BENTONVILLE — Orchards Park soon will have a tangible reminder of the trees for which it was named.

City workers started the groundwork for Legacy Orchards at the park on Northeast J Street this week.

Rows of sugar maple trees will line a now-empty field on the southwest portion of the park when

the project is finished next year, said David Wright, Parks and Recreation director. The 180 trees wil feature the names of a person who has made a difference in Bentonville.

Soft-surface trails will lead visitors among the trees, benches and areas for contemplation that will be scattered throughout the orchard.

“We have such a pristine, visible park, but we felt that particular area was lacking something,” Wright said. “This is a way to enhance the park while recognizing the past.”

Orchards Park is named after the apple orchards that were once an important economic engine in Benton County. Sugar maples were chosen because they are hardy trees that provide a blast of color, particularly in the fall, Wright said. The trees will be laid out like a traditional orchard and contain small signs or kiosks explaining contributions from Bentonville residents.

“We want to honor people who made significant impacts to the quality of life in our community,” Wright said.

Ed Austin, a former City Council member, said Thursday he thinks the orchard will be a wonderful addition to the park.

“I think it’s a really nice way to remember those folks that got us here,” Austin said.

The Park Department hasn't yet set guidelines for nominating someone as a Bentonville legacy and doesn’t plan to start naming the trees for another two years, Wright said.

The project stems from requests from the Parks Advisory Board and input from Scott Eccleston, director of grounds at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It's slated to cost less than $100,000. The Tree and Landscape Committee will donate $25,000 to start the program. Wright said he hopes the City Council will approve the remaining $70,000 in the 2014 budget. The cost would cover tree, irrigation, trails and benches.

Workers will level the site and will plant 90 trees this fall. Another 90 will go in next spring. Trails and benches will follow.

The park also will be home to a wildflower meadow next year. The meadow will be in the park’s northeast quadrant between the parking lot and the formal gardens.

The city is letting the grass grow in the empty field and will burn the site this fall. Workers will plant native Arkansas wildflowers on the grounds in late fall.

“By next May, it will just pop with color,” Wright said.

The wildflower project is estimated to cost $2,500.