Land previously held for the River Valley Sports Complex has been put up for sale, though city administration hopes the process will spur development at the location.

Fort Smith city administration announced Tuesday morning two parcels of land totaling 68.16 acres at Chaffee Crossing have been put up for sale. A legal notice was published in the Times Record and on the city website under the Purchasing Department and “bid solicitations.”

“At this point, the best thing to do is offer the land for sale and recoup whatever public monies we can that were lost when RVSC failed,” said City Administrator Carl Geffken in the release.

One rectangular tract, used mostly for storage, at 7709 Taylor Avenue is about 5.26 acres.

The second plot is roughly 62.9 acres and sits between Taylor Avenue, Ward Avenue and Roberts Boulevard. This was supposed to be the site of the multimillion-dollar sports complex with eight competition-level softball fields.

From softball to selling

Sebastian County Election Commissioner Lee Webb and former state Sen. Jake Files presented the projected to the city and entered into a $1.6 million contract in 2014. The two said financial and in-kind donations would be used to complete the project in July 2015.

Files was previously convicted of wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering for falsifying bids, a loan application and keeping money intended for the project. He is set to be released from a halfway house in November.

Fort Smith paid $1.08 million for the project before terminating the contract in February 2017 after two deadline extensions. The city has spent about $120,000 on legal fees and other services related to the project, leaving $400,000 left from the original allocation, Geffken said.

The city published a request for proposals last year, hoping to finish the complex or do something similar. It received one proposal, but work with the organization didn’t produce a viable option for either party.

Geffken notified the directors in April the process was not successful and the board was in agreement he should continue working toward the development or sale of the land.

“We’re following through on what I’d told the board we would do,” Geffken said. “Try to develop it; that did not move forward and now we’re trying to sell it.”

The city does not have to accept any purchase offers, Geffken noted, but said he hopes the bidding process will inspire someone to work with the city on the property or purchase it for development.

“Initially, I was just going to give it back to Chaffee Crossing, but I’ve had several people come up to me, including board members, that have said, ‘You know, it would be nice if the city could have some of that money back to recoup the investment that it had made,’” Geffken said.

The FCRA Board of Trustees approved in 2012 to deed the land to the city, but “the property would revert back to FCRA if it is not developed within five years,” according to the meeting minutes obtained by the Times Record.

A request from Webb and Files for the project was approved on March 4, 2014, starting the five year clock.

The motion, however, wasn’t legally binding. FCRA Finance Director Janet Gabrey previously told the Times Record the deed didn’t include a reversionary clause.

FCRA Chairman Dean Gibson said in January the trust would still like a sports complex or similar development on the land.

Morrison-Shipley Engineers recommended in August 2018 demolition of the work and a complete redo because of the concession stands' structural integrity, inadequate lighting, debris, and incomplete plumbing, water and electrical work. The cost was roughly $4.5 million without the inclusion of any fees for the redesign, bidding, construction phase services or utility extensions.

Vice Mayor and At-large Director Kevin Settle said last year Webb and Files delivered “a pile of crap.” Former Ward 3 Director Mike Lorenz called the work an “inferior product” and “garbage.”

There are plans to repurpose the lights and light poles, likely at the Riverfront Drive Sports Fields, and potentially reuse the fencing. Lumber, bricks and other items in the concession stand buildings may be included in a city auction.

Geffken said the board will have to approve any potential sale, and money would go back to the Parks and Recreation Capital Improvement Project fund for another project.

Sealed bids are due no later than 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 at the city offices, 623 Garrison Ave., Room 512.