By Associated Press - Wednesday, February 1, 2017

FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) - Fort Smith’s administrator is recommending the city terminate its contract with two partners of a softball sports complex, including a state lawmaker.

City Administrator Carl Geffken said the two partners - Sebastian County election commissioner Lee Webb and Republican Sen. Jake Files - have consistently failed to meet development deadlines for the River Valley Sports Complex, which was slated to be finished by March 2015.

Geffken made his recommendation to the Board of Directors on Tuesday. It prompted a quick response from City Director George Catsavis: “In a heartbeat,” Catsavis said.

Geffken also suggested the board request the return of a $26,000 grant the city gave Webb and Files for work on the complex.

Files said in a statement Tuesday that while he and Webb wished to continue developing the project, they’ll honor the directors’ decision.

“We wish things would have progressed faster, but it just took longer than we anticipated for the development to occur with the donated labor and in-kind contributions,” Files said.

Geffken said the city has paid out $1.08 million for the project. The city pledged to pay a total of $1.6 million.

If the contract with Webb and Files is terminated, the board will have to determine how much work remains and how much it will cost, Geffken said. The cost of the project was estimated to be between $4.8 million and $6 million. Geffken said the city does not have the funds to complete the project.

In March 2014, city directors accepted developing eight tournament-quality fields on city property to draw ball teams to the Fort Smith area. The project was originally expected to be completed by March 2015. City directors extended that deadline to March 2016, then to July 2016 and again to December 2016.

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