Monday, March 31, 2014
Who knew Lake Atalanta, a place that has brought the people of Rogers together for decades, would be a source of consternation as city leaders work to return the park around it to its stature as a must-visit location for residents and visitors alike?
WHAT'S THE POINT?
Rogers’ admirable efforts to revitalize Lake Atalanta and its surroundings took a controversial turn with debate over closing the lake road, but progress continues to restore the lake as a prime destination.
The Rogers City Council, after weeks and weeks of community debate, voted 5-2 to close the road around the lake. There were good points on either side of the debate. A majority of the public feedback favored keeping the road open, but this wasn't one of those issues with clear right and wrong answers.
It is worth noting that Rogers usually doesn't have antagonized folks getting active by lobbying the city council en mass about an issue. Many of those who argued for keeping the road open insisted it was needed to keep the lake accessible to the elderly, from fishermen to folks whose limited mobility make the road their only real option for taking in the beautiful setting.
The debate wasn't one-sided, however. Proponents for the road's closure cited safety, noting that keeping pedestrians and cars from mixing in the park setting will be most conducive to making Lake Atalanta a gathering place.
With the decision to close, we were glad to hear initial discussions from Mayor Greg Hines and others about looking for alternatives that might keep prime areas of the lake accessible to those with mobility issues. Given the frustration and anger the decision created, finding some common ground on that issue will be a step in the right direction. If fishermen stop using the lake, we'd count that as a bad outcome.
The good news is people care about Lake Atalanta. Hopefully this challenging decision will not be a cloud over its continued development into the city park it deserves to be. The city is set to spend millions on redevelopment of the park. The plan is crucial to restoring Lake Atalanta to its historical place as a wonderful city amenity people can't wait to experience.
THE NATIONAL PAST-TIME STARTS A NEW SEASON
After the winter Northwest Arkansas and much of the country saw this year, we're ready for the Boys of Summer.
Today marks opening day for the annual adventure called baseball season. Some might claim it opened back on March 22-23, when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers played games that will count in the season's total, but that was in Australia. No offense to the people down under, but we like our opening day here in the States.
Some of us have gotten our fix with a visit to Baum Stadium to see our non-unionized Hogs play. There are more opportunities there until the close of the regular season on May 17. And Northwest Arkansas Naturals fans and fans-to-be can get started with a visit to Arvest Ballpark on April 10, although their season starts away a week earlier.
Dust off the gloves if you're sitting down a baseline. Get ready for a little sunscreen, caps and overpriced bottled water. It's time for baseball.
Commentary on 03/31/2014