The decision came during the board’s second regular January meeting, held in the boardroom at Hope City Hall.  The complete video of the meeting can be seen on the City of Hope’s Facebook site. 

City Manager J.R. Wilson told the board three bids were received for the project, but each exceeded cost expectations.

“We think it’s in the best interest of the city not to accept any of these bids at this time,” Wilson said. “The numbers just came in higher than what we anticipated.”

Wilson said construction of the courts was expected to cost approximately $1.25 million, a figure that prompted staff to recommend rejecting the bids and revisiting the project scope. Board members agreed and voted unanimously not to accept the bids. No timeline was set for rebidding the project. But before the rebidding, a scaling down of the project called a rescoping may occur.

During the meeting the board heard from an Austin-based Vice President of Sales for PickleTile by video connection.  Matt Reinberg said his company could provide for courts with a tempered glass fencing and a concrete slap that would hold up for about 30 years even considering the kind of soil at Fair Park whose settling has resulted in the cracking of the slab of the current tennis court.  He said his company could complete the work within the $1.25 million specified.

After its action of declining the bids, the board reviewed updated financial information related to park improvements and the planned recreation and aquatic center.

Wilson told the board the city received $27.3 million through its bond issue, which is based on expected receipts from a sales tax Hope citizens passed in November of 2024 to fund the parks upgrades as well as a new fire department headquarters. As of Jan. 20, he said about $1.24 million had been spent.

“Roughly $900,000 of that is architectural,” Wilson said, noting the remainder covered early project expenses.

He said the city has earned about $649,000 in interest, bringing the available balance to approximately $26.7 million.

Wilson reviewed anticipated remaining costs, including about $282,000 to complete the Splash Pad project, approximately $1.25 million for the pickleball and tennis courts, and the bulk of the construction costs tied to the recreation and aquatic center.

He also addressed additional expenses not covered under the architect’s contract.

“By law, there are certain inspections that we can’t have our architect do,” Wilson said. “Those have to be done by third-party inspectors.”

Wilson said staff is in the process of obtaining bids for those required services.

Turning to the Splash Pad, Wilson said the city has already spent approximately $18,000 on site preparation, including installation of a dedicated water meter and sewer line work. He noted Hope Water & Light provided materials and did not charge labor.

Wilson said about $222,000 has been paid to the Splash Pad contractor to date out of a total contract of approximately $384,000.

Immediately following that update, the board discussed a proposal by NinjaCross to install a suspended obstacle course at the indoor pool at the future recreation and aquatic center.

Assistant City Manager Daniel Shelman said the city had been approached about a month ago by the company and NinjaCross had been told that the installation would have to be fully funded by the company or else it would not be accepted.  

Kyle Rieger, the managing partner of NinjaCross Systems explained the company has a lot of experience installing and helping maintain its systems around the country and in Canada, having installed its obstacle courses in about 1,500 facilities.  He explained where the funding would come from to place one in the proposed Hope recreation and aquatic center.  Some would come from nonprofits, he said, but others from corporations.  

“There's also grants through every major corporation out there, Walmart, American Express, Bank of America, and we're talking large figures, not five or ten thousand but a quarter of a million, half a million dollars,” Rieger said, adding that NinjaCross would supply the text for grant applications that a Hope city staffer could then tailor further and send to the grantor.

“They come in and install it,” Wilson said to the directors. “The way they make their money is through use fees and fundraising.”

Wilson said the company would be responsible for raising funds to cover the cost of the obstacle course through sponsorships and special events, with proceeds tied directly to operation and maintenance of the attraction.

The obstacle course would be removable and designed for use during designated times, allowing the pool to continue normal operations.

“It’s something that adds another amenity without putting the city in a position of having to pay for it,” Wilson said.

Near the end of the meeting, Hope Public Schools Superintendent Jonathan Crossley addressed the board regarding a proposed millage increase that will appear on the March 3rd ballot.

Crossley told the board the district has not passed a millage increase in at least 40 years and currently ranks 207th out of 235 school districts statewide.

“We’re near the bottom,” Crossley said. “And that has an impact on what we’re able to do with our facilities.”

Crossley said the proposed increase focuses on deferred maintenance, safety improvements, and basic infrastructure needs. The funds would be prioritized toward student safety measures, infrastructure repair (including a new HVAC system at Clinton Primary and addressing of problems with Hammons Stadium's foundation for home and visitor seating), classroom modernization and future progress toward a multi-sport complex.

“This is not about new programs,” he said. “This is about taking care of what we already have.”

He noted that the $15 million in federal magnet grant funding the district uses for student experiences cannot be used for construction and encouraged residents to attend upcoming open houses to see facility conditions firsthand.

The board  recognized the retirement of K-9 patrol dog Rojo. Police officials said Rojo would remain with his handler following retirement.

The board at the beginning of the meeting heard a presentation from Charlotte Bradley, president of the Texarkana Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Bradley said the sorority was founded in 1913 at Howard University and that the local chapter was chartered in 1975.

“They wanted to be change agents,” Bradley said of the chapter’s founders. “They wanted to be able to do things collectively in our communities.”

Bradley outlined five focus areas: economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement.

She said the chapter conducts first-time homebuyer seminars, financial literacy workshops, backpack food programs, youth mentoring initiatives, blood drives, caregiver symposiums, and hygiene supply drives for local schools.

“We feel like it’s our responsibility to be socially and civically involved,” Bradley said. “It’s our responsibility to make a difference in the communities that we serve.”

In other business, the board approved declaring a 2019 Ford Police Utility vehicle surplus.

Chief Kim Tomlin told the board the vehicle was no longer suitable for department operations and requested approval to place it on sale in accordance with city policy.

The board also approved routine administrative items, including three-year term appointments to the Planning and Zoning Commission (Windell Ross and Vice-mayor Kiffinea Talley) and it also granted permission for a prescribed burn of brush and other wood waste west of Fair Park on a day when wind will blow the smoke to the west, away from the city.

Wilson said bids for construction of the recreation and aquatic center came in higher than anticipated and that staff is negotiating with the low bidder, as allowed under Arkansas law.

The board gave Wilson permission to finance through Cadence Bank, which was found to offer the lowest interest rate the buying of a piece of equipment called a knuckle boom truck, which can grapple large amounts of material and place it in dump trucks for removal.  The purchase was provided for in this year's budget.

A citizen spoke of a complaint about the towing of his car from his parking place at a Hope Housing Authority apartment and was given advice about how to proceed.

Mayor Don Still adjourned the two-hour meeting after thanking board members, staff and those in attendance.

Above photo: A view of the two monitoring screens used by Darrell Allen, Hope IT Director and Hope Municipal Airport Supervisor to stream city board meetings to the public. 

Last photo: Members of of the Texarkana Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority pose with Hope's Board of Directors, its city manager and other staff members.