Trustee vote boosts recreation projects

FAYETTEVILLE — A plan to build up to 12 tennis courts and a soft-surface bicycle trail near the University of Arkansas campus received a boost Wednesday when trustees approved a land swap with the city.

Pending approval by Fayetteville’s City Council, “our desired construction duration is 10-12 months which would hopefully give us a new facility by late fall of 2021,” Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities, said in an email.

If the deal is approved, the university would acquire about 10 acres near South Razorback Road and Indian Trail — just a few hundred feet from a southern entrance to campus — in exchange for 62.4 acres of vacant land east of I-49 at the end of West Maple Street, an area known as Markham Hill.

Johnson said the tennis courts project for student recreation has an estimated cost of $4.4 million but construction bid documents have not yet been finalized. Separately, a Walton Family Foundation grant of $355,000 is helping with the cost of three trail projects, including the new mountain bike trail, Johnson said. He said some university funds are being used for the trails.

“Our urban bike track is essentially several skill levels of soft-surface trails to be constructed on the more challenging terrain features not required by the tennis courts and within the existing tree canopy on the southern portion of the property,” Johnson said.

The plan is to change the route of the paved Tsa La Gi Trail, Johnson said. The new bicycle track would be open to the public and connect with the rerouted trail, he said.