LOWELL -- A splash pad, small amphitheater, disc golf course and community garden could all be part of the city's plan for developing 100 acres on its west side.
Dave Roberts, Crafton Tull vice president of planning, displayed a rough draft of what development on the lot could look like to City Council members last week. Kathleen Johnson donated the land to the city two years ago.
Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park also could be home to a center planned by Life Wellness USA. The 220,000-square-foot facility would house basketball courts, volleyball courts, indoor soccer courts and an Olympic-sized pool, according to the plans.
Mayor Eldon Long said the company may start construction as early as next month.
Land at the site could also be used for a veterans' memorial, elementary school, fire substation, farmers market, museum and stocked pond, Roberts said. The proposed park is southwest of the Zion Church and Bellview roads intersection.
"Everything you see on this plan may or may not happen in the next 20 years," Roberts said. "When we do a master plan we try to take a wish list and try to figure out the best grouping for it all."
Long said the next step is to figure out what it would cost to develop the park and determine what money is available. Options could include grants or a bond issue, he said.
City officials know it could cost $5 million to $10 million to build infrastructure to the park, Long said. This includes water, sewer and roads, he said.
"Those costs are very rough," Long said. "We are in the information gathering stage."
Costs for developing the site could be ready by the end of the year, Long said. He was unable to give a timeline for possible development of the park.
"Everyone would prefer it sooner than later," Long said. "A lot of this will depend on what what we can afford."
Long said a fire substation most likely will be the first structure built. There's a need for one in that part of the city, he said.
Roberts said the plan incorporates environmentally friendly options. Parking lots include areas of green space to help with absorption of runoff. A pond on the site also would be expanded to handle runoff, he said.
A tree farm is included in the designs, Roberts said. The trees would help as a wind break from farmland nearby, he said. The city could then use the trees for other projects in the park or other parts of the city, he said.
Keeping native trees on the site also is important, Roberts said.
"What is neat is that in this one location there are a lot of trees," he said.
A walking and bike trail would work its way through the tree grove, extending to the Razorback Regional Greenway, he said. The greenway connects Northwest Arkansas with 37 miles of trail.
An existing barn could be used for farmers markets, Roberts said. An old homestead could be renovated into a museum, he said.
Patsy Matthews just moved from Springdale to Lowell. She said it would be nice to have more walking trails in the region.
"I think the park would be cool," Matthews said. "It would be another reason to live here."
Long said the park could be an asset to more than just Lowell residents.
"These types of amenities would attract people from all across the region," Long said.
Access to the greenway helps make those connections, Long said.
"People would be able to ride to the farmers market," he said.
Roberts said developments such as the proposed Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park, can help spur activity in a region.
"If this were to start to happen, think about how valuable the land around it will become," Roberts said. "All of a sudden everyone will want to go to it or live near it. It is a catalyst for development."
NW News on 08/23/2015