Resident raises structural concerns about Burger King slab; city staff say third‑party inspections cleared framing work

A resident, Buddy Huggins, testified during the public comment period that a concrete slab poured for a new Burger King was placed in freezing conditions in early January and lacked proper testing and aggregate, creating what he described as a “bad slab.” He urged the city to investigate whether the foundation and slab should be removed or retested before construction continues.
Huggins said he saw no test cylinders made at the time of the pour and that a core test had not been performed to verify concrete strength. “You can’t break concrete,” he said, describing a hand-sized piece he lifted and broke by hand to illustrate his point. He also raised concerns about nearby bridges — citing the Green Bridge and a “Riverside” bridge — and said he believed the bridge work should be inspected.
City Administrator Terry Johnson and Planning Director Randall Whitman responded on the record. Johnson said he had received a report from the planning director earlier that day and had emailed it to the board. Johnson summarized the staff position: “There were third party inspections conducted of the concrete that has been poured. There were deficiencies that were corrected, and that concrete has been inspected by a third party individual, third party company. And they were released to begin framing, which they started this weekend.”
On the question of bridge ownership and responsibility, a member of staff told the board that the city, the county and Ozark Special Road District (OSRD) entered an intergovernmental agreement at the bridge’s creation and that, under that agreement, “OSRD has sole responsibility for the maintenance and ownership of that bridge.” The meeting record shows no further action was taken at the meeting to order additional testing or enforcement related to Buddy Huggins’ comments.
Huggins provided a website and YouTube channel as sources for his documentation and urged the board to investigate sinkage and failed tests he referenced. City staff recorded that third‑party inspections had been completed, deficiencies corrected, and framing permitted to proceed.