BENTONVILLE — With 2013 in the books, city officials see 2014 as a year of construction and growth.
Construction of the Bentonville Community Recreation Center and continuation of several road projects, including widening Arkansas 12 and continued work on the Eighth Street Project, will highlight activity for 2014, according to officials.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the recreation center in November. The 18-month construction schedule will put the $16 million center’s opening in 2015 with the majority of it being built this year.
“It gives our Parks Department a home base, and the community a center to come together for a variety of activities,” said Alderman Chris Sooter. “All kinds of things are going to be possible in that building that we haven’t been able to off er in the past.”
It was a facility requested by Bentonville residents, said Mayor Bob McCaslin. McCaslin also identified it as one of the biggest projects for Bentonville in 2014.
“We’re excited about getting under way with the community center,” he said.
While the recreation center will be the city’s largest building project of the year, oftcials will continue to work on road improvements and expansions to keep up with the city’s growth.
“Traft c circulation remains a huge issue,” McCaslin said, estimating between 23,000 and 25,000 people commute into Bentonville on a daily basis to work.
Arkansas 12 is an arterial road entering the southwest side of the city, which is an area that is expected to see a “tremendous amount of growth over the next decade,” McCaslin said.
To address the issue, the city is working with the state to widen Arkansas 12 from two to five lanes from Walton Boulevard to Southwest Shell Road, Sooter said.
The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department is expected to bid the project out “sometime in 2014,” Sooter said. Right of way acquisition and utility relocation, both of which are under way, need to be complete before bids are sent out. Construction won’t be complete until at least 2015, depending on when the project starts, he said.
The Eighth Street Improvement Project also is on the city radar. The project involves constructing a new interchange with Interstate 540 and widening it from two to five lanes from the interstate to Southeast J Street, according to the city’s website.
Right of way acquisition is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2014, McCaslin said. Relocation of utilities will need to be done before construction can start. However, construction on the interchange may begin ahead of construction on Eighth Street, he said.
In addition to the projects funded by the city, Sooter said he expects Bentonville to see a lot of activity in the commercial and residential sectors as well.
“This should be a big year for construction,” he said. “We’re going to see a lot of projects around town that aren’t city projects but will have a big effect on the city.”
Amazeum, the children’s museum that will be built near Crystal Bridges, and the Midtown Shopping Center located downtown were two projects Sooter mentioned.
Alderman Bill Burckart said he expects to see continued growth and more jobs created in the city in 2014 as the private sector continues to choose Bentonville as a place to invest in.
The city will continue to invest in infrastructure — roads and parks — to maintain the quality of life and to promote business, he said. While Bentonville continues to grow, it’s important to maintain the tradition and feeling of a small-town community, he said.
“The private sector is driving all that we do, and the citizens are telling us what they want,” he said. “It is our job to simply try to work with the private sector to make it as easy as possible.”