Fayetteville Parks Board Endorses Botanical Garden Lease

Garden Leaders, Cyclists Still At Odds Over Soft Surface Trail

FAYETTEVILLE -- It's now up to the City Council to decide whether to approve a revised lease agreement with the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.

After months of discussion, the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board endorsed the proposal by a 5-4 vote Monday.

At a Glance

How They Voted

Members of the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee on Monday voted, 5-4, to recommend approval of a revised lease agreement with the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.

For: Wade Colwell, Richie Lamb, Terry Lawson, Phillip McKnight, John Paul

Against: Chuck Maxwell, David Proffitt, Phillip Watson, David Priest

Source: Staff Report

The botanical garden, in a 15-year master plan its board approved last month, envisions expanding the garden by roughly four times its current footprint. The effort is expected to require a roughly $25 million fundraising campaign by the nonprofit organization.

Eight new garden areas, three parking lots and five buildings and structures, including a 17,000-square-foot visitors center, 6,700-square-foot event pavilion and 265-seat amphitheater, are planned in the meadow south of the botanical garden and along the south and southeast end of Lake Fayetteville.

The plans also would require rerouting a roughly 250-foot section of the soft surface trail around Lake Fayetteville.

And that's what drew the bulk of discussion from more than 50 residents who filled the Fayetteville City Council chambers Monday.

Members of the Ozark Off Road Cyclists, a volunteer organization that, with local Boy Scouts, has built and maintained the 7-mile soft surface trail, had plans to move the trail out of a wetland area, farther into the botanical garden's leasehold. The stretch of trail behind the botanical garden's butterfly house often becomes wet and muddy.

Botanical garden representatives, on the other hand, want to be able to use that section of trail and a concrete bridge spanning Hilton Creek that their organization built. If included in the botanical garden's revised lease agreement, the bridge and short section of trail would be fenced in and visitors would be charged admission to access it.

As a compromise, Fayetteville Parks and Recreation staff have proposed building a raised boardwalk -- hopefully using Boy Scout labor -- that would replace the section of trail that is being displaced and would lift the trail out of the wetland area.

"We're actually helping the environment with this plan," said Ron Troutman, president of Boulder Construction, one of several companies involved with the Razorback Regional Greenway.

Several residents who spoke Monday -- and several members of the Parks and Recreation board -- said they wanted an environmental assessment and more coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before the lease agreement is approved.

Byron Humphry, parks maintenance superintendent, said Parks and Recreation staff planned to coordinate boardwalk construction with the Corps of Engineers. But he said he didn't think an environmental assessment, which he estimated at $5,000, is necessary.

David Priest, one of nine members of the parks board, said the city should have a better idea of what the boardwalk would cost -- and who is going to pay for it -- before the City Council approves the lease agreement.

Others noted the city gave the botanical garden $750,000 to build infrastructure and construct its main building in 2004. City officials also plan to spend $190,000 on another parking lot -- for botanical garden visitors and trail users alike.

Resident William Mertins questioned Monday whether outdoor recreation grants from the National Park Service used to develop several portions of Lake Fayetteville would allow the types of development the botanical garden is proposing. Mertins cited grant language prohibiting walled structures except for concession stands and restrooms.

Connie Edmonston, director of the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Department, said Monday the city has a letter from the director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, the agency that administered the federal grants, stating the botanical garden's proposed structures are permissible.

"We feel comfortable," Edmonston said.

Humphry assured residents and members of the parks board the soft surface trail will remain open until a new section of trail is constructed.

"There are no plans to close the trail," Humphry said. "We will relocate the trail when (the botanical garden) gets ready to start their development."

Edmonston said the botanical garden lease agreement is tentatively scheduled to be up for City Council consideration Sept. 2.

If approved, the revised lease would last through 2050 with an option to renew it for two additional 25-year terms.

NW News on 08/05/2014

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