Residents Give Input On New Trail In McDonald County
TRAIL COULD LINK ARKANSAS’ RAZORBACK GREENWAY
McDonald County residents were able to spec out the type of trail they’d like to see at a special public input meeting held Monday night.
A packed house at the Pineville Community Center included planning officials, as well as many residents interested in discovering more about a possible new trail in McDonald County.
Pineville Mayor Gregg Sweeten said he hopes a new trail will be built and looks forward to connecting the area with Bella Vista and Northwest Arkansas.
“This is very important to Pineville, Anderson, southern McDonald County and all the way to Joplin and further north,” he said.
The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission and the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council hosted the public workshop to begin the preparation of a bicycle and pedestrian plan in the Jane and Pineville area.
Officials and moderators asked residents to think about their wants, needs, wishes and plans regarding a new trail. They also asked residents if they would be interested in connecting a new trail to the existing Northwest Arkansas Razorback Greenway.
The Northwest Arkansas Razorback Greenway is a 36-mile spine that connects various trail systems within several Northwest Arkansas communities throughout Benton and Washington counties.
Currently, the Razorback Greenway — which is the center of a 100-mile network of trails — links six downtowns, three hospitals, 23 schools, the University of Arkansas campus, corporate headquarters of Walmart, J.B. Hunt and Tyson Foods, arts and entertainment venues, historic sites, playgrounds and parks, residential communities and shopping areas, according to information provided about the Greenway.
Exercise enthusiasts can currently walk or bike from north Bentonville to south Fayetteville.
A federal transportation grant and a matching grant and gift from the Walton Family Foundation helped pay for the Greenway’s $38 million price tag. Cities in Northwest Arkansas, as well as the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, also contributed.
Elizabeth Bowen with the NWA Regional Planning Commission said several measures were instituted in the planning for the Greenway so officials and planners could mark progress. One of the missions of the Razorback Greenway focuses on connecting communities and connecting points of interest.
A catalyst project also was established, and linking Lake Bella Vista to Missouri was No. 8 on that list.
“People come from all over the nation and ride the Greenway. It’s a beautiful part of the country. Why not share it with everyone?” she asked.
Those on hand heard several presentations and watched a video about the Razorback Greenway. The second half of the public input meeting entailed asking residents to share their vision and put down on paper what they are seeking in a trail system. NWA Regional Planning Commission Transportation Programs Manager Tom Conklin said the draft plan of the community is important to designing and developing a plan.
In an email prior to the meeting, Conklin said the master bike and pedestrian plan for Pineville, Jane and a portion of McDonald County can be incorporated into an adopted regional plan.
“The planning horizon is long term and is over 20 years. With regard to actual trail construction, the local jurisdictions over the next two decades would need to work together to phase in bicycle improvements to complete the connection. This could/may include on-road and off-road facilities just like the Razorback Greenway,” he wrote.
He also stated that residents ultimately decide if they want to connect with the Greenway.
“It is important to note that the decision in Missouri to connect to the regional trail system in Arkansas is a local decision and can only happen with local action. The Razorback Greenway is owned and maintained currently by six different jurisdictions with Bella Vista becoming the seventh jurisdiction in the near future.”
At the meeting, Bella Vista Mayor Peter Christie said a new trail system connecting to the Razorback Greenway has opened many doors for Bella Vista. The city has been moving away from a retirement community for the past three or four years, he said, but the addition of a new trail system “rapidly accelerated” that change. The average age of a Bella Vista resident is now 50.1 and dropping, he said.
Christie told those in attendance that Bella Vista’s first 40 miles, known as the “Back40,” is now open. Planners are currently working on the second set of 40 miles.
The new trail system has meant more businesses coming into the village, and more families moving there, he said.
The city has committed to building 150 miles of trails in the next 15 years, he said.
Christie, who says he’s a “passionate believer” in trail systems, said someone told him not long ago that “trails are the golf of yesteryear,” which he believes is a very true statement.
Brenda Harmon and her husband are retired teachers who taught in Benton County. They live in Anderson and own property in Jane. Brenda believes a trail system would improve the quality of life in the area, in addition to providing an incentive for more families to relocate here.
Dirk Deaton, chairman emeritus of the Noel Betterment Association, would definitely like to see a trail system come to fruition.
He obviously would like to see a trail in Noel, but says he realizes a system that would initially begin in the Jane area would benefit the entire county.
“It would be a big boon for Noel as well. We’re all about the county.”
Association members have reviewed a comprehensive study, completed by staff at Drury College. Deaton would like to see Noel develop its own trails. “The desire is there and we even talked about a mountain bike trail. We have the topography for that.”
A trail system built within the county would certainly lend itself to an easy connection for other communities like Noel with which to link, he said.