Ad panel OKs mountain bike trail system proposal

The Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission on Monday unanimously approved a nearly $1.3 million proposal from IMBA Trail Solutions to construct the first phase of a mountain bike trail system on the Northwoods/Cedar Glades properties north of downtown Hot Springs.

The commission also approved the 2018 comprehensive plan and chose a new chairman and vice chairman during its regular monthly meeting on Monday at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Commissioner Elaine Jones was absent.

The total cost of the first phase of the mountain bike trail project is $1,299,975. Around half the cost, $648,421, is being funding through a matching grant from the Walton Family Foundation.

“The advertising and promotion commission, Visit Hot Springs and the citizens of Hot Springs are grateful that today we were able to approve our city’s participation in an exciting step forward for Hot Springs and its economic vitality,” Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, said after the meeting.

“We are especially grateful to Steuart and Tom Walton for their generosity and valuable guidance in making the Northwoods/Cedar Glades trail system a reality. Without Steuart’s and Tom’s help we could never have reached the starting point for this wonderful project. We thank them,” Arrison said.

The ad commission’s portion of the project cost is being funded from the money it received for its possessory interest in the Hot Springs Mountain Tower, which totaled $2,446,624.

“It has always been our intent to reinvest in the tourism product of Hot Springs and this project will give us yet another reason for people to visit our community and contribute to our local economy,” Arrison said in a memo to the commission released prior to Monday’s meeting.

The project will begin on Thursday with a kickoff meeting with all of the parties involved, according to Arrison.

According to the proposal approved Monday, IMBA recommends a four-component construction approach to the 14.75-mile Phase One, part of an overall 44.6-mile project planned for the 2,000-acre tract of unspoiled woodlands the city owns north and west of Park Avenue. The restricted-access, oldgrowth forest surrounds lakes Sanderson, Dillon and Bethel, formerly used as water sources for the city’s municipal water system.

The first component of Phase One includes constructing about

6.1 miles of mountain bike trail, with extensive rock features and more than 135 insloped turns, at an estimated cost of $577,350.

The next component involves constructing 7.7 miles of trail with multiple stream crossings, including 150-plus feet of bridge, extensive rock features and rock armoring, and more than

60 insloped turns, at a cost of

$446,300.

The third component would be about a mile of Cedar Glade flow trail with five prefabricated bike-optimized features, including the relocation and improvement of portions of the existing Blue Trail alignment, at a cost of

$120,575.

The final component would be about 1.5 miles of cross-country trail north of Lake Dillon and along Lake Sanderson that will complement the other trails. The trail would maximize the available vertical drop and provide rock challenge for riders progressing from beginning to intermediate trails, at a cost of

$155,750.

In other action, the commission reappointed Commissioner Bob Martorana chairman, and appointed Commissioner Michael Pettey as vice chairman.

The comprehensive plan approved by the commission projects a total budget of slightly more than $3 million in 2018.