SPRINGDALE -- Rabbit Foot Lodge got lucky Tuesday night when City Council members supported a $424,158 construction contract to replace the roof of the historic structure.
The council is set to vote on the measure during its regular meeting Tuesday night.
Pick-It Construction will start the work early next month, said Chad Wolf, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department. He projected the work will be done by the end of May.
The city will use $62,238 of grant money from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and $361,920 from the city's general fund reserve.
Rabbit Foot Lodge sits on a hill in J.B. Hunt Park, overlooking Silent Grove Road. Future-Sen. J. William Fulbright bought the Adirondack-style log house in 1934 and lived there with his family while he was president of the University of Arkansas from 1939 to 1941.
Dr. and Mrs. Charles F. Perkins built the lodge as their home in 1908, with all material coming from the property. Perkins was Springdale's first surgeon.
The soffit and fascia related to the roof also will be replaced in Phase 1, as well as several logs that have rotted, Wolf said. "And they may find more once they get in there," he said.
Other construction phases would focus on rebuilding the south porch and a rock sidewalk built by Fulbright and providing access in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, said Wyman Morgan, the city's director of administration and finance.
The city will apply for grants to complete these repairs, too, he said.
Karen Compton, the latest resident, got the lodge on the National Register of Historic Places. Compton sold the lodge and 48 acres surrounding it to the city in 2014. The purchase came with an agreement the city would maintain it in good condition indoors and out.
Compton went before the council in July to remind them of the promise because she wasn't satisfied with the pace of the city's restoration. She visits her former home a couple times a year. She said she could see light through the roof over the porch on her last visit.
"I was alarmed. What a sad thing. I asked my lawyer if I had any recourse with the city," Compton said.
Mayor Doug Sprouse said the city wanted the land surrounding the lodge to expand J.B. Hunt Park, and the lodge and the promise were part of the deal. The city would like to build a trail from the house to the Razorback Greenway, which runs through Hunt Park, and build public restrooms on the site, Sprouse said.
"And we haven't even talked about its biggest asset -- the underground spring," said council member Mike Overton. He said the spring feeds Lake Springdale.
The city's ultimate goal is for the public to access it and use it and enjoy it.
Laurinda Joenks can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWALaurinda.