City, county officials promote park plans

For Fort Smith Director of Parks and Recreation Mike Alsup, there is a lot more reason to be optimistic about the upcoming 1% sales tax extension vote than the failed 1% prepared food tax from 2011.

“I’ve talked to a lot of folks, who were against that (prepared food), but are supportive of the extension,” Alsup told The City Wire following Tuesday night’s (Feb. 28) informational meeting at the Creekmore Community Center.

Fort Smith voters on March 13 will consider a 1-cent tax extension that will refinance sales tax bonds used to fund water and sewer system improvements, fund construction and operating costs for the Fire Department, provide operating costs for the Parks Department, and build an aquatics park and softball fields at Ben Geren Park and Chaffee Crossing. Sebastian County will help fund the aquatics facility if it is approved by Fort Smith voters.

Alsup emphasized that the extension is not a new tax‚ and that the sales tax rate would not change from what residents and visitors to the area currently pay. The 1% prepared food tax would have increased the current rate.

Alsup was also excited about what passage would mean for the parks system.

One-quarter of the extension would be used for improvements to firefighting as well as city parks.

Of the amount allocated to city park improvements, the money would install two new softball fields at Ben Geren Park, add “tournament quality” softball fields at Chaffee Crossing, improve trails and greenways (including River West Trail, Mill Creek North Trail, Zero Street Trail, and Airport Trail), and improve neighborhood parks (including Fondren Park, Texas Road Park, Williamson Place Park, and Briarcliff Park). 

“It’s a good time to be in Parks and Recreation, because the county and the city are committed. There is a lot of support with the quorum court, Judge Hudson, the Mayor and the City Board,” Alsup said.

Alsup emphasized to those at the meeting that it is “so important we do these things to engage our children and our families, because strong families equals a strong community. There are just so many good things going on in our parks system,” he said.

Sebastian County Judge David Hudson was also in attendance to discuss one of the inter-local agreement to build an $8 million aquatics facility at Ben Geren Park.

“It’s a privilege for me as a county government official to be working with the city of Fort Smith (on the project). Whenever two units of local government join together to serve tax payers, it’s a good thing,” Hudson said.

Most of the hour, Hudson had the floor, where he discussed the history of the aquatics park facility

“In 2004, Sebastian County had to close our swimming pool (at Ben Geren). I have children and grandchildren, and it broke my heart to have to close that pool. About the same period of time, the pool at Martin Luther King Park closed,” he said.

Hudson continued: “After that, we conducted a survey among a list of actual voters. We sent out survey forms, and the top area that came back was a water-type facility.”

Hudson noted that “at the time, the pool closings were still fresh on people’s minds,” before adding that a water park “was overwhelmingly the largest response as the top need‚” disclosed from the survey.

Should the voters choose to approve the 1% sales tax extension on March 13, construction will begin on the aquatics facility in 2013 for a possible 2014 opening date, Hudson said.

When asked about fee schedules, Hudson said that the survey, which was conducted in 2008 and 2009 and released as a report in January 2010, accounted for $5 admission (8 years or older) and $2 admission (younger than 8 years).

“We wanted to see a favorable admission rate,” Hudson added, instead of an admission rate that was “more in line with a sophisticated commercial aquatics facility.”

Hudson admitted the fee schedule could run "a little higher," but that the aquatics facility would be “an affordable place for families and children.”