RISON - The Rison City Council voted Tuesday night to give Mayor Charles Roberts and City Utilities Director Joe Freyer permission to negotiate with the only contractor to submit a bid for using $5.5 million in grant money to improve the city's wastewater treatment plant and refurbish its two water tanks.
After hearing an explanation of the grant process from Aaron Benzing, vice president of Hawkins Weir Engineers, Inc. of Little Rock, the city council unanimously approved a motion to allow Roberts and Freyers to negotiate the "pre-construction" phase of the projects. Hawkins Weir is the engineering firm that developed the plans for upgrading the city's wastewater facility.
In January 2023, Roberts announced that the City of Rison had been awarded more than $7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to make improvements to the city's water and wastewater infrastructure. That grant award included $3.9 to improve the wastewater treatment plant on Hwy. 79; $1.62 million to refurbish the city water tanks at Veterans Park and next to the courthouse; and $1.5 million to install new water lines.
Hawkins Weir is serving as the engineer for the sewer plant and water tank projects while Harbor Environmental and Safety is doing the engineer work for the water lines.
Benzing told the city council that contractors for water and sewer projects are difficult to find since there are so many projects currently underway due to the influx of infrastructure grant money through ARPA and the federal infrastructure bill.
He said the city was fortunate to receive the one bid it did receive from the Tolm Group in Morrilton. Benzing described Tolm as a quality contractor.
Within the scope of the current constmction market, Benzing said the $5.5 million available for the wastewater and water tank projects is relatively small job.He told the council that some larger projects around the state did not receive any bid...
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