OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fort Smith Central Business Improvement District Meeting - September 6, 2026

Meeting Portal — Sunday, September 6, 2026
BodyFort Smith, Arkansas
SessionMeeting Portal
DateSunday, September 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:37:26

Transcript — Verbatim
0:13

Bill White and Stuart Yan are on vacation, so I would entertain a motion to give them an excused absence.

0:23

So moved.

0:26

Those in favor.

0:34

In your packet, you can see the meetings for the last for a minute for the last meeting.

0:43

Those for a second there.

0:44

See if there's any changes necessary.

1:07

All right.

1:08

Motion to approve the minutes as presented.

1:11

All those in favor, please say aye.

1:13

Alright.

1:14

So move.

1:17

Treasurer's report.

1:20

Yes, sir.

1:20

Not much report there.

1:22

Our revenues primarily from the assessment is $52,000 year to date.

1:30

Of course, you know, the revenues is more in the latter part of the year with assessment.

1:34

Our expenses year to date is 104,000.

1:38

And so a slight or modest decline in our cash position as intended as we collect revenues more towards the back half of the year, and then uh spend reinvest those funds.

1:51

So our cash position has gone from 304,000 and then count to 252 at the end of May.

1:59

Not really anything else material, I don't think.

2:08

We accepted.

2:10

All right.

2:10

All those in favor of the treasurer's report as presented, please say aye.

2:15

I think we're at a second.

2:16

We have a second on here to second.

2:17

Second.

2:18

Second.

2:19

Second by uh Commissioner.

2:23

All right.

2:24

All those in favor, please say aye.

2:26

Aye.

2:29

All right.

2:29

Uh moving into presentations and reports, code enforcement, Mr.

2:33

Dark.

2:34

Yes.

2:35

Glad to be here this morning for some of y'all who might not know who I am.

2:37

My name is Sean Gardner Director of Neighborhood Services Code Enforcement Division.

2:42

And from the minutes of the last meeting, I uh take it if you were one kind of an update on some of the structures that we've had open cases on for quite some time.

2:52

Uh mainly the the 521 Garrison building.

2:56

Uh the windows that are boarded up the building remain secure at this time.

3:00

My inspector has made contact with a property owner.

3:04

Finally, and blazing, hopefully, we should see something needed done with the blazing within the next 30 days with those boards removed and windows being replaced.

3:13

Um the William Weldon Lick building directly behind the city offices.

3:19

Uh that's supposed to be that broken uh window out is supposed to be taken care of.

3:23

Uh the big thing that happened is down there at uh 15 north second, uh the West End Park uh with it has the Ferris wheel there.

3:31

We uh my department we done an extensive abatement action on there.

3:36

It was in pretty pretty bad shape as far as the overgrowth, bushes, trees, weeds, trash.

3:43

We've had some homeless getting in there and kind of creating some messes there.

3:48

Uh but we uh went in there and trimmed all the pushes back, we did everything.

3:53

You can see all the ornament ornate uh items in there now, and now that is on our regular schedule for every 30 days or the remainder of the calendar year.

4:03

So we won't have to go through notification process again for our city ordinance.

4:08

If once we see overgrowth, uh the area remains secured and locked, we go through our district court with the ward of entry to be able to gain access to be able to evade the property, but the city uh will maintain it for the main or calendar year if the owner does not take care of it.

4:23

Each time we evade it, we do put a lien on the property to repeat the tax dollars that are spent for the abatement action.

4:30

We're uh dealing with quite a bit of the uh homeless activity in the area still.

4:36

Uh whenever my department is made aware of homeless activity, we're quick to respond to address any kind of items that are left out there.

4:46

Uh of course there's no camping gear that's being out there to help and we address that.

4:51

We try to make contact with everybody that we can at these encampments.

4:55

Um people will talk to us, some don't want to talk to us.

5:00

We try to refer them to any of the social services around here, mainly pointing towards next step day room on the whole campus.

