BENTONVILLE -- Residents can pick between two designs for the Dave Peel Park project, a city official said.
The website www.quiltofparks.com went live Aug. 20 and will be up for about three more weeks so people can look at the two design plans and vote on the one they prefer, said David Wright, parks and recreation director.
"This is just good, old-fashioned public input to give to the decision-makers," Wright said. "We will take those counts to the City Council and let them make the decision."
There had been 2,000 site visits and nearly 500 votes cast as of Thursday, Wright said.
Voters in April backed the city's $266 million bond plan for capital projects and bond refinancing by approving all nine questions on a special election ballot by at least 76%.
A renovation of Dave Peel Park and the building of the Bentonville Commons as part of the downtown Quilt of Parks were among the projects voters approved. The bond will provide $5 million.
The Quilt of Parks began as an effort to improve existing parks and plazas downtown by adding new green spaces, plazas and gardens and stitching them together in a cohesive, pedestrian-friendly way, according to the website.
The renovation of Dave Peel Park will have a new layout and add a modern and secure playground, restrooms and an enhanced plaza, according to the city.
The other project is the new Bentonville Commons. A 140-space parking lot at Southeast Second and Southeast A streets -- basically across the street from Dave Peel Park -- will be turned into a plaza and activity space, according to the city.
Switch it up?
Under an alternative plan, the locations of the park and commons would be switched. Dave Peel Park would be renovated to become an event park, while the parking lot would become a new playground park, according to the website.
The biggest difference would be moving a beloved park from its well-known home, Wright said. Both areas are roughly the same size, and both projects are expected to cost the same -- about $2.5 to $3 million each. The city Advertising and Promotion Commission will contribute a total of $1 million to the projects to go along with the bond money, he said.
The City Council this month approved an agreement with Flintco LLC for $85,000 plus reimbursable expenses to provide preconstruction services for development of the Quilt of Parks project.
Dave Peel Park covers 2 acres, one block east of the downtown square on East Central Avenue. Its fenced playground is set back from the busy street. Benton County buildings, including the historic courthouse, sit across the street.
The park, if moved, still would connect with the planned A Street Promenade, a meandering, pedestrian-only walkway that would connect to Lawrence Plaza a few blocks to the north. The promenade wasn't part of the bond issue and may be built with private money. The cost is estimated at $11 million, Wright said.
The commons will allow for a dedicated event area suited for activities such as a farmers market, Friday night movies and musical performances, according to the city.
The website gives background on the Quilt of Parks and the city's vision for the space. There also is a short video and link to take a survey asking what design people prefer.
The Quilt of Parks will significantly transform the downtown environment, expanding the number and variety of public events that can happen there, council member Octavio Sanchez said.
"Public input is very valuable to find the best decision. I'm happy that the city continues to invite its residents to express their opinions," Sanchez said. "Because of its history, I like Dave Peel Park where it is, but if the new design is convincing, then switching its place with The Commons may be worth it."
Council member Tim Robinson also likes the idea of giving residents a choice between the two designs.
"The public will be the ones using it so they should have a say," he said.
As long as there isn't much public pushback to moving the park, Robinson said the location swap could work.
"I really love the idea of parents being able to eat at Oven and Tap while watching their kids play in the playground just off patio," he said, referring to the nearby restaurant. "It should be safer for kids to be away from Central. I have a 3-year-old son, so I can definitely understand why this would be nice and still think it keeps the spirit of what the community wanted out of Dave Peel Park in the first place decades ago."
Peel's story
No matter which option is selected, Wright thinks the whole area should be called Dave Peel Park.
Peel was elected mayor in 1932 and also was School Board chairman. He served as mayor until 1943. He also is credited with founding the American Legion Club and the Rotary Club in the city, according to a 1977 story in the Benton County Democrat.
Wright said it's important to tell Peel's story, to be cognizant of the park's importance to residents and also to be respectful to those who started a playground and later banded together to buy the land in the 1970s.
A family in California owned the property and let the city put in a playground, Wright said. The family later planned to sell the land to the U.S. Postal Service, but said if residents could match the asking price, the land would go to them, he said.
Residents raised $32,000; the city kicked in the other needed $4,000, Wright told the council.
Downtown has become the epicenter for public events and festivals such as First Friday, farmers market, the Bentonville Film Festival and Bentonville Half Marathon.
Downtown parking is a concern, but two parking decks are under construction and a third will start next year, Wright said. The city wouldn't break ground on The Commons until the third structure is finished, he said.
Other Quilt of Parks projects that need to funded and built include improvements to the downtown square, Town Branch area and the Bentonville Green, Wright said. It will take seven to 10 years to get all the amenities built, he said.