Springdale City Officials Working On Park For Greenway Trailhead

SPRINGDALE — City officials are exploring the use of detention ponds to keep water flowing through a planned downtown park.

Officials want water flowing year-round through Spring Creek. The city could use land approved for purchase on Shiloh Street for detention ponds. The ponds would collect water that would be pumped upstream to provide a continuous flow.

“We have to explore all the possibilities,” said Chris Weiser, a member of Downtown Springdale Alliance. “We need the water feature for the park. When it gets dry and hot, there is not that much flow in the creek.”

Tim Faires, an Emma Avenue business owner, said city officials are moving in the right direction.

“I think that would be a perfect fit,” Faires said. “We need the water in the creek to make a better park.”

Preliminary engineering reports say using detention ponds will work, said Mayor Doug Sprouse.

Earlier plans to use creek water from below the sewer plant, or using the effluent from the plant, would affect the plant’s operating permit, Sprouse said.

“Recirculating water above the plant shouldn’t have an effect on the plant,” he said.

The Springdale Water and Sewer Commission approved spending up to $1 million to create a system to recirculate water in Spring Creek. Weiser is also commission chairman.

The plan includes running a pipe for the recirculated water under a trail, Weiser said.

The land purchase, at 1104 N. Shiloh Street, is located near where a feeder stream runs into Spring Creek. The property, including an empty building, has flooded several times lately, Sprouse said. The City Council approved purchasing the property on Nov. 26 for $110,000, which is its appraised value.

Detention ponds on the property would serve several functions, Sprouse said. Other uses would be for flood control and to provide a water feature for the Razorback Greenway, he said.

City officials are working to create a pocket park where the Razorback Greenway goes through downtown Springdale. The park would take in the area near Shiloh Square, a roofed area on Emma Avenue open on two sides. Shiloh Square will be a trailhead for the greenway.

Spring Creek runs under Shiloh Square, as well as Emma Avenue and parking lots on each side. A redevelopment plan, commissioned by Downtown Springdale Alliance, calls for uncovering the creek to contribute to a park-like atmosphere for the square.

Plans call for the trail to run to the west of the square through an area opened by the demolition of two buildings and closing of Mill Street between Emma and Johnson avenues.

The council approved purchasing 125 Mill St. for $115,000 on Nov. 26 and buying the Wilson building at 100 E. Emma Ave. in August for $195,000. Both purchases were at or below the appraised value, Sprouse said.

The council also approved spending $100,000 to help the alliance pay for preliminary design and probable construction costs for the Shiloh park projects. Alta/Greenways, Razorback Greenway designers, will be in charge of the design and estimates.

The alliance also raised more than $120,000 to help pay for the work, said Lisa Ray, a member of the group working to revitalize downtown.

The Care Foundation, a subsidiary of the Endeavor Foundation, has provided half of the money, Ray said, by matching the private money the alliance raised.

A preliminary timeline calls for the buildings to be razed and the street closed by April or May, Sprouse said.

“If it’s not done at the same time the greenway is built, it will be soon afterward,” Sprouse said.

People will be happy to see construction begin, Faires said.

“There has been some negativity since we haven’t seen any construction,” Faires said. “Hopefully, this would satisfy those people.”