5:06

But what we're running into a lot of them don't want to go to a facility, they don't want to go to the care place, and so all we can do is continue to address the code violations that are on the property, just try and stay ahead of it.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement██████████████████████████26%
Community Engagement███████████████15%
Parks and Recreation█████████████13%
Public Safety██████████10%
Homelessness███████7%
Tourism Development██████6%
Infrastructure and Engineering█████5%
Arts And Culture████4%
Procedural███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Fort Smith Central Business Improvement District (CBID) Meeting Summary - September 6, 2026

The CBID board met on September 6, 2026, at 9:30 AM in the cooler room at the bakery. The meeting covered routine approvals, departmental reports, and extensive public comments regarding homelessness, a downtown statue controversy, and communication issues.

Consent Calendar

  • Motion passed to excuse Commissioners Bill White and Stuart Yan for absence.
  • Minutes from the previous meeting were approved as presented.
  • Treasurer's report accepted: Year-to-date revenues of $52,000, expenses of $104,000, resulting in a cash position decline from $304,000 to $252,000 at the end of May. The decrease was described as intentional due to the revenue cycle.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Joey McCutchen: Expressed concern over the homeless crisis, criticizing the board for not engaging with city-wide issues. He alleged an ongoing insurance fraud scheme targeting homeless individuals, involving shipping them to out-of-state rehab and billing insurance. Called for a comprehensive, collaborative approach involving the board, police, and social services.
  • Jack Willinger: Described personal experiences of harassment by homeless individuals downtown and questioned the accessibility of the new e-bike voucher program for disabled and low-income residents without internet access. Asked for details on eligibility and safety requirements (e.g., helmets).
  • Joe Armstrong (first speaker about Darby statue): Voiced strong opposition to the raised pump house at the William O. Darby statue site, arguing it dwarfs the statue and shows disregard for the statue's historical significance. Offered to fund relocation of the statue to Fort Benning if the city does not want to maintain it properly. Claimed he previously offered up to $75,000 in additional donations for the park.
  • Unidentified male speaker (communications activist): Criticized the board for lack of proactive communication and transparency, stating that emailed inquiries to board members went unanswered. Urged the board to embrace modern communication methods and engage with citizens, warning that continued isolation could lead to efforts to dissolve the CBID.
  • Retired ranger (supporting Joe Armstrong): Reinforced the disrespect felt by the military community regarding the pump house modification, emphasizing the need to honor General Darby's legacy.
  • Asher Becker (Discover Fort Smith): Reminded that the advertising commission is funded by hotel lodging tax, not taxpayer dollars. Urged attendees to share positive stories about the city to counterbalance negativity.
  • Stephanie Nigent (Fort Smith Downtown Business Association): Highlighted upcoming events (Food Truck Festival September 26, Fall Festival October 24, Ball Drop December 31) and stated she feels safe downtown as a business owner working late.

