Hot Springs Board Approves $5,068K Water Plant Lagoons Bid, Awards $3,623K Fire Station Contract

The Hot Springs Board of Directors approved $9,692,714.36 in spending across six items: a $5,067,809 bid award for backwash lagoon construction at the Ouachita Water Treatment Plant, a $3,623,238 construction contract for Fire Station No. 6, a $499,121.76 purchase of two residential garbage trucks, a $312,864 purchase of two dump trucks, a $99,951.60 purchase of 90 commercial front-load containers, and an $89,730 purchase of roll-off containers.

Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting Agenda Meeting March 25, 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 $5,067,809 contract to Grant Garrett Excavating Inc. to build two new backwash lagoons at the Ouachita Water Treatment Plant, funded by a 2023 water bond; the existing lagoons are 25 years old and can no longer handle current water production levels.
The Board approved a $3,623,238 construction contract with Hill & Cox Corporation for a new single-story fire station in the south part of the city, funded by previously allocated ARPA funds; groundbreaking is expected in late April 2025.
The Board approved the purchase of two residential garbage collection trucks for $499,121.76, two dump trucks for $312,864, 90 commercial front-load waste containers for $99,951.60, and roll-off containers for $89,730 — all through cooperative purchasing agreements.
All seven votes taken at this meeting were recorded; no votes were split and none were unanimous.

By the numbers

Total identified spending

$9,692,714

Votes taken

includes procedural votes

Unanimous votes

Largest single item

$5,067,809

Ouachita Water Treatment Plant Backwash Lagoons Construction

Emergency / ratification items

Resident questions unanswered

Money approved

Item	Amount	Vendor	Vote	Source
Ouachita Water Treatment Plant Backwash Lagoons Construction	$5,067,809	Grant Garrett Excavating Inc.	Passed	`item:8`
Hot Springs Fire Station No. 6 Construction Contract	$3,623,238	Hill & Cox Corporation	Passed	`item:7`
Purchase of Two Residential Rear Load Collection Vehicles	$499,122	River City Hydraulics, Inc.	Passed	`item:5`
Purchase of Two Dump Trucks	$312,864	Doggett Freightliner	Passed	`item:2`
Purchase of 90 Commercial Front-Load Containers	$99,952	RaceQuip, LLC	Passed	`item:4`
Purchase of Roll-Off Containers	$89,730	RaceQuip, LLC	Passed	`item:3`
Total identified spending	$9,692,714

Major decisions

Fire Station No. 6 Construction Contract

Item: New construction contract (bid award under an existing Construction Manager at Risk agreement) for a 7,445-square-foot fire station in the south area of Hot Springs.
Vote: Passed
Cost: $3,623,238, funded by previously allocated ARPA funds
Vendor / responsible: Hill & Cox Corporation
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: The station will house five firefighters per shift and three fire/rescue vehicles, adding fire service capacity on the south side of the city.
What the Board said or did: Fire Chief Davis presented the item, noting that value engineering reduced the original budget by $136,854. The Board approved the contract without recorded objection. Board members were invited to a groundbreaking expected in late April 2025.
What remains unclear: The specific location address of Fire Station No. 6 is not stated in the available record. The vote tally (individual ayes/nays) is not captured in the available record.
Source: item:7

Ouachita Water Treatment Plant Backwash Lagoons Construction

Item: Bid award for construction of two new backwash lagoons at the Ouachita Water Treatment Plant, funded by a 2023 water bond.
Vote: Passed
Cost: $5,067,809, funded by a 2023 water bond
Vendor / responsible: Grant Garrett Excavating Inc.
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: The new lagoons are required to keep the water treatment plant in regulatory compliance for sediment retention. Construction is expected to take approximately 150 days; the available record does not describe any disruption to water service during construction.
What the Board said or did: Project Manager Filler explained that the existing lagoons, built in 2000, can no longer handle increased water production and more frequent filter backwashing. Grant Garrett Excavating was the only bidder, coming in slightly below the $5.1 million construction estimate. The Board approved without recorded objection.
What remains unclear: The available record does not describe any impact on water service during the 150-day construction period. The vote tally (individual ayes/nays) is not captured in the available record.
Source: item:8

Approved without separate discussion

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

Purchase of Two Residential Rear Load Collection Vehicles

Vote: Passed · $499,122 · River City Hydraulics, Inc.

item:5
Purchase of Two Dump Trucks

Vote: Passed · $312,864 · Doggett Freightliner

item:2
Purchase of 90 Commercial Front-Load Containers

Vote: Passed · $99,952 · RaceQuip, LLC

item:4
Purchase of Roll-Off Containers

Vote: Passed · $89,730 · RaceQuip, LLC

item:3

Locations affected

Ouachita Water Treatment Plant

off Amity Road area

Construction of two backwash lagoons

Status: Scheduled
Fire Station No. 6

South area of Hot Springs

New single-story fire station construction

Status: Scheduled
Citywide

Replacement of aging dump trucks, residential garbage trucks, and waste containers used across city routes

Status: Confirmed

Watch list

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

Ouachita Water Treatment Plant Backwash Lagoons Construction Timeline

Open

The project is expected to take approximately 150 days, but the available record does not confirm a start date or describe any planned water service adjustments during that period.

Why it matters: Any disruption to water service during the 150-day construction period could affect residents and businesses throughout the city.
Next check: Monitor for project start date announcement and any water service advisories.

Fire Station No. 6 Location and Schedule Confirmation

Open

The street address and final project schedule for Fire Station No. 6 have not appeared in the available record.

Why it matters: The specific location is needed for public awareness and planning purposes; the April groundbreaking timeline should be confirmed.
Next check: Confirm street address and groundbreaking date once materials are published.

Grant Garrett Excavating Sole Bid Status

Open

Grant Garrett Excavating was the sole bidder on the $5,067,809 lagoon contract. The record does not explain why no other bids were received.

Why it matters: Competitive bidding helps ensure taxpayer value; understanding why only one bid was submitted may indicate scope, timing, or contractor availability issues.
Next check: Follow up with Public Works or Utilities department to understand the bidding process.

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: Agenda Item 1
agenda: Agenda Item 2
agenda: Agenda Item 3
agenda: Agenda Item 4
agenda: Agenda Item 5
agenda: Agenda Item 6
agenda: Agenda Item 7
agenda: Agenda Item 8

Confidence: Medium

Video transcript and 8 parsed agenda items available; minutes not yet available as of briefing publication.

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.