NWACC garage repairs and a seven-city Greenway project

There is work to pursue in two very different corners of Northwest Arkansas this week: restoring an existing college parking garage and replacing wayfinding signs along a seven-city trail corridor.

We have the scope and deadlines for both, plus a manufacturing deal in Decatur, funding for a youth housing campus, the gas-rate decision that took effect Monday, and a Springdale apprenticeship with posted pay. November's hands-on training is worth planning now, too.

NorthWest Arkansas Community College is looking for a general contractor to repair and maintain its Bentonville parking garage, with qualifications due Monday, October 19, at 10 a.m. Central. For firms that handle concrete restoration, waterproofing and work around an occupied facility, the deadline is close.

RFQ-27-002 covers the garage at 1202 Water Tower Road. NWACC anticipates a December 2026 contract start. The initial term is one year, with possible annual renewals for a total of no more than seven years. Individual assignments, scopes and fees will be negotiated in writing. Read the solicitation.

What needs work. Walker Consultants' assessment describes a five-level precast concrete garage built around 2006. Its immediate priorities include evaluating cracked inverted-tee girders, removing loose overhead concrete, repairing a fire riser in the northwest stair tower and securing detached wheel stops.

The longer repair list reaches well beyond patching a floor. It includes concrete repairs at beams, columns, walls and stairs; displaced bearing pads; epoxy injection at shear-wall cracks; joint and cove sealants; pipe penetrations and damaged drainpipes; roof flashing; corroded steel; and future traffic coating. Walker separates immediate work from repairs that can be phased and discusses scheduling during periods of lower garage use. See the condition assessment.

Send qualifications, without pricing. NWACC's written answers clear up conflicting language in the original packet. The college will evaluate experience, personnel and qualifications before negotiating the work. Respondents do not need to submit repair designs, engineering calculations or proposed repair solutions at this stage.

The selected contractor will review the assessment, investigate field conditions as needed, develop repair approaches and perform the negotiated work. Firms and key personnel must document the licenses or registrations their disciplines require, including Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board registration when applicable. Read the college's clarifications.

Delivery: sealed responses go to NWACC Purchasing, Attn: Karen Walls, Burns Hall Room 1128.7, One College Drive, Bentonville, AR 72712. Mark the package with RFQ-27-002, the opening date and time, and the firm's name and return address. Include the signed response, requested evaluation and certification documents and equal opportunity policy. The packet also requests a flash-drive copy. Email and fax submissions are not accepted. All procurement documents.

Tuesday, November 3, 9 a.m. CST: the Greenway Alliance is seeking a contractor to fabricate, install and update signs along its 41-mile corridor through Fayetteville, Johnson, Springdale, Lowell, Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista.

The package includes directional signs, kiosks, trailhead markers and 600 mileage stickers, plus preparation and painting of existing posts and hardware. Signage production and municipal wayfinding experience are central qualifications.

The submission requires both seven bound paper copies in a sealed envelope and an emailed PDF. Paper bids go to NWARPC, 1311 Clayton Street, Springdale; the PDF goes to [email protected]. An Arkansas contractor's license is required at award, along with full-value performance and payment bonds. The signage carries a three-year warranty. Download the bid package.

United Petfood has signed an agreement to acquire Wellness Pet Company's dry pet-food manufacturing plant in Decatur. The transaction includes a long-term supply agreement with Wellness. Decatur becomes United Petfood's third North American production location, joining its facilities in Indiana and Quebec. It expands the company's private-label manufacturing footprint into western Benton County. The manufacturer's announcement.

Immerse Arkansas has secured a $4.5 million anonymous investment and a 99-year land lease from New Heights Church for its planned Northwest Arkansas campus.

The nonprofit plans short-term supportive housing, transitional housing and services for young adults ages 18 to 24 facing homelessness or housing instability. Housing will sit alongside therapy, coaching, mentoring, life-skills training and employment support. The regional launch is designed to serve Benton and Washington counties and the surrounding area. Read the campus announcement.

The Arkansas Public Service Commission has approved new Black Hills Energy natural gas base rates, effective October 12. The utility says they recover about $147 million in system investment since its 2023 rate filing, along with operating costs. The October 13 announcement.

Black Hills puts the average residential increase at about $6 a month, or 8%, at 49 Ccf of monthly use. Delivery rates and gas costs are separate parts of the bill. The temporary Storm Uri charge ended in May, which offsets the increase in the utility's comparison with last year's average bill. Your total still depends on usage. The utility's bill details.

Johnson Controls is hiring a full-time HVAC Truck Based Mechanic Apprentice in Springdale at $24-$30 an hour, with the rate set by the union agreement. The work involves mechanical equipment and controls at customer sites, troubleshooting and explaining repairs to the people who run the building.

The position includes the company's Service Technical Academy, union training, tools and a vehicle. Applicants need at least one year of industry or HVAC mechanical-service experience, a valid driver's license, and United Association membership or a willingness to join. One to two years of technical school or college is preferred. Apply for job WD30279171.

Trail crews, grounds workers and people clearing stormfall have a local training option next month. NWACC's Sawyer A Certification runs November 13-15 in Bentonville, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day, for $950. Enrollment is open, and previous chainsaw experience is not required.

Two classroom days cover safety, maintenance, cutting techniques and risk assessment before a field evaluation at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. The course covers bucking and limbing for Sawyer A, with an opportunity for a Sawyer B felling evaluation. The certificate depends on the work completed.

The National Sawyer Academy supplies equipment. Students wear long pants, long sleeves and closed-toe shoes, preferably steel-toe. Enroll at NWACC.

October 27, 1-2:30 p.m.: Getting Tax Ready, online. ASBTDC's free workshop brings in tax specialist Reba Shipley to walk small-business owners through preparing for tax season. Registration closes October 26 at 5 p.m. Central. Register.

October 28, noon-1 p.m.: Digital Marketing Playbook, online. This free ASBTDC session covers Google business listings, social channels, website sales, search visibility and where paid advertising fits a small company's budget. Jack Poff leads the workshop. Register.

October 29, 11-11:30 a.m.: Business & Industry Training turns 30. The joint Chamber ribbon cutting takes place at 1490 June Self Drive in Springdale. BIT specializes in short-term, hands-on industrial maintenance and manufacturing instruction. Event details.

November 11-14: ABANA Blacksmithing Conference & Festival, Bentonville. Benton County Fairgrounds hosts metalworking demonstrations, lectures, vendors, competitions and beginner forging. Arkansas residents can buy a $20 Saturday-only ticket for November 14, starting at 10 a.m., through November 4. Bring an Arkansas ID for each adult. That ticket excludes hands-on forging, which requires regular admission. Festival details and resident tickets.

A fresh battery does not make an old smoke alarm new. Before the house settles into heating season, give the alarms a proper once-over.

Press the test button on each unit. Then read its manufacture date. Smoke alarms should be replaced 10 years after that date; a sealed-battery model also needs replacement when its specified service life ends. A unit that fails its test needs attention now.

Walk the bedrooms and hallways while you are at it. There should be a smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level, including the basement. Interconnected alarms sound together, so a warning downstairs can reach someone sleeping upstairs. Have a qualified electrician handle hardwired replacements.

Add a monthly test reminder to your calendar and note each replacement date. For landlords, that makes a useful record alongside the property's maintenance log. The U.S. Fire Administration's smoke-alarm guide explains battery types and replacement schedules.

Know a crew doing interesting work, a shop adding capacity or a training opportunity we should cover? Reply with the details. We would like to hear about it.

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Levi Pittenger
Publisher, The NWA Trade Guide

Publisher affiliations: Comfort Control and Ambassador Home Maintenance.