Springdale agrees to final price on park construction

SPRINGDALE — The City Council on Tuesday agreed 7-0 to a guaranteed maximum price for renovations at Luther George Park.

Milestone Construction, as construction manager of this project, and the city set the price at $11,738,372.

Luther George Park sits one block south of East Emma Avenue and is considered a key component to the downtown area’s revitalization.

The city broke ground at the park site in October.

As Milestone crews begin to excavate and move surface material like soil and rock, the capital campaign for the park continues.

The Downtown Springdale Alliance and its director, Jill Dabbs, now will move to raise $70,000 to $1 million to build the next phase of the park, said Patsy Christie, director of the city’s Planning Department.

Christie said she thinks money will be easier to raise if people see construction at the site.

The first phase of the park, in addition to dirt work, will include drainage, utility infrastructure and the trails through the park.

The second phase will build playground equipment, Christie said.

“The project was always scalable, so the park could be built in phases as the money raised would allow,” Christie said.

The entire park is expected to be completed by 2024, she said. But some parts of the park could be open next year, Christie said.

The Walton Family Foundation in August awarded Springdale $3.1 million to help rebuild Luther George Park.

The grant will give the city $1 for every $3 raised in a private capital campaign.

The city in February released $2 million to begin construction of a unique roof for the amphitheater that will serve as the heart of the park.

The shell’s 23 pieces will be made by a company called CGZ in the Netherlands.

The renewed Luther George Park will include suggestions gathered from residents in several public meetings and an online survey, said Tim Breihan, a principal with the H3 Studios architecture and planning firm in St. Louis.

Breihan, who also is directing the work of an updated master plan for downtown, suggested Luther George Park would provide another entrance to the downtown area. The plan also includes diversified housing around the park.

The city’s Planning Commission will hold a public meeting about the updated master plan at 5 p.m. Dec. 6 at the city’s municipal campus.