BENTONVILLE -- A conservation project near the Bentonville Municipal Airport aims to show the public how ecology affects everyday lives.
The project will be on 74 acres north of the airport's runway and will be spearheaded by the Walton Family Foundation. The city is involved because work includes improvement to Lake Bentonville and its park, which is on airport property and is maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department.
The project is designed to assist with stormwater management, preserve the land's ecology, provide greenspace west of Walton Boulevard and connect the public to the airport.
Improvements to the park will include organized parking, a bus drop-off, a new playground, more fishing access and walking paths giving access to the north, said Martin Smith with Ecological Design Group, the Arkansas-based civil engineering firm designing the project.
North of the park are wetlands. The Osage Tributary of the Illinois River runs through the property. Boardwalks and trails will wind through the land, giving the public an opportunity to experience the ecology and wildlife.
"It's like a natural zoo," Smith said.
Among the most interesting features are the beaver dams, he said.
"When you go see what those guys have done, it's like an architectural wonder," Smith said, adding the project will preserve the dams, especially since they, as part of the wetlands, serve as a natural filtration system for stormwater.
The land will be a place where Parks and Recreation programming and school field trips could take place, officials said.
The dam at Lake Bentonville will be removed, bringing the stagnant body of water to life as well as increasing the fishing and kayaking opportunities, Smith said. Dam removal also will allow the lake to expand when it rains. The lake will flood the park during heavy rain, helping to eliminate the flooding of neighborhoods to the east, officials said.
"It's just nice to see that the lake, instead of just receiving neighborhood runoff, will actually be part of the tributary," said Bill Burckart, a member of the City Council and the Airport Advisory Board.
The Airport Advisory Board and airport officials have been discussing how to make the airport more available to the general public for years. The idea of a nearby park has been listed as an option, Burckart said.
"I don't think we can really fathom at this point the experience this is going to bring," he said, commending the partnership between the city and private investors.
A new flight center, which will be just south of the Lake Bentonville park, is another facility officials hope will draw the public to the airport. It will have a restaurant and exhibit hangar. The city recently approved its plans.
The acres north of Lake Bentonville park will remain private property but will be open to the public, similar to Compton Gardens, the land of which is owned by the Peel House Foundation, said David Wright, the Parks and Recreation director.
"This is not unique to us," he said. "We want to introduce to the public a finished product that seamlessly flows together, that appears to be one park."
There are plans to develop the northeast corner beyond the floodplain with several amenities. While they haven't been finalized, ideas include parking, a pavilion, restrooms, a small music venue and possibly an archery facility, Smith said.
The project will provide much-needed parkland west of Walton Boulevard, Wright said. He added that Citizens Park, Merchants Park and Wildwood Park are the only recreational parks in the city's western end, which continues to be the fastest-growing area.
Specific development numbers for that area weren't available, but at least two-thirds of the single-family building permits and the majority of multifamily building permits for the past two to three years have been in Ward 3, the city's southwest quadrant, said Troy Galloway, Bentonville's community and economic development director.
The Parks Advisory Board and Airport Advisory Board have approved the design concepts for the land. The Bentonville City Council will next be asked to approve a memorandum of understanding outlining the partnership and responsibilities of the parties involved in the project.
Officials aren't sure when work will be able to start, as Federal Emergency Management Agency and Army Corps of Engineers requirements have to be met. The project should take between eight and 10 months once work begins.
Metro on 04/18/2017