Our Town

North Little Rock notebook

Hospitality house ready for new life

The Parks and Recreation Department will dedicate the Riverfront Hospitality House, at 140 Riverfront Park Drive, at 10 a.m. Thursday, the department announced.

The Parks Department took control of the city-owned, 2,100-square-foot building behind the flood wall by the Arkansas River in January. It has completed an estimated $70,000 in renovations since then.

The building was previously rented to a private bicycle-rental business, but it had been empty for about three years and was in disrepair, parks director Terry Hartwick said in January.

The hospitality house will be available for rent for private events and could be used as classroom space for school groups touring the nearby Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum and for military reunions.

Burns Park opens inclusive play area

The city's first public all-inclusive playground will be dedicated 10 a.m. June 13 in Burns Park, the Parks and Recreation Department announced.

The playground, near the Funland amusement area in Burns Park, will allow special-needs children and adults the ability to use rides and equipment they aren't able to use on existing city playgrounds, parks director Terry Hartwick said previously.

The idea for the playground arose a year ago when Hartwick met with Kenny and Jerilyn Wasson and their daughter, Emma, who has a congenital heart defect and Turner's syndrome, a genetic condition.

Maritime Museum sets summer hours

The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum on the Arkansas River will be open for more days during the summer beginning Wednesday, the museum announced.

The new schedule will be 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 1-5:30 p.m. Sunday. The museum has been open only Friday-Sunday during the winter.

The museum, at 120 Riverfront Park Drive just east of the Main Street Bridge, features the World War II submarine Razorback and the tug Hoga, which was present during the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii. The museum also includes exhibits and a library of naval history.

The Hoga's topside is available for tours but the museum has been waiting for the past year to receive federal approval for renovations that are needed inside the boat, keeping the inside off limits to the public.

Museum Executive Director Greg Zonner said late last year that he hoped the work would be completed in time for the summer season.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is to complete an analysis of the museum's plan for the remaining restoration. The analysis report is to list any asbestos and other banned materials that will need to be removed from the boat before the museum can begin its work, Zonner said Friday.

Metro on 05/28/2017

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