City of Horseshoe Bend struggles to find contractors

Work on one of the city’s newest undertakings, a pavilion erected In the heart of town remains unfinished; something Horseshoe Bend Mayor Duane DeLair attributes to complaints filed against contractors and council members during the process.
Horseshoe Bend Mayor Duane DeLair said finding contractors willing to bid on jobs for the City of Horseshoe Bend has become a challenge.
From February to April of this year, multiple complaints were submitted to the Arkansas Ethics Commission against Councilman Uriah Mead, Councilwoman Carol Spencer and Mayor Duane DeLair, ranging from accusations of nepotism to conspiring and more, however; all but one complaint was found wanting.
According to Spencer, in February of 2023, she and others began researching and seeking grants to erect a pavilion.
“We first started trying to get an AARP grant. It was my idea and something I’d wanted since before I took office. I wanted it so that we had a place outdoors that was undercover for festivals, the farmers market and other events,” Spencer said. “Around April or May of that year, we were told we couldn’t get the grant.”
Spencer explained after learning the grant wouldn’t be awarded to the city, she began researching companies who specialized in erecting metal buildings but it was deemed cost prohibitive.
She then began seeking bids from all licensed contractors in the City of Horseshoe Bend.
“I called the city and got a list of all the contractors that were licensed in the city at the time and I started calling contractors and asking them to bid. Most of them were by e-mail because I’d sent out what the requirements were.,” Spencer said.
Spencer noted at the time this took place, there were many changes in the city, especially with regard to newly elected officials taking office and a lack of training for proper procedure.
“I compiled all of the bids, made a packet and took it to the finance committee in July of 2023. From there, it [the bid packet] was approved that night. …It went before council and was approved in November of 2023, but wasn’t completed [excluding the needed concrete access] until February of this year.”
In February, April and May of this year, a series of complaints were filed against Spencer, Mead and DeLair, all of which against Spencer and DeLair were dismissed.
Once complaint was found to hold water against Mead, however; DeLair said he takes responsibility for the unfortunate circumstance.
“They found Uriah ultimately in trouble because they said he voted on his bid. The only reason he did that, and it was my fault. I put all the bids together. Had we voted individually, I think he would have registered that. He would have said ‘no I can’t vote on this because this is my bid’. But that’s not how I presented it to the group. I read the bids and asked for a motion to approve all of them,” DeLair said.
DeLair noted no one, including the city attorney or incumbent council members at the time of the meeting pointed out the newly seated mayor and council members were making a mistake with the process.
“No one said, you shouldn’t do it this way. No one said you should do them individually. No one said it should be done differently. I know that now, but I put them together. It wasn’t Uriah’s fault. I don’t think he even thought about it. He was for the pavilion and he voted on it.”
Although Mead received a penalty and paid his fine in May, DeLair said the incident has had a ripple effect throughout the city.
“It’s sad because he’s one of the best builders in town and he doesn’t want to do work for the city anymore, and that’s what’s come out of this. What’s come out of this is we need a concrete walkway for handicapped to that pavilion and we spent hundreds of dollars advertising to even get people to make a bid on it, but we can’t even get people to make a bid on it now,” DeLair said. “We have advertised several times for the handicap sidewalk and stairs, but because of the constant complaints, nobody wants to do any work.”
DeLair said he did not take issue with citizens expecting proper procedure to be followed and accepted responsibility for essentially “not knowing better.” He also noted that the complaints expanded beyond the ethics commission.
“She [the complainant] turned everybody in. From the tree guy to the electrician. So now, anyone who looks at working for the city has to ask, is she [the complainant] going to FOIA my name and turn me in to the licensing board or call the insurance company and say, I don’t have enough insurance or bonding. Because right now, we have nobody to do the concrete that needs to go on the side.”
DeLair said it was a sad state of affairs for the city, especially with the progress being made.
“I think the most important thing that needs to be said. These people are taking us making the city better as like a personal attack on them. I understand that. I understand we put up a pavilion, a walking trail, we’re fixing buildings, creating a youth center, the boy scouts and they’re coming back, we have a kids reading group. They’re pissed we’ve done all these things and it makes them look bad because they never did it,” DeLair said. “… We’re rebuilding this city and I’m sorry these people are angry because it’s making them look bad. They could have done this, they had control of the money for over 20 years. They could have fixed this stuff instead of letting it get destroyed. I believe if you talk to people they’re happy with what I am doing. I’m doing exactly what I told them I would.