BENTONVILLE -- The Melvin Ford Aquatic Center will be cleaner and more comfortable once renovation of it is complete, said David Wright, parks and recreation director.
Pick-It Construction started the largely cosmetic remodel in mid-January.
Council Action
Bentonville’s City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• Issuing the fourth series of sales and use tax bonds.
• An agreement with Cardknox for credit card processing for online payments.
• Spending $30,000 for Rodden Landscape Company mowing services.
• Installing StoryWalk at Train Station Park at 402 S. Main St.
• Appointing Matt McClure to the Advertising and Promotions Commission.
• An agreement with Mercy Clinic to do the Fire Department’s yearly physicals.
• Hiring Luttrell Enterprises to dispose of litter, mowing and trimming of state highway right-of-ways.
• A $18,902 change order with TriStar Contractors for phase one of the Eighth Street water and sewer utility movement.
• An agreement with CEI Engineering for the design of the McCollum Street sidepath trail.
Source: Staff Report
"There's nothing wrong with the structure of the building," Wright said after the City Council meeting Tuesday. "The walls are sound."
City Council approved 7-0 a $14,348 change order to the project Tuesday. Council member James Smith was absent.
The change order was to install larger water lines so the system in the building was brought up to city code.
The center was built in 1992, and there's been nearly no cosmetic upgrades since, Wright said.
The project will improve lighting, replace old vanities and mirrors, upgrade the electrical system, add private shower stalls and upgrade toilets from residential to commercial grade.
Red brick will be painted on the building's exterior and a green metal roof will replace the current shingle roof, making the aesthetics more cohesive with other city buildings.
Interior airflow will also be improved, and heating will be added so the building can stay open year-round, Wright said.
"Every year when we finish the season in September, we shut that building down, but there's events that take place in Memorial Park that we could use those restrooms for," he said.
Wright said he hopes the work will wrap up before the facility opening May 27.
Wright also gave the Parks and Recreation annual report to the council.
He organized his presentation to highlight last year's accomplishments through the department's five-part vision to be a choice provider of recreation, leisure and culture; making Bentonville a premier destination; enhancing the residents quality of life; shaping the city's character; and being an innovative organization.
Wright reported the Bentonville Community Center saw 401,867 visitors and 597,000 participants in recreational programs in 2016. Program participation is up from about 101,000 in 2012.
Wright estimated there were another two million people using the parks and trail system outside of any program.
The department saw more than $3.9 million in revenue last year, and its events had a nearly $3 million economic impact, according to the report.
"I hope you see Parks and Recreation not as a luxury, but as an essential service," Wright said, adding that the city would loose part of its character without its parks, trails, downtown square and recreation programs.
Mayor Bob McCaslin thanked Wright as well as other Parks and Recreation leaders at Tuesday's meeting.
"Strong leadership makes a difference," he said. "You've take us from zero to 60."
Council member Jim Webb said he heard the ultimate compliment over the weekend when he was talking to parents who said their children travel across the state once a week to participate in Bentonville's tennis program.
"That's all because of you and your team," Webb said.
Council member Bill Burckart also complimented Wright and his department.
"It's getting to where Bentonville as a whole, through its parks, is an experience, a destination," Burckart said.
NW News on 03/15/2017