ROGERS — Residents overwhelmingly said Tuesday they want the road around Lake Atalanta left open but split on whether the road should be paved.

Residents expressed concern for elderly fishermen and women who wouldn’t be able to carry rods and tackle to their favorite fishing spot.

“If you close the lake road you will be closing the lake to our older fisher persons,” said Dell Tyson, who lives close to the lake on Timber Trail.

Joe Davis wants to keep the road open but he had a suggestion for city planners.

“Before you do anything on the lake you need to pave the road. People in California have told me they would move back here if the road was paved,” Davis said.

The road should be built wide enough that for everybody to use, Davis added.

“Just put a double line on the road to separate the cars from the walkers or bike riders,” Davis said.

Strad Will said his family has lived at the lake for about 70 years and he uses the road daily.

“Keep the road open for everybody. It’s unfair to deny old people a road to drive around the lake.

Several other residents echoed the same reasons for keeping the road open.

Not everyone who spoke at the meeting wanted the road open.

Mike Shupe and John Tarr said they would like to see the road closed, but for different reasons.

“The road should be paved but only open to emergency traffic. The paved road should be for pedestrians not cars,” Shupe said.

Tarr, who lives in Bella Vista, agreed the road should be paved but for mothers and their children.

“I’m worried about the safety of mothers and children if they have to share the road with cars,” Tarr said. “I’m reluctant to encourage the road.”

Steve Glass, city planning and transportation director, near the end of the meeting, asked for a show of hands on a couple of issues.

He asked how many people wanted the road to be open and 20 people raised their hands. On the road closed question only three people raised their hands.

Glass also asked the audience whether the road should be paved, not paved or be an all-weather gravel road. The response was mixed, 12 people wanted the road paved, five didn’t want it paved what and eight people said they preferred an all weather surface, such as gravel.

Glass said there are no negatives involved in paving the road except the cost.

“We will also have to have the right design to handle the water that comes down the hill on the east side of the lake. We will have to install culverts and have right drainage system or we could get erosion problems,” Glass said.

City officials are planning on spending around $17 million on a renovation of Lake Atalanta over the next two years, to include dredging the lake, adding more trails, picnic tables, natural looking playground equipment, a bike park, skate park and mountain bike trails.