Kayak rental coming to Carol Ann Cross Park in Fort Smith

Kayaks will be available for rent at Carol Ann Cross Park starting in September, bringing what city officials hope will be considered an affordable, family-friendly amenity to Fort Smith parks.

At its June 13 meeting, the Fort Smith Board of Directors approved an agreement with Rent.Fun! For a self-service kayak rental program to be located at Carol Ann Cross Park. Rent.fun is a “sister” company to Tandem-Mobility, who operates the bike share program in the city. The kayak rental program operates in the same manner as the bike share program through a mobile application.

At its regular meeting Wednesday (Aug. 9), the Parks and Recreation Commission set a rental fee of $5 an hour for the kayaks. A fee of $25 an hour was recommended by Rent.Fun!, but directors voiced concern that cost would be too high for most to enjoy the amenity. Commission members agreed and set the cost at a rate they said would encourage more people to use the kayaks. No limit was set on how long a kayak could be rented during the course of the day.

The city will pay a one-time activation fee of $18,000, which is for a period of five years, said Sara Deuster, interim director of Parks and Recreation. The one-time fee includes all repairs, replacements and maintenance of the equipment performed by a local maintenance person employed by Rent.fun. A four-unit locker will be installed at the former paddle boat location at Carol Ann Cross Park. Each individual unit includes a single-user kayak, paddle, and universal life jacket.

“I think $3,600 a year for a new fun amenity for families and individuals to use a Carol Ann Cross Park is a good worthwhile investment,” said Vice-Mayor and Director Jarred Rego.

The rental will be run through an app on the phone like the city’s bike share program. Kayaks, lifejackets, and paddles are stored in solar-powered smart lockers and secured with app-controlled locks. To rent and access equipment, users download the rent.fun app, add payment information, sign the digital waiver, and then unlock and rent by scanning a QR code on the smart locker. In-app tutorials provide water safety instructions and kayaking tips for beginners. After a paddle on the water, the user returns the items to the same locker where they got it. The rental automatically ends and the user’s credit card is charged for the duration of their rental, information from the company said.

Rentals will be available from sunrise to sunset, and will be available year round unless the lake is frozen, the parks commission decided Wednesday. Funding for the kayak rental program will come from the accrued monthly rental fee paid by American Towers, LLC in accordance with the land lease agreement for the cell tower at Carol Ann Cross Park. The revenue received from this agreement is to be used for improvements at the park, Deuster said.

The total received in that fund as of June 13 was $166,192.50, she said, adding that the remaining funds following payment to Rent.fun will be utilized for improvements to the playground area. If the rental kayak rental program is very popular, the city can opt to add an additional four-locker unit.

“I think this is a great unique amenity we could have at this park. Many municipalities don’t have a lake the size of what we have at this (Carol Ann Cross Park). I think it’s something citizens would enjoy, and we have had positive feedback. But until we have it offered, I can’t say what the usage would be,” Deuster said.

The lockers are set to be installed at the park in September, but an exact date of when they will be available to the public has not been determined, she said.