ROGERS -- Several dirt trails are under construction as Lake Atalanta Park's renovation gets under way, city officials said.
The $15 million renovation is designed to transform park and properties linked to it into an area offering fishing, hiking, biking and a place for family gatherings, said David Hook, city facilities development manager.
At A Glance
Lake Atalanta
In the late 1940s through the early 1960s, Lake Atalanta was a hot spot of activity for Rogers residents. A swimming pool, restaurant, skating rink and miniature golf course nestled in the valley just a few blocks east of downtown. Residents approved a $135.4 million bond package in 2011, part of which was set aside to renovate the lake and park. City leaders are spending about $15 million — some from a grant from the Walton Foundation — to transform the park. Construction has begun on some projects. The project is expected to be competed by late 2015.
Source: Staff Report
Julie Colgan, owner of The Rusty Chair, said she believes the renovation will be good for downtown.
"It's a unique place not far from downtown. I think this is a step in the right direction to keep our downtown area vibrant and alive. At least I hope it is," Colgan said.
"We are actually ahead of schedule on some of the dirt mountain bike trails on the Fleming property south of the lake. We are on schedule for the concrete, or multi-use, trails. We haven't begun construction on the concrete trails, but we are at the point we should be as far as design and location is concerned. Construction should be begin later this summer," Hook said.
"One of the three concrete trails will ring the lake. It will be 10 feet wide and for use by walkers and bike riders. A softer dirt trail will be built next to that trail for those who like to jog, but don't like to run on concrete because it's hard on knees and feet," Hook said.
A rougher dirt hiking trail will be built on the east side of the lake through a wooded area. The trail will begin about were Timber Trail turns right off the road that circles the lake. It will emerge from the wooded area at the cove at the north end of the lake, according to the plans.
"From there it will connect with the concrete lake trail," Hook said.
Construction on a concrete, multi-use trail -- from Walnut Street in the park to the bike park south of lake -- is scheduled to begin next month, Hook said.
"This is the trail that will wind through south side of the park to Frisco Springs and on to the bike park on the Philpot property. We are going to add LED lighting along the trail so it can be used day or night," Hook said.
Aldermen are to discuss the $2 million contract to build the bike park Tuesday, according to the City Council agenda.
"The bike park will feature a variety of dirt trails for mountain bikes with hills, jumps and other amenities. The bike park will also contain two restroom facilities, two dog parks, a children's playground, a multi-level meeting space and parking," Hook said.
The bike park entrance on East Cherry Street will serve as the entrance for the Frisco Springs trail and a concrete multi-use trail that will circle the bike park.
Another concrete trail will begin at Lake Atalanta and run through the hills and valleys south of the lake to the Fleming property on Pleasant Ridge Road, according to plans.
"We may have a trail head and parking on Pleasant Ridge Road as well as at Lake Atalanta. There will be three rustic wooden bridges over the creeks on the trail. Higher up on the ridge, on the west side, we have already completed a mountain bike trail. When we get the bridges in place, the bike trail will connect with other trails to Lake Atalanta," Hook said.
Also included in the renovation is a combination bait house/boat rental shop, a playground, additional picnic tables and additional green space.
There's only one project behind schedule, dredging the lake, Hook said.
"We had hoped to begin the dredging project this summer, but that doesn't look like that's going to happen," he said.
The dredging project has to be approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A permit request was sent to the corps earlier this year. City officials recently received word the corps approved jurisdictional determination.
"What that means is we have determined what part of the lake and the springs' water that flow into the lake is under the jurisdiction of the corps," said Laurie Driver, spokeswoman.
Not all of the water sources are under corps jurisdiction, Driver said.
The corps is involved in the project because the water that flows from the lake eventually merges with Beaver Lake, a corps-operated lake.
Lance Jobe, city engineer, said FTN Associates is handling the permit application for the city.
"Now that we have the jurisdictional determination, we know what kind of permit (application) we need to submit to the corps, and FTN has begun work on the permit," Jobe said.
He said there's no way to know how long it will take for the corps to approve, reject or ask for modification of the permit request.
Meanwhile designing amenities at the lake continues. Ecological Design Group will be recommended to the council in July as the company to design the amenities, said Greg Lindley, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission.
"The Ecological Design Group has done some great things in Arkansas, and we think they are going to a great job for us as well," Lindley said.
Dell Tyson, a member of the Lake Atalanta Committee, said Ecological Design Group is passionate about preserving the natural look and feel of the park.
"These folks are very creative and determined not to change the natural beauty of the area around the lake. I believe when the park is finished it's going to be very impressive. I know there have been some people concerned the city wasn't doing enough to protect the environment. With the Ecological Group on the job, I think some of the fears will fade," Tyson said.
NW News on 06/21/2014