Outdoor furniture install happening this week at Springdale’s Walter Turnbow Park

A grant from the Tyson Family Foundation is supporting an upgrade at Walter Turnbow Park in downtown Springdale.

The nonprofit group Downtown Springdale is partnering with Nashville-based Fort Houston Artisan Support Project and local makers to fabricate and install outdoor furniture at the park.

“Many artists and makers believe their opportunities are limited to making and selling one-off products and pieces. That’s why we’re excited to incorporate an additional production pipeline element to makers in Springdale through the process of communicating with the CNC cutter, acquiring materials, coordinating logistics, assembling a larger maker production team and installing the project,” said Ryan Schemmel of Fort Houston. The furniture CNC templates are designed by Better Block, a Dallas-based nonprofit that provides open-source furniture designs that can be downloaded for free.

The installation, dubbed the Open Seating Project, is taking the place this week. It’s set to be completed by Saturday (Sept. 19) and will be open to the public, with seating for at least 100 people.

“We’re thrilled to engage such leading-edge partners in this project and to provide makers with the opportunity to work with Fort Houston and fill a critical need in our downtown,” Olivia Tyson, president of the Tyson Family Foundation, said in a statement.

Downtown Springdale, Tyson Family Foundation and Springdale Parks & Recreation are partnering on the project.

“This collaborative installation could not come at a more exciting time for Downtown Springdale,” Downtown Springdale Executive Director Jill Dabbs said in a statement. “As our bike trails become busier and more businesses move into the Downtown Springdale, our downtown needs furniture. And now more than ever our restaurants need outdoor seating for their patrons to enjoy a meal with appropriate social distancing.”