Smith a leader on Fort Smith trails development

Editor’s note: The City Wire seeks to recognize accomplishments of those living and working in the Fort Smith region. Special recognitions, accomplishments, philanthropic support and input from The City Wire readers are considered when selecting a person to profile.

story by Aric Mitchell
[email protected]

In 2004, the city of Fort Smith commissioned a Fort Smith Trails and Greenways Plan that identified 22 trail corridors, which would serve to connect the city and provide amenities for the citizenry.

But with a tough economic environment and a lack of funding, the approximate 87.59 miles of trails would have to wait if not for the efforts of people like Greg Smith.

Smith is a Fort Smith native and an attorney at Pryor, Robertson, Beasley and Smith, on North Seventh Street in downtown Fort Smith. He was also a driving force in the 18-month-long project to build the Old Railroad Trail near Free Ferry Road, which opened in April 2011. Even now, the effort to extend the Old Railroad Trail continues as Smith readies two additional trail development projects.

The upcoming projects are planned concurrently, though Smith admits it could be “a long time” before any of the people of Fort Smith notice.

“Money is the biggest obstacle right now. We depend on volunteers for the labor and donors for the materials. For instance, Blake Construction has been very generous to donate tons of gravel for free. We’ve also worked with Forsgren Construction on some of the drainage issues for the bird sanctuary. It all comes from the citizens, not the government or city, and I don’t see that changing,” Smith said.

He noted that work is done on trail projects every Saturday for approximately four hours “so no one gets burned out.”

The first of the upcoming projects is a trail that will connect Harry Kelley Park to the Rice-Cardinal Levy Trail. Referring to it as “The River Trail,” Smith says it would be a corridor mostly for mountain biking and hiking activities.

The second, which Smith refers to as “The Water Trail” will benefit canoeists and kayakers.

“Fort Smith is so fortunate to have all these islands along the (Arkansas) River. They’re completely undeveloped, and going out there, it’s like having your very own nature park,” Smith explained.

The goal is to tie both trails together so that they are completely connected along Clayton Expressway.

“These projects are too big for one person to undertake,” Smith said, noting the Westphal Family, U.S. Marshal’s Museum and Richard Griffin, were all “very good to grant us easements for the River Trail.” Smith also wanted to thank the Powell Family for a river access easement that will “allow us to go down to the river from the parking lot.”

While Smith’s efforts are completely volunteer, he admits that it’s easy to stay motivated.

“A park is an important part of any community. Just look at our parks now and you’ll see they are overused or used extensively, rather: Creekmore, Ben Geren, Martin Luther King. Any weekend or day you’re going to see hundreds of people, all using the parks and getting benefit from them. I feel very strongly that they are an important part of any community. Frankly, I can’t imagine a company moving to a city that didn’t have a good parks system. They just bring out the kind of amenities that all employees want,” Smith said.

In the Fort Smith Trails and Greenways Master Plan, there is justification for Smith’s belief in the parks system. The report states that properties located adjacent to parks can see an increase in value of between 5% to 20%. To illustrate the value in dollars and cents, the Master Plan reads: “The State of Missouri, for example, spent $6 million to create the 200-mile KATY Trail, which, in its first full year of operation, generated travel and tourism expenditures of more than $6 million.”

While the city of Fort Smith doesn’t have the $6 million to invest in a concerted park effort, Smith says he is encouraged by the progress already made, as well as the progress that is to come.

“Fort Smith hosted a volleyball tournament recently that brought in hundreds of people. That fills your hotels, and pays you back many times over in terms of meals and getting tourists looking at your antique shops and things like that,” Smith said. “These things tend to feed on themselves.”