Benton County officials view new building plan

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace on Tuesday reviewed plans for a four- or five-floor courts building on Second Street in downtown Bentonville.

Gary Jackson with Hight-Jackson Associates presented the newest version of the plan for a building being promoted by the Walton Family Foundation, Downtown Bentonville and other and downtown interests.

Jackson said the cost of the basic version of the plan, with space for five courtrooms and unfinished space on a fourth floor, is about $23,7 million, with total of about $32.1 million including renovation work on the historic courthouse and annex building. To finish out the fourth floor would add about $1.6 million to the cost and adding a fifth floor would raise the price by about $4.5 million.

The foundation has given the county a $2.9 million grant to begin renovation on the current courthouse and promised another $2 million toward the cost of a new building, plus another $900,000 in land acquisition costs if the project is done downtown.

The county has been studying a new building for the past few years. A study identified potential sites on county land near the Road Department and jail on Southwest 14th Street and another on Second Street, just north of the courthouse and administration building downtown. The Public Safety Committee endorsed the concept of keeping the courts downtown and the Finance Committee is still studying the costs and funding options. The justices of the peace took no action on the building Tuesday.

The panel also heard a presentation on the Open Space Plan for Northwest Arkansas from representatives of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission and Alta Planning and Design. Elizabeth Bowen, with the regional planning commission, said the aim is to preserve natural landscapes and open areas while preparing for growth in the regional.

Chuck Flink with Alta Planning said the"big picture" is the concern the quality of life in the area is slipping away as the area grows. Flink said the planning process is underway and has reached the design stage. Residents have attended workshops and used an online forum to provide input, he said. The project has developed an open spaces map and catalogued important cultural resources to identify "corridors and hubs of activity" that are worthy of protection and preservation.

Flink said the draft plan will be compete by the end of September. Public workshops are set for Sept. 23 at the Rogers Public Library and Sept. 24 at the Fayetteville Public Library. The justices of the peace took no action on the presentation.

NW News on 08/12/2015

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