount	Vendor	Vote	Source
Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program Grant — city match	$117,296	U.S. Department of Transportation	Not specified	`item:5`
Purchase of 12 prefabricated bus shelters — local share	$18,240	Brasco International, Inc.	Not specified	`item:4`
Hangar Construction Project Work Order Amendment — engineering services budget transfer	$104,100	Garver, LLC	Not specified	`item:3`
Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program Grant — federal request	$586,480	U.S. Department of Transportation	Not specified	`item:5`
Purchase of 12 prefabricated bus shelters — federal share	$72,960	Brasco International, Inc.	Not specified	`item:4`
Total identified spending	$899,076

Major decisions

Hangar Construction Project Work Order Amendment — Airport Engineering Services

Item: Approved a work order to the existing Master Agreement for Professional Services with Garver, LLC for engineering and preparation work related to hangar construction at Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport; includes a city budget amendment.
Vote: Not specified
Cost: $104,100 city contribution from airport fund balance (80-20 state grant structure; total project cost not stated in the record)
Vendor / responsible: Garver, LLC
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: Supports new hangar construction on the South Ramp at Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport; city draws on existing airport fund balance rather than general tax revenue.
What the Board said or did: Approved the work order as a consent item; staff noted the Board had already approved the grant requests in March and that both grants were approved by the State Commission in April.
What remains unclear: The full project cost and the total dollar value of both grants (this work order covers only the first of two grants).
Source: item:3

Purchase of 12 Prefabricated Bus Shelters

Item: Approved the purchase of 12 prefabricated bus shelters using Federal Transit Administration 5339 grant funds; lowest responsible bidder selected.
Vote: Not specified
Cost: $91,200 total ($7,600 per shelter including freight); $72,960 federal / $18,240 local
Vendor / responsible: Brasco International, Inc.
Discussion level: Moderate Questions or explanation from board or staff
Resident impact: Twelve new shelters will be distributed across the city's three fixed-route transit systems — approximately four per route — in areas including Malvern Avenue, Sawtooth, and the Whittington/Walnut corridor; delivery expected approximately six months after purchase order issuance.
What the Board said or did: Directors discussed specific placement locations; staff said rider and driver input would be solicited before final placement decisions. The shelter design — blue aluminum with green roofs and tempered safety glass — matches those purchased in 2021.
What remains unclear: Final placement locations for each of the 12 shelters have not been decided; input from riders and drivers is still to be gathered.
Source: item:4

Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program Grant Application

Item: Authorized filing for a 2024 Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation; the grant would fund surveying, environmental review, cost estimates, and design work for multiple trail projects.
Vote: Not specified
Cost: $586,480 federal request; $117,296 required city match (80-20 structure); total project cost $703,776
Vendor / responsible: U.S. Department of Transportation
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: If the grant is awarded, planning work would advance the Gulf of Trails North and South greenways, Stokes Creek Greenway future phases 4 and 5, Stokes Creek to Hot Springs High School connectors, and Oaklawn Elementary connectors. The Southwest Trail section (Transportation Depot to the county line) is covered under a separate RAISE grant, not this one.
What the Board said or did: Approved the authorization as a consent item. Staff noted this grant completes significant portions of the Bicycle Master Pedestrian Plan and positions the city for future construction funding if the RAISE grant is also awarded.
What remains unclear: The grant has not been awarded; the source of the $117,296 city match is not identified in the record.
Source: item:5

Condemnation of 106 Barrett Street

Item: Declared the structure at 106 Barrett Street a nuisance and ordered it condemned for demolition and removal.
Vote: Not specified
Cost: No demolition cost stated in the record; existing liens against the property total $2,279.37 ($1,958.37 in city repairs plus $321.00 in taxes)
Vendor / responsible: Property owner of record (Michigan resident); city will carry out or arrange demolition
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: The structure — located in District 2 — will be demolished. Cited violations included a damaged roof, missing soffit and fascia, open windows and doors, and accumulated trash and debris.
What the Board said or did: Approved condemnation after staff described the notice history: multiple compliance notices issued May, August, and September 2023; city boarded and secured the structure and removed debris in October 2023; a further notice issued March 12, 2024 found the same violations uncorrected.
What remains unclear: The demolition cost and timeline are not stated in the record; the process for recovering costs from the property owner is not described.
Source: item:6

Approved without separate discussion

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

Condemnation of 242 Wahoo Street

Vote: Not specified · No cost specified in the record

item:7

Locations affected

Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport — South Ramp

Hangar construction project; engineering and preparation work authorized under work order with Garver, LLC

Status: Planned
Malvern Avenue / Sawtooth / Whittington-Walnut corridor

Bus shelter installation (final locations pending rider and driver input)

Status: Planned
Gulf of Trails North and South greenways

Trail planning and design work if Active Transportation grant is awarded

Status: Planned
Stokes Creek Greenway (future phases 4 and 5) and connectors to Hot Springs High School and Oaklawn Elementary

Trail planning and design work if Active Transportation grant is awarded

Status: Planned
106 Barrett Street

106 Barrett Street, Hot Springs, AR

Structure condemned; scheduled for demolition and removal

Status: Confirmed
242 Wahoo Street

242 Wahoo Street, Hot Springs, AR

Structure condemned; scheduled for demolition and removal

Status: Confirmed

Watch list

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

Active Transportation grant award

Open

The Board authorized filing for the $586,480 grant; no award date is in the record. The next briefing should confirm whether the U.S. Department of Transportation has acted on the application.

Why it matters: This grant would fund planning work for multiple trail corridors and greenways that support the Bicycle Master Pedestrian Plan.
Next check: Monitor for U.S. Department of Transportation award notification

Airport hangar — second grant work order

Open

Staff noted this work order covers only the first of two approved state grants for the South Ramp hangar project. The second work order has not yet appeared on an agenda.

Why it matters: Understanding the full scope and timeline of the hangar construction project requires tracking both grant-related work orders.
Next check: Watch for second work order on future agendas

Bus shelter placement

Open

Final locations for all 12 shelters are to be determined through rider and driver input; no timeline for that process was stated.

Why it matters: Community input and final placement decisions will affect the utility of the new transit infrastructure.
Next check: Check for rider/driver input process timeline and final placement decision

106 Barrett Street demolition

Open

Condemnation was approved, but no demolition contractor, cost, or timeline was identified in the record.

Why it matters: Public accountability requires tracking the cost, contractor selection, and completion timeline for public property work.
Next check: Follow up on demolition contract, budget, and schedule

242 Wahoo Street demolition

Open

Same gap — no cost, contractor, or timeline stated.

Why it matters: Public accountability requires tracking the cost, contractor selection, and completion timeline for public property work.
Next check: Follow up on demolition contract, budget, and schedule

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

Confidence: Medium

Transcript and 7 parsed agenda items available; vote breakdowns not recorded in the available record.

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.