Council approves $136,040 amendment for Disciple Drive park design after resident questions costs

The Jonesboro City Council on July 7 approved a $136,040 amendment to the professional-services contract for the Disciple Drive park to complete design support, construction documents and architectural construction documents for the 17-acre site.

Staff read the resolution describing the additional fee and said funding will come from the capital improvement budget. Patty Lack, a nearby resident who gave her address at the meeting, said she compared the new proposal to an April submission and found 10 significant changes to the scope while the city was being billed for overlapping work, notably two separate tree surveys. "We're getting double charged," she said, urging council to table or reduce the proposal.

City staff responded that the original agreement advanced designs to roughly 60% and that the new work would finalize 100% of plans for the elements the city can build within the grant cap. Staff said the overall vision for the site could total about $14 million if all amenities were built, but available grant funding and current allocations limit the city to roughly $3.7 million of buildable features now. Staff emphasized the grant timeline and the need to complete documents so required grant-funded items can be constructed within that funding window.

Council debated the concerns but ultimately voted to advance the resolution. The clerk called ballots and the chair announced the motion carried. Staff said additional amenities such as extra pickleball courts could be pursued later as funding permits.

Patty Lack's written comparison and questions about duplicate tree-survey charges were entered into the public record; staff said procurement and contract details affecting per-phase billing would be available for follow-up and could be reviewed if council wished to delay the contract execution.