Grant pays for travel for conference trip

BENTONVILLE — Some city staff will attend a fourday Designing Cities conference in Austin, Texas, thanks to a Walton Family Foundation grant.

The $ 12,180 grant will pay for registration, travel, lodging and meals for up to five city staff members to attend the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ Designing Cities Conference from Oct. 28-31, according to a memo from Troy Galloway, community and economic development director, to the City Council.

The City Council accepted the grant without discussion at its meeting Tuesday.

‘ The Designing Ci ties conference convenes transportation leaders and practitioners from across the country to discuss key trends in urban street design and transportation policy,” the conference website reads. “Local leaders working on the ground to revitalize city streets exchange best practices with major city transportation stakeholders and private sector entrepreneurs committed to a common vision for healthier, more sustainable, economically vibrant cities of tomorrow.”

This is the fourth annual Designing Cities conference hosted by the nonprofit association. It’s previously been held in New York, Phoenix and San Francisco.

This will be the first time city staff from Bentonville will attend, Galloway said Wednesday. Representatives from the Engineering and Planning departments will go as well as possibly a City Council member.

The conference will take a look at less expensive ways to provide mobility through different transportation aspects, Galloway said.

The city built and improved several streets with bond money. That money is nearing its end, but needs will continue to exist so the question will be “how do we more efficiently, with the resources that we have, address transportation issues in Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas,” Galloway said.

The Walton Family Foundation asked the city to submit a report by Jan. 31 with “a summary of outcomes experienced and future goals created as a result of participation in the conference,” read a portion of the award letter to Mayor Bob McCaslin.

A presentation is also expected to be made to the City Council by Jan. 31.