Grant set to improve trails, park

Walton money to connect greenway to Pinnacle Hills Promenade

ROGERS — Money from the Walton Family Foundation will be used to update the city’s downtown park, improve the Razorback Greenway and create a trail connecting the greenway to the Pinnacle Hills Promenade.

On Tuesday, the City Council authorized a contract with the Walton Family Foundation to accept $805,668 for the design of Frisco Park and another contract with the foundation to accept up to $1,010,625 for trail-related improvement.

The Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program announced awarding $3.6 million to projects in the area’s four largest cities Nov. 16. The two contracts are a portion of that.

The NWA Trailblazers proposed improvements for the Razorback Greenway, said John McCurdy, community development director. The group handled consultation work for the greenway previously, as well as design work in Bentonville and Bella Vista, he said.

“The local group identified a number of issues with the greenway,” McCurdy said. “They did the legwork on costs and projects. Almost all fix issues with the greenway in Rogers, such as sharp

90-degree turns, dropping tunnel [heights] to make it safer.”

Some of the problem areas include New Hope Road and Interstate 49, Stone Manor Street and near Rife Medical Lane, said Lance Jobe, assistant city engineer, during a parks and recreation meeting earlier this month.

Plans include 500 feet of new trail to connect the greenway to Pinnacle Hills Promenade. The $1,010,625 should cover the entire project, McCurdy said.

McCurdy said the city will select three design firms to interview for the design of Frisco Park. The three will be chosen from a list supplied by the Walton Family Foundation, he said. No construction will be required until the end of 2019.

“That gives us time to work through the design,” McCurdy said. Once a final budget has been made, the city will work through grants for construction services. The Parks Department will be involved every step of the way and make sure the result is sustainable for the city, he said.

“The design elements will activate Frisco Park and make it more of a usable space,” McCurdy said. The changes will ideally make an architectural transition between the two sides of the train tracks. McCurdy said residents could expect some parking lots demolished and an increase in street parking.

The council also adopted the 2018 budget, which included a 3 percent pay increase for employees and an additional $20,000 for Christmas lights this year. A total of $176,976 was approved for city employees’ Christmas bonus.