Discussion Items

  • Code Enforcement (Sean Gardner, Director): Reported that the 521 Garrison building windows should be repaired within 30 days. The West End Park (15 North Second) underwent extensive abatement for overgrowth, trash, and homeless encampments; the property will be maintained monthly with liens placed for costs. Homeless activity remains an issue citywide. Three inspectors are now on staff, exceeding last year's enforcement numbers. Requested a list of property owner contacts in the CBID to facilitate informal compliance.
  • Parks Department (representative): Provided updates on three projects:
    • Darby Park Pump House: Raised approximately five feet to prevent flooding. Original bids were over budget; re-bid at just under $140,000. The same stone mason is restoring the exterior to match the statue pedestal. Commissioner expressed concern about the elevation dwarfing the statue, and citizens stated they were not consulted despite prior promises.
    • Bass Roots Legacy Loop: Original $25 million Build Grant was for a path costing over $40 million. A revised scope (a direct route down Old Greenwood Road) is estimated at just under $30 million with a 30% contingency, to be bid in 2029. No city match is required for the grant.
    • Butterfield Trails Stage Coach Monument: Working with CBID to install a sidewalk for safety; public works will remove a parking area.
  • Citizen Services (Joshua Robertson): Solar canopy project closing in July. Clarified that the e-bike voucher program (funded by a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant) is for individual purchases, not a bike share. Low-income residents can get up to $1,200; general public up to $700. Application portal opens July 6. The alley project (five alleys) contractor was terminated; the city is pursuing a new contractor via the surety.
  • Police (Corporal Solis): Continuing zero-tolerance patrols downtown. Graffiti has spiked in Escape Park (likely juveniles). Four trailer cameras deployed. Began educational sessions at homeless shelters to explain laws (e.g., trespassing, littering). Splash pad signage still pending legal review. Cited close coordination with code enforcement.
  • Main Street Fort Smith (Hager): Next round of exterior improvement mini-grants opened; applications due September 1, projects by March 15, 2027. Last year, $11,000 in grants leveraged $80,000 in private investment. Also announced the Garrison Arts Walk on November 7 (applications open) and the Brew on the Border fundraiser for the Museum of History on July 25.
  • Riverfront Gateway Project: A scaled-down concept from MAHG was presented, removing the archway and focusing on a monument and sidewalk. ARDOT indicated three feet of space available. Engineering costs not yet budgeted; discussion deferred to next meeting, with Galen invited to provide insight.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent calendar items (excused absences, minutes, treasurer's report) approved by voice vote.
  • Riverfront Gateway discussion tabled until the July 16, 2026 meeting, where an engineer will present further details.
  • Next CBID meeting scheduled for July 16, 2026, at 9:30 AM in the same location.
  • Several public comments called for improved communication and collaboration, which the board acknowledged. No formal actions were taken on homelessness or the pump house dispute.
  • Meeting adjourned at approximately 11:20 AM.

Meeting Transcript

Bill White and Stuart Yan are on vacation, so I would entertain a motion to give them an excused absence. So moved. Those in favor. In your packet, you can see the meetings for the last for a minute for the last meeting. Those for a second there. See if there's any changes necessary. All right. Motion to approve the minutes as presented. All those in favor, please say aye. Alright. So move. Treasurer's report. Yes, sir. Not much report there. Our revenues primarily from the assessment is $52,000 year to date. Of course, you know, the revenues is more in the latter part of the year with assessment. Our expenses year to date is 104,000. And so a slight or modest decline in our cash position as intended as we collect revenues more towards the back half of the year, and then uh spend reinvest those funds. So our cash position has gone from 304,000 and then count to 252 at the end of May. Not really anything else material, I don't think. We accepted. All right. All those in favor of the treasurer's report as presented, please say aye. I think we're at a second. We have a second on here to second. Second. Second. Second by uh Commissioner. All right. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All right. Uh moving into presentations and reports, code enforcement, Mr. Dark. Yes. Glad to be here this morning for some of y'all who might not know who I am. My name is Sean Gardner Director of Neighborhood Services Code Enforcement Division. And from the minutes of the last meeting, I uh take it if you were one kind of an update on some of the structures that we've had open cases on for quite some time. Uh mainly the the 521 Garrison building. Uh the windows that are boarded up the building remain secure at this time. My inspector has made contact with a property owner. Finally, and blazing, hopefully, we should see something needed done with the blazing within the next 30 days with those boards removed and windows being replaced. Um the William Weldon Lick building directly behind the city offices. Uh that's supposed to be that broken uh window out is supposed to be taken care of. Uh the big thing that happened is down there at uh 15 north second, uh the West End Park uh with it has the Ferris wheel there. We uh my department we done an extensive abatement action on there. It was in pretty pretty bad shape as far as the overgrowth, bushes, trees, weeds, trash. We've had some homeless getting in there and kind of creating some messes there. Uh but we uh went in there and trimmed all the pushes back, we did everything. You can see all the ornament ornate uh items in there now, and now that is on our regular schedule for every 30 days or the remainder of the calendar year.

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