City takes arena to next step
Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Siloam Springs Board of Directors approved plans Tuesday for a 50, 200-square-foot arena to be built at John Brown University.
The arena will replace the existing one at Walton Lifetime Health Complex. It will be 19, 000 square-feet larger than the current one.
Directors approved the plans without comment.
Plans were approved with 1, 032 parking spaces, a 12 percent reduction in the number of parking spaces required by city code. Another ordinance, approved in 2006, allows large businesses and industries up to a 30 percent reduction in this amount, which is based on the square footage of the structure.
A 60-space parking lot will be added north of the arena. About 50 parking spaces will be removed surrounding the current arena to allow for new construction.
Siloam Springs Planning Commission approved the plans April 8 after a discussion about parking concerns.
Commissioners tabled the plans in a previous meeting before John Brown University decided to add the new parking lot.
In other business, directors decided to not renew the wastewater contract with West Siloam Springs, Okla., and will ask the town to negotiate a new contract.
On April 15, directors voted to not renew the water contract with the town and ask the town to negotiate a new contract.
City staff wanted to negotiate new contacts because the old contracts did not consider the large size of new developments in the town, including the new casino and hotels.
The wastewater contract was signed with the town Sept. 19, 2000, and will end on Sept. 19 unless a new one is approved.
Also, the water contract will end Nov. 7 unless a new one is approved.
These decisions come after directors on Feb. 19 approved charging the town a nearly $ 1 million impact fee to pay for the utility connections to the 200, 000-squarefoot Cherokee Casino, its eight-story hotel - which are both under construction - and a 50- to 70-room Holiday Inn Express that has yet to be built.
Directors also approved • The first reading to allow for a prohibited use permit at 517 W. Tahlequah St.
• Closing the 800 block of South Inglewood Street between Tulsa and Jewell streets from 9 to 11: 30 a.m. May 22 for a bike and trike event for Siloam Springs Head Start Center.
• Giving Siloam Springs Museum parts of the old Twin Springs Fountain, including the stump on which the original bird used to stand and the bronze plaque.
• Destruction of old city records.
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