Springdale City Council to look at Wranglers contract, then at stadium needs

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) _ The Springdale City Council's special meeting on Tuesday could determine if the Wichita Wranglers move to that city. <br/><br/>The council will look at a proposed contract for

Monday, August 28th 2006, 1:21 pm

By: News On 6

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) _ The Springdale City Council's special meeting on Tuesday could determine if the Wichita Wranglers move to that city.

The council will look at a proposed contract for the Wranglers to move to a new stadium and, if that's all right, determine what must be done to build the stadium and roads that will lead to it.

If the contract with the Wranglers can be finalized and approved, the council is expected to consider contracts for designing the stadium, appraising the property and designing street improvements.

A bond-issue proposal approved by voters on July 11 included $6 million for stadium infrastructure needs _ road improvements, water, sewer and electricity.

If the lease agreement with the team is approved, council members are expected to review an ordinance giving Engineering Services Inc. a contract to design street improvements near the stadium.

The city expects to pay $320,500 for the street-improvements design work and $134,500 for construction-management services. Engineering Services' estimates the street-improvement costs will total $4.478 million.

Rene Langston, executive director of Springdale Water Utilities, said plans for water and sewer improvements can't be developed until the design of the stadium is completed by the architects. The firm of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum is doing that work.

``We won't know the stadium's needs until we have their data,'' Langston said. ``We probably will look at taking the opportunity to expand the lines beyond the need of the stadium.''

The likelihood of further development to the south of the stadium site would encourage expanding the size of the lines leading to the stadium, he said.

But the water and sewer lines can't be designed now to handle all future growth needs, he said. Water that stays in feeder lines too long can lose the effect of chlorination, he said, and sewage that remains in sewer lines too long can release excess gas.

``We have to balance everything carefully,'' Langston said. ``That's why we need to wait for all the information.''