SPRINGDALE -- The City Council on Tuesday approved a purchase of new furniture for Turnbow Park in the city's downtown.
Council members voted 7-0 to accept a bid of $81,636 from Innovative Business Interiors, a Springdale company.
Council member Mark Fougerousse was absent.
The order includes 15 Adirondack-style chairs in green, blue and orange at $537 each, as well as 17 orange tables at $720 each with 34 matching chairs at $334 each.
Also on the contract are 15 trash cans at $1,353 each. The trash cans will match others already in place downtown, said Mayor Doug Sprouse.
The bill also will include fees for shipping, installation and taxes.
The money will come from the city's general fund, Sprouse said.
The furniture will replace brightly colored wooden pieces, said Jill Dabbs, executive director of the Downtown Springdale Alliance.
Dabbs explained the current furniture was purchased in 2020 with a $20,000 grant from the Tyson Family Foundation.
It was made by a local maker with other members of the community coming together to assemble it, she said.
But it was only expected to last six months.
Three years and three coats of paint later, it's time to replace the furniture, Dabbs said.
The new furniture is made for outdoor use, said Chad Wolf, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department. It will be made from high-density polyethylene recycled from milk bottles, he added.
Dabbs noted people were sitting in the current furniture within 15 minutes of its placement. These were residents who were just strolling through the park.
"That's a good indicator that the people felt comfortable," Dabbs said. "It's not your formal living room furniture. It's comfortable furniture that invites people to stop and sit."
Council member Jeff Watson was concerned about the possibility of graffiti.
"We'll clean it," Wolf answered.
Dabbs said the city takes care of Turnbow Park -- removing trash, keeping plantings beautiful and more. And city officials are not seeing mistreatment of the public space, she said.
"When people take care of a place, it shows that it's loved," she said. "And when it's loved, others love it back."