The Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission said Monday that it may have to trim a few items from the Baxter Plaza project to stay within budget, and voted to name a room in the Hot Springs Convention Center at a later date.
"In the past, we've named rooms after Bob Wheeler, Dick and Virginia Kelley and Gov. Sid McMath, and the staff has made a request that we name a room," said Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs. "The room and the name, however, will be announced at a later date."
The Baxter Plaza project was approved by the Hot Springs Planning Commission in February. The outdoor event plaza and greenbelt with abundant nighttime lighting will be located at the site of the former Baxter Hotel, which burned more than a year ago.
The commission, along with its architect, Doug Arnold, send out a request for bids earlier this month, and received nine, which were discussed Monday.
Arrison said the bids ranged up to $350,000. At its Nov. 6, 2014, meeting, the commission estimated that the total project would cost between $220,000 to $250,000 to complete.
"We're going to meet with our architect to see what things we can cut to keep us within our original budget," he said. "It wasn't like they were $100,000 over budget, but we would still like to get it closer to what we originally thought."
The project's goal is to revitalize the community while tying in its history. Two markers will be placed on site to commemorate the hotel's history in the Pleasant Street Neighborhood and the location of a beauty school that was once at the corner of Church and Pleasant streets.
The Gateway Community Association wrote an optimistic letter to Visit Hot Springs in January commending it for the efforts to improve the community and preserve its history.
Any cuts that are made, Arrison said, will not be noticeable or take away from the original plans.
"Just from our talks internally, it might mean six electrical outlets instead of eight or something along those lines," he said. "There won't be any major changes that will affect the overall project as a whole."
Local on 03/31/2015