A month of dry weather would be a welcome relief for the El Dorado Department of Public Works.
However, despite rainfall that has drenched the area for the past several weeks, Robert Edmonds, director of public works, said contractors are making some progress on ongoing and upcoming street projects.
An improvement project that began on Fifth Street in January has faced several delays due to inclement weather, including rain and snowstorms that rumbled through the area mid-February.
The project is intended to improve safety and expedite traffic flow on the section of Fifth that lies between North West and North College avenues.
Fifth Street is one of the city’s primary east-west arteries, with a daily average of 4,200 vehicles, according to a traffic count that was conducted last year by the Department of Public Works.
El Dorado City Council Member Paul Choate, who worked with Edmonds to plan the project, previously said that space is particularly tight along West Fifth between the Medical Center of South Arkansas, which is just west of Union Avenue, and North West Avenue.
MCSA’s north entrances and exits are off Fifth Street, which is one of the routes to the MCSA Emergency Room on the north side of the hospital’s campus.
The $850,000 improvement project includes the addition of a northbound turn lane from College onto Fifth; street widening; new curbs and gutters; the addition of sidewalks to run the length of Fifth between the North West and North College, one of the city’s primary north-south arteries; lighting; and replacement of the retaining wall on the north side of Fifth at the intersection of North West Avenue.
The work is being covered by a portion of $5 million that was added to the city’s street budget for 2020 and 2021.
Last year, the city council and El Dorado Works Board approved the $5 million, which is being split evenly among the city’s four wards to help bolster the existing $1.3 million Street Department budget and cover more street repairs.
The EWB administers the city’s one-cent, sales tax that is designated for economic development, municipal infrastructure and quality-of-life projects.
Funding for the Fifth Street project is coming from the portion of the street budget that has been designated for Ward 4.
In January, crews started work on the west end of the project area at the intersection of College and Fifth and have steadily inched their way toward North West Avenue.
The turn lane has been completed, several streetlights have been installed and new sidewalks laid so far.
Council Member Dianne Hammond — who, along with Paul Choate, represents Ward 4, where the work is taking place — said she has heard a lot of compliments about the project.
“People are really happy that we’re making that change,” Hammond said.
Edmonds said that once crews reach the intersection of North West Avenue and Fifth, traffic will be detoured around the intersection.
Choate and MSCA pointed to the tight and awkward turn off North West Avenue onto Fifth, particularly for ambulances.
“We’re going to have to detour traffic to make that cut into that intersection and move that retaining wall back. We’re going to do as much of that as we can at night,” Edmonds said.
The Fifth Street project is contracted for 150 days and is expected to be completed by summer.
“If we could get a month of dry weather, we can go ahead and finish up Fifth Street,” Edmonds said.
Street program and recreation complex
He said rain and other factors have also affected the city’s annual street overlay program.
Edmonds and James Lewis, street superintendent for the Department of Public Works, said the overlays will be done off and on over the next several months and the work is expected to begin in about two weeks.
They explained that the city’s contractors, the Smackover Paving Company and Johnsville Sand and Gravel, a highway construction company in Hermitage, are handling other jobs, including some for the Arkansas Department of Transportation, that have been delayed because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Lewis said street improvements in El Dorado will be done as labor and materials become available throughout the summer.
Edmonds said rain is also a consideration in plans for the installation of two kiosks that will serve as concession stands on the south end of the El Dorado-Union County Recreation Complex.
Murphy USA has donated two kiosks, which are used at many of its convenience stores, to provide concessions for the softball, baseball and soccer fields on the south end of the complex near the Dumas Pavilion.
The four fields that are used for baseball and softball were completed earlier this year — two existing fields were finished with the addition of lights, new fencing, etc., and two more were built from scratch.
The soccer fields are expected to open in the fall.
The field construction is included in the first phase of a master plan to improve and renovate the complex.
Four older fields on the north side of the facility received new fencing, lighting and turf earlier this year as a part of phase one.
Phase one initially called for a new concessions plaza to serve the south fields.
The facility was to have included a concessions area, restrooms, an umpires’ lounge/changing room and an office for the complex manager.
However, the complex board of directors changed course on the project amid concerns about how to fit such a facility within the space that is available on the south end of the complex and funding to cover the estimated $340,000 price tag.
After months of discussions, board member Keith Smith proposed the idea of kiosks, similar to the ones that are used by Murphy USA at many the company’s convenience store locations.
Board members agreed that the smaller kiosks would be less expensive and, logistically, they would be easier to install within the allotted space.
The group reached out to Murphy USA to gather information about kiosks and the company later offered to donate two used kiosks to the complex.
The complex board is working with Edmonds and Union County Judge Mike Loftin to coordinate the delivery of the kiosks from Atlanta, Georgia, and installation at the complex.
On May 7, Greg Harrison, chairman of the complex board, reported that Edmonds is still working with A.L. Franks Engineering, the engineer that is overseeing the development of the master plan, to come up with cost estimates to lay the concrete slabs and skirting for the kiosks, rent a crane to set up the kiosks and install hook-ups for utilities, including water, wastewater and electrical.
Edmonds and A.L. Franks have cited preliminary estimates of $50,000 - $60,000.
Loftin has said the county will cover the costs of transporting the kiosks to El Dorado.
During an El Dorado Water and Public Works Board meeting on May 12, Edmonds said the city and county are working to synchronize the project and time it so that the crane can be rented and kiosks installed on the day they arrive.
“Again, we’re going to need dry weather because we need to lay the foundation before we bring them in and so that we only have to mobilize that crane once,” Edmonds said. “The ground is going to have to be dry in order for us to be able to do that.”
Parking lot improvements and expansion are included in phase two of the master plan, along with a new baseball field for older teens and adults and a recreational trail surrounding the complex.
As a short-term measure to address the poor condition of the parking lot, the city has re-striped the parking spaces so that the spaces are clearly defined for visitors.
The complex board is exploring potential funding sources for phase two.
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Fifth Street widening and other road work hampered by rainy weather - El Dorado News-Times
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