Land purchase accents recreation

Benton is boldly bringing the Saline River into the Natural State’s fun zone.

Recently, the City of Benton agreed to purchase 511 undeveloped acres along the Saline River for $7.6 million, to be paid in 10 years. It is the largest land acquisition in the city’s history. The purchase encompasses 10 tracts and contains much of the pastureland adjacent to the Saline River along Arkansas 292.

Tract 1 gets the most of the attention because it has all the things that excite city planners. Its centerpiece will be a sports facility featuring ballfields, an indoor soccer facility, and swimming pool. It will also contain a recreational vehicle campground strategically located to entice travelers on I-30 to stop and linger.

Bill Eldridge of Benton, a member of the Advertising and Promotion Commission, said the campground will have 95 sites with full utilities. The City has not finalized an operating document for the campground, but Eldridge said that visitors will probably be limited to 14 consecutive days in a site.

Eldridge said the City also wants to create a separate facility for tent camping on the opposite side of the river.

The remaining tracts will be largely dedicated to green space, which is increasingly in short supply in corridors of suburban sprawl. The acreage will create miles of public access on the Saline River between Lyle Park and the Cherry Gingles Access beneath the I-30 bridge. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission recently transferred ownership of the Cherry Gingles Access to the City of Benton. The access is closed while construction is in progress on I-30, but it will reopen when the construction project is complete.

The land acquisition, the brainchild of Benton mayor Tom Farmer, will essentially complete a Saline River Water Trail that stretches roughly from Mountain View Rd. to Lyle Park, which is off Congo Rd. From Mountain View, the next stop is Peeler Bend Access, followed by Lyle Park and Riverside Grocery.

Previously, all of the waterfront between I-30 and Lyle Park was privately owned, which meant that paddlers could not leave the water. Once the acquisitions are complete, there will be plenty of land to roam. The nearest comparison is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Fred Berry Conservation Education Center on Crooked Creek. That facility is the hub of recreational activity on Crooked Creek and completes the water trail that starts at Pyatt and stairsteps down to Snow, Mark Oliver Access, Fred Berry and Yellville City Park.

Benton’s acquisition will fulfill that role on the Saline River.

Eldridge said that plans are also in the works to create a 6-mile trail from the Cherry Gingles Access to Lyle Park.

There are always critics that complain when a public entity acquires private land, especially when the acquisition costs about $15,000 per acre. On the other hand, riverfront property is increasingly desirable and decreasingly available. It will not decrease in value, and it will be used in a way that will benefit all outdoors enthusiasts in Central Arkansas.

“It’s not just for us today, but it’s for generations to come,” Eldridge said. “The whole purpose of this is to provide a nature area for people to enjoy. Ask anybody on the street how do you access the Saline River, and not many people know. They know Lyle Park, but that’s about it. The Saline River is one of the most valuable assets that Benton has, and this property will allow a lot more people to enjoy it in a way that enhances the city’s image.”

For recreation, the Saline River is a sleeping giant. It supports a robust smallmouth bass fishery that compares well with any in the Ozarks. Fishing for Kentucky bass is second to none. It also supports one of the strongest walleye fisheries in the state.

The Sacomani family, owners of Saline River Canoe, has tirelessly promoted the Saline River for years. He worked to keep the Mountain View access open, and he also fought to keep the Peeler Bend access open before the Game and Fish Commission acquired that property and resolved the conflict between nearby homeowners and river users.

The Saline River is integral to Benton’s future. It really is the heart of the community.