Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting

May 12, 2026 Civic Briefing

Hot Springs Board Hears $2.1M Buddy Bean Grant Report, Reviews Water Fee Account and Solar Lighting Grant Resolutions

At its May 12, 2026 agenda meeting, the Hot Springs Board of Directors received an economic development briefing that included a $2.1 million state grant to prepare the Buddy Bean site for development, and reviewed — but did not vote on — two resolutions covering a new water impact fee bank account and a solar lighting grant application for the Davidson Drive wastewater facility.

Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting Agenda Meeting May 12, 2026 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 Chamber of Commerce CEO reported that the Arkansas Economic Development Commission awarded a $2.1 million grant to make the Buddy Bean site shovel-ready through environmental studies, engineering, and site grading work.
Staff presented Resolution R-2689, which would authorize opening a dedicated bank account for the Water Impact Fee Fund, required by Ordinance 6577 adopted May 5, 2026.
Staff also presented Resolution R-2690, which would authorize filing for a state Energy Environmental Initiatives Fund grant to install solar-powered outdoor lighting at the Davidson Drive wastewater treatment facility.
No votes were taken at this meeting — it was an agenda (preview) session, not an action meeting.
A proclamation honoring the 100th birthday of Albert Dubs Ballard was announced, to be presented to his widow Jean Ballard.

By the numbers

Total identified spending

$2,100,000

Votes taken

includes procedural votes

Unanimous votes

Largest single item

$2,100,000

Economic Development Report — $2.1 million Buddy Bean grant

Emergency / ratification items

Resident questions unanswered

Money approved

Item	Amount	Vendor	Vote	Source
Buddy Bean Site Grant — Environmental Studies, Engineering, and Site Grading	$2,100,000	Arkansas Economic Development Commission (administered through Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and Metro Partnership)	No vote taken	`item:1`
Total identified spending	$2,100,000

Major decisions

Economic Development Report — Buddy Bean Site Grant and Workforce Outreach

Item: Informational presentation on April economic development activities, including receipt of a $2.1 million Arkansas Economic Development Commission grant for site preparation at the Buddy Bean property. This was a report, not a spending vote — the grant was awarded to the Metro Partnership, not appropriated by the Board at this session.
Vote: No vote taken
Cost: The $2.1 million grant is state funding administered through the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. No city spending commitment was identified in the record at this step.
Vendor / responsible: Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and Metro Partnership
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: The Buddy Bean site grant funds environmental studies, engineering, and grading work — including flood plain work and creek and culvert reconstruction — intended to make the property ready to attract new employers or development.
What the Board said or did: Gary Troutman presented the report. Other April highlights included seven local school scholarship presentations, a 64-company draft day event with 16 schools and approximately 1,200 students at Lake Hamilton, a Metro Partnership banquet, and meetings with Forge Now, a Dallas-based workforce training organization being recruited to Hot Springs. The record does not show Board members asking questions or making comments beyond receiving the report.
What remains unclear: Whether the Board took any follow-up direction on Forge Now recruitment, and the timeline for Buddy Bean site work to begin, are not described in the available record.
Source: item:1

Resolution R-2689 — New Bank Account for Water Impact Fee Fund

Item: Resolution authorizing the city to open a dedicated demand deposit bank account at Banco ZK for the Water Impact Fee Fund, as required by Ordinance 6577 (adopted May 5, 2026), which established development fees for the Hot Springs water system. Presented for review; no vote taken at this session.
Vote: No vote taken
Cost: No spending was identified — this resolution authorizes an administrative account setup, not an expenditure.
Vendor / responsible: Banco ZK
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: Establishes a separate, dedicated account to hold water impact fees collected from new development — a bookkeeping requirement under the May 5 ordinance.
What the Board said or did: Finance Director Karen Scott explained the accounting requirement. The record does not show Board questions or debate.
What remains unclear: The resolution was presented but not voted on at this session; whether it was formally passed at a subsequent action meeting is not shown in the available record.
Source: item:3

Resolution R-2690 — EIF Grant Application for Solar Lighting at Davidson Drive Wastewater Facility

Item: Resolution authorizing filing and acceptance of a fiscal year 2026 Energy Environmental Initiatives Fund (EIF) grant for solar-powered outdoor lighting at the Davidson Drive wastewater treatment facility. Presented for review; no vote taken at this session.
Vote: No vote taken
Cost: The record does not show a city spending commitment at this step.
Vendor / responsible: Sarah Loer, grant writer
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: If the grant is awarded, solar lighting poles would be installed in priority operational areas at the Davidson Drive facility to improve safety for employees working at night or during emergencies, and to reduce long-term energy costs.
What the Board said or did: Grant Writer Sarah Loer explained the project scope. The record notes that preliminary feasibility studies and solar modeling have already been completed. No Board questions or debate are described in the available record.
What remains unclear: The grant award amount being requested, whether a city match is required, and the timeline for a funding decision are not described in the available record.
Source: item:4

Proclamation — 100th Birthday of Albert Dubs Ballard

Item: A proclamation honoring the 100th birthday of Albert Dubs Ballard was announced; it is to be presented to his widow, Jean Ballard.
Vote: No vote recorded
Cost: No cost specified
Vendor / responsible: n/a
Discussion level: None Approved without separate discussion
What the Board said or did: Proclamation announced for presentation to Jean Ballard, widow of Albert Dubs Ballard.
Source: item:2

Locations affected

Buddy Bean site, Hot Springs

Hot Springs

$2.1 million AEDC grant to fund environmental studies, engineering, and site grading (including flood plain and creek/culvert work) to make the property shovel-ready for development

Status: Planned
Davidson Drive Wastewater Treatment Facility, Hot Springs

Hot Springs

Solar-powered outdoor lighting grant application (Resolution R-2690) presented for Board review

Status: Planned

Watch list

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

Buddy Bean site timeline

Open

The record does not show when site preparation work is expected to begin or a projected completion date for the shovel-ready work funded by the $2.1 million grant.

Why it matters: Project timeline affects planning for development attraction and economic impact.
Next check: Verify timeline at next Board action meeting or subsequent economic development briefing.

Forge Now recruitment

Open

Staff mentioned meetings with the Dallas-based workforce training company as a prospect for Hot Springs, but no agreement, timeline, or next step was described in the record.

Why it matters: Workforce development is linked to economic development and employer attraction strategy.
Next check: Check Board meeting minutes and economic development reports for Forge Now status and commitment.

EIF grant award amount and match requirement

Open

The resolution to apply for solar lighting funding at Davidson Drive did not specify the grant amount sought or whether a city match is required.

Why it matters: Clarity on match requirements affects budget planning and project feasibility.
Next check: Review grant application documents or Board action meeting when R-2690 is voted on.

R-2689 and R-2690 action votes

Open

Neither resolution was voted on at this agenda session. Confirmation of passage at the next action meeting should be verified.

Why it matters: Both resolutions require formal Board approval to proceed with implementation.
Next check: Verify passage of R-2689 and R-2690 at next Board action meeting.

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 recording
transcript: Video transcript — full meeting
transcript: Video transcript — Economic Development Report (00:01:00)
transcript: Video transcript — Proclamation announcement (00:17:01)
transcript: Video transcript — Resolution R-2689 presentation (00:17:21)
transcript: Video transcript — Resolution R-2690 presentation (00:18:31)
agenda: Meeting agenda items

Confidence: Medium

Video transcript and four parsed agenda items available. Minutes not yet published. No changes between agenda and meeting noted.

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.