Fayetteville mulls land sale

Deal would help defray cost of Gulley Park expansion

FAYETTEVILLE -- City officials plan to sell some of the land purchased last year to help pay for the expansion of Gulley Park.

The City Council's Feb. 17 agenda includes offering two houses at 2634 and 2648 Old Wire Road for sale. The houses were owned for more than 50 years by Mary Lou Dunn and her late husband, Allen "Sonny" Dunn.

Council Agenda

The City Council is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in Room 219 of the City Administration Building, 113 W. Mountain St. Also on the agenda:

• A $250,000 contract with the Walton Arts Center for educational, entertainment and administrative services in 2015;

• A $166,000 purchase of digital parking equipment for the Spring Street Municipal Parking Deck and the main parking lot west of the Walton Arts Center;

• A roughly $700,000 expenditure for LED lighting fixtures, light poles and light pole installation along the city’s trail system;

• A $149,000 construction contract with CAM Lawn Services for the installation of trees and shrubs along Crossover Road and Garland Avenue;

• A $103,000 design contract with Garver LLC for water and sewer line relocation at the Arkansas 112 interchange on Interstate 49; and

• Four rezoning requests: on 93 acres west of Arkansas 112 and north of Truckers Drive; 21.6 acres north of the Fayetteville Boys & Girls Club; 2.5 acres northwest of Cross Avenue and Maine Street; and 0.32 acres at 956 Ray Ave.

Source: Staff Report

The city purchased the houses, along with another 10 acres, from the Dunn family for $1.1 million in October.

The purchase increased the size of Gulley Park from 27 acres to 38 acres. Selling the two houses will help defray the city's expenditure.

"We believe it's to our best city use of our real estate to go ahead and sell those," said Connie Edmonston, Parks and Recreation director, at an agenda-setting session Tuesday.

About $700,000 worth of Gulley Park improvements were delayed to free money for the property purchase. More parking, lighting and replacement of the 0.85-mile trail that encircles Gulley Park was put off.

The city also borrowed $270,000 from its parks development fund, money that had been set aside for remodeling the historic rock house and restrooms and replacing the basketball court and playground at Wilson Park. The Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association and a group called Friends of Gulley Park pledged to make up the remaining $130,000 through fundraising.

Appraisers with Reed & Associates in July valued the two houses on the Dunn property at $330,000.

Edmonston said $270,000 from the property sale will go back into the Wilson Park fund. Any additional money will be earmarked for Gulley Park improvement, she added.

It's still unclear how the addition to Gulley Park will be used.

Residents and members of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board have mentioned a dog park, "splash pad" and bocce ball courts as possibilities.

Wade Colwell, a parks board volunteer who has been heavily involved with Friends of Gulley Park, said he'd prefer to leave the 10 acres as green space, possibly with a grass or pine needle cross-country track around the perimeter.

Edmonston said parks officials plan to gather public input this summer and create a plan for the addition.

Asked by Alderman John La Tour on Tuesday whether a buyer has been lined up for the property, Edmonston said, "People have expressed an interest."

City Attorney Kit Williams said the council must accept any offers made on the land.

In the meantime, the Friends of Gulley Park are planning a fence-removal party at 1 p.m. Feb. 22.

Volunteers will tear down the barbed-wire fence that for years has served as the northern border of Gulley Park.

Colwell encouraged participants to bring work clothes, gloves and wire-cutters, if possible, to the event.

NW News on 02/11/2015

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