Council approves land purchase for sports complex

GENTRY — The city council on Monday approved the purchase of land north of the city for the construction of a sports complex with baseball and softball diamonds and soccer fields.

At the city council’s first online meeting, a resolution was approved authorizing the mayor to enter into a purchase agreement for the city to buy 27.44 acres of land located at 10721 Browning Road, which is north of Gentry, at a price not to exceed $465,000 plus related costs such as closing, title and other acquisition costs.

Closing is expected to take place on or before May 30.

After reviewing costs of site work needed to construct ball diamonds and soccer fields on Gentry land located on the west side of the railroad tracks and east of the high school, the council on April 6 authorized Mayor Johnston to enter into negotiations for the purchase of 27.44 acres of land located on the west side of Browning Road on the north side of Gentry.

Johnston reported on Monday that the landowner was willing to reduce the price for the city from $500,000 to $465,000.

With estimates of site work required for ball fields at the parkland located south of S. Little Avenue along the railroad tracks being in the $1 million range, council members determined it might be better to purchase more level land for a sports complex and save the parkland along the railroad for another use which would not require the extensive grading work.

The council considered a number of sites but the site to the north of the city was preferred because of its proximity to the city, the price and the probability of future growth in the area, making it advantageous to extend city utilities to the land. Also considered was the likelihood that users of the facility would come into town and patronize city businesses rather than traveling to Siloam Springs or other cities.

While it would be a little less expensive to do the extensive site work and build on the parkland by the railroad than buying the land to the north of the city and building a sports complex there, being able to have a better-suited site for a sports complex for a small difference, estimated at about $27,000, was viewed as advantageous for the city.

The council voiced approval to move forward after seeing 30-percent plans for a splash pad in the Main Street city park which were prepared by McClelland Engineering. The proposed splash pad would be built on the northwest side of the park. If all goes well the reactional facility could open by summer 2021. With the current schedule of plan completion, the plans could be submitted for a Parks and Tourism grant of up to $250,000 later this summer.

Kevin Johnston, Gentry’s mayor, updated the council on the progress of the Flint Creek bridge project on Dawn Hill East Road, saying that work was underway.

The council voted to seek bond funding for a water storage facility project near the Y-City facilities of the Benton-Washington Public Water Authority. It was estimated that the city could save money and get started on the project with commercial bonds as long as interest rates remain low rather than seeking federal loans and waiting 9 months to a year to learn if the loans were approved.

According to cost estimates presented at the meeting the construction costs would be between $3.6 and $3.7 million.

Also approved was a resolution authorizing the destruction of old and unneeded records and documents.