City council approves tentative greenway extension agreement

The Bella Vista City Council approved a license agreement with the Bella Vista Property Owners Association for an extension of the Razorback Greenway along Euston Road to Commonwealth Road during its Monday, Jan. 27, regular meeting.

Mayor Peter Christie explained that this greenway section will travel through Blowing Springs and follow Euston Road to Commonwealth Road, ending at Metfield.

The project is funded by a Walton Family Foundation grant that will cover this spur as well as a section to be attached to the Mercy Way bridge expansion project, he said. The first $2,208,611 phase of the grant was accepted by the city council during the Dec. 16, 2019, regular meeting.

The POA has not currently adopted this agreement, he said, but is expected to. The city is adopting the agreement first because the POA’s meeting is later on the calendar, he said.

Community Development Services director Doug Tapp said the city will hire an engineer to oversee construction on the project.

Bella Vista resident Sandy Fosdick spoke during the meeting’s public input session and said she’s concerned because the greenway segment appears to be near the Brittany golf course,

which could pose a safety hazard.

“We hit a golf ball and hit somebody on that trail, we’re going to be sued,” she said. “I think it’s a huge liability issue that’s going to blow up on us.”

Christie said that this is a license agreement to use POA land for the project, but does not approve any specific

construction plans.

“This is not approving the construction,” he said. “We’re far away from that.”

Councilmember Steve Bourke said during last week’s work session that it’s important to note this project is for a paved path for pedestrian and human-powered traffic. Trails have been a contentious subject, he said, and he doesn’t consider this a trail.

“This is a hard surface — it’s a sidewalk. It is not more trails, and I think we need to be accurate about that,” he said.

During the regular meeting, Bourke said he believes the proposed greenway extension will be an amenity with a wider user base compared to the existing soft-surface trails which appeal to hikers and mountain bikers with a certain amount of skill.

This paved path will allow people to exercise and travel, with the final product allowing access to the businesses in Sugar Creek Plaza, he said.

“I see this project as being pro-residents and pro-business,” Bourke said.

Councilmember Doug Fowler said he attended a public input meeting about this project at Cooper Elementary, which was very crowded and saw a lot of support for the project from the general public with a small number speaking in opposition.

Councilmember John Flynn said he agreed that this project will benefit the city.

“I think it’ll be a real plus for the community,” he said.

The council also tabled revisions to the city’s employee handbook and approved the reappointment of Cuyler Scates to the Board of Construction Appeals, a $55,000 amendment to the 2020 city budget to cover a security fence project for the police and fire departments and a resolution designating disbursing officers and municipal depository board for 2020.