FORT SMITH -- The Parks Department is looking for ways to improve recreation in the city for all generations' interests.
The department is wrapping up mowing and other summer projects as well as preparing a budget of projects it wants done in the next year.
Doug Reinert, parks director, said the department is working to build restrooms at new parks such as John Bell Jr. Park, while also continuing to repair and replace ones damaged by flooding in 2019.
More extensive projects include replacing the walking path and installing new basketball courts and an inclusive playground at Creekmore Park, having the Street Department fix the walls of the water inlet for Wildcat Mountain Lake at Carol Ann Cross Park, and installing new bathrooms there to make it more accessible and Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
"We haven't had it open in years," he said. "We tear it down, and then we're going to replace the big one at Carol Ann Cross and redo the parking lot, the new fishing dock. So that is coming next summer. We should have those plans finalized soon."
In July the city approved building a new dog park along Fort Chaffee Boulevard. The previous park at the Louisville and South 83rd Street intersection closed to allow Fort Smith Regional Airport to expand its runway. The new park is planned to be 24 acres with walking trails, a wading pool, physical fitness obstacles and separate spaces for small and large dogs to play, a dog wash room and public restrooms. It is expected to cost around $3.2 million.
Reinert said the department is ready to build the fencing and install a water line and shade structures so the public can start using it. He said due to the extent and cost of the project, it will have to be built in phases.
"We might be able to do a public/private partnership, which will be helpful because that helps us get things done faster and actually gets things funded," Reinert said. "So we're working on that one, and we're evaluating another dog park that's centrally located."
Reinert said many other municipalities have a separate recreation department to schedule league softball, baseball, tennis and soccer games. He said Fort Smith contracts for those services, and then the Parks Department helps maintain those facilities.
Reinert said providing those quality of life amenities is really important, as that's one of the items people look at before moving to a new community.
"I'm a believer that a city should provide great amenities for the people that already live there, for them to enjoy their leisure time with their families," said Jeff Dingman, deputy city administrator. "When cities do that, visitors and prospective residents and business owners take notice, and that's how investing in parks, recreation and lifestyle amenities contributes to growth and economic development."
Shortly after Labor Day, the department will start preparing its Christmas light displays for downtown and Creekmore Park.
Brian Penix, the department's division I supervisor, said about 15,000 additional lights were ordered for this year, about 12,000 of which will go on a new, 50-foot tall Christmas tree. He said they're also planning to build a tunnel around the Creekmore Express Train.
Reinert said some of the displays' lights are being replaced with smart LEDs so they can move in time with music or people talking.
"Our guys work really hard, and they work in a lot of adverse conditions -- rain, cold, heat," Penix said. "I just got to give it to the park guys. They work really hard to do the things that they do."
Penix said the work is worth it in order to see the kids' response to the Christmas displays.
City directors will look to approve the park's 2023 budget later this fall.
Reinert said possible projects include making the indoor swimming pool at Creekmore Park more accessible, expanding Parrot Island Waterpark, renovating the Creekmore Express Train tracks, expanding the May Branch trail and improving infrastructure at all of the city's 36 parks.
He said plans look at the next five years, but that the department is always thinking at least 20 years in the future and how recreation changes between generations.
"Essentially once it's built -- let's say a trail system -- once we build that, that's going to be there for generations," he said. "It's not just going to be in my tenure and my lifetime, it's going to be there when my great-great-grandchildren are here. That's the sort of mindset that we're consistently thinking about, is doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people in the long run."
In May, voters approved a sales tax extension with some of the revenue going to the department for eight years.
The city has a 9.5% sales tax rate, with 6.5% going to the state, 1% to Sebastian County, 1% for city streets and drainage, 0.25% split between the city's Fire and Parks departments, and 0.75% split for city bonds and utilities.
Dingman said the sales tax helps pay for all the projects the department has planned, and the extension is essentially voters saying they like the progress they've seen and want more.
Reinert said he has a list of projects the community wants, including expanding the trail system by 15-20 miles and building a new tennis facility, climbing structures, an outdoor graffiti wall and an indoor recreation center.
City directors heard a feasibility study in June about building a $31.2 million indoor sports facility, which is expected to have a $42.4 million annual economic output due to direct and indirect spending, according to Conventions Sports and Leisure International, a planning and consulting firm based out of Minneapolis.
CSL's presentation states an indoor sports facility would address city opportunities and needs related to sports tourism or tournaments on the weekends, while also enhancing opportunities for local sports and recreation users during the week.
Its recommendation is to build a 120,000-square-foot facility with eight full-sized basketball courts or 16 full-sized volleyball courts, and synthetic turf for one indoor field.
They also suggested a minimum 35-foot ceiling so nets could drop down to separate court and turf spaces or also be used for batting cages, locker rooms and team rooms, fitness and wellness spaces, a walking track, play areas, a food court, performance and esports spaces and 900 parking spaces -- all on a site of at least 10 acres.
Reinert said he wants to make sure each project is inclusive and sets an example for other communities.
"We don't always hit the mark," he said, "but we sure try."
Workers dig Thursday as they build a sidewalk trail at Creekmore Park in Fort Smith. The undertaking is one of multiple extensive projects currently underway by the City of Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Department. Visit nwaonline.com/220904Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Signs display on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, near a new inclusive playground under construction at Creekmore Park in Fort Smith. The undertaking is one of multiple extensive projects currently underway by the City of Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Department. Visit nwaonline.com/220904Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
A warning sign stands Thursday around construction to the sidewalk trail at Creekmore Park in Fort Smith. The undertaking is one of multiple extensive projects currently underway by the City of Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Department. Visit nwaonline.com/220904Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
A sign stands Thursday around construction to the sidewalk trail at Creekmore Park in Fort Smith. The undertaking is one of multiple extensive projects currently underway by the City of Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Department. Visit nwaonline.com/220904Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Construction fence surrounds a new inclusive playground Thursday under construction at Creekmore Park in Fort Smith. The undertaking is one of multiple extensive projects currently underway by the City of Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Department. Visit nwaonline.com/220904Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Workers gather on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, around construction at Carol Ann Cross Park in Fort Smith. The updates are one of multiple extensive projects currently underway by the City of Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Department. Visit nwaonline.com/220904Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Workers gather Thursday around construction at Carol Ann Cross Park in Fort Smith. The updates are one of multiple extensive projects currently underway by the City of Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Department. Visit nwaonline.com/220904Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)