CBID shifts efforts on downtown Fort Smith projects

Commissioners with the Fort Smith Central Business Improvement District (CBID) are rethinking projects to fund to improve downtown. Part of the plan shift could include lighting under the Garrison Avenue bridge.

MAHG Architecture presented a blueprint for a better downtown on April 11 to a group of about 100 at the U.S. Marshals Museum, explaining 10 projects that could ease mobility downtown while making the area more attractive to residents and visitors. The projects range in price from around $9,000 to $1.6 million, with the total combined cost for all the projects estimated to be $3.2 million.

In April, commissioners decided to take on two projects with a combined cost of $74,500 presented to the public to help better downtown Fort Smith.

Commissioners initially wanted to fund the Garrison Crossing at Third Street project, which has a price tag of $9,208.31, and the Art Walk Connector, which will cost $65,362.36. The Art Walk Connector will have an entry plaza, art pedestals, string lights and an art walk lighted sign. It will be by the state office building and Prohibition Bar. The art could be rotated at certain intervals.

64.6 Downtown, now Main Street Fort Smith, is working on an alleyway installation between buildings for the Art Walk, so the string lighting part of the project will be funded through them. That will reduce the CBID cost. 64.4 is also installing $9,500 in lights and two transformers for the lighting part of the Art Walk Corridor. She said they would need to talk with new owners of 702 Garrison about attaching a transformer to the top of their building before the work can be complete.

As for the Third Street crossing, Deputy City Administrator Jeff Dingman informed the commissioners in a July 15 memo that the project would not be able to happen. The Garrison at Third Street crossing project presented a “pedestrian scramble” large crosswalk that allows for basic across-the-street crossings as well as diagonal crossings. The crossing will also feature landscaping.

“The City proposed the idea of a ‘pedestrian scramble’ crossing treatment at (Third and Garrison) to (the Arkansas Department of Transportation) ARDOT for consideration, which is required because Garrison Avenue is a state highway. While ARDOT is not opposed to pedestrian scrambles if certain parameters are met, this particular intersection does not meet those parameters and ARDOT will not approve this project,” the memo states.

Commissioners are contemplating different projects now. Bill Hanna, CBID board chair, said he would like to look at lighting under the Garrison Avenue Bridge. The South Pedestrian Connection project suggested installing signage on the existing gateway on Rogers Avenue along with pedestrian directional signage and under bridge color-changing lighting to make a more picturesque and safe pedestrian crossing under the bridge. That project has a cost of approximately $25,000.

Joshua Robertson, utility business administration deputy director for the city, suggested the commissioners look at the Garrison City Park project. That project would increase sidewalk width, add light poles and string lights, and add a parking garage pedestrian entrance. It has a price tag of $85,563.58.

Robertson said the city has already made improvements to the property adjacent to Prima Italia. They have installed lighting in the area between the restaurant and the city’s parking garage and made irrigation possible. He said the city has halted their work in case CBID wants to take on the project. The city plans to put in irrigation and a garden on the city-owned property. But the CBID would need to finance widening the sidewalks, adding seating if wanted and adding string lights.

Commissioners voted to check with ARDOT on whether lights under the Garrison Avenue Bridge would be allowed, to move forward on the Art Walk project and to look into the courtyard park project.

The CBID has around $150,000 from the Green and Clean project fund generated by the CBID assessment that they have not spent because they were unable to find a landscaper to plant and care for landscaping along Garrison Avenue. Though some of the funds have been used for maintenance and cleaning in the district, they agreed in April that using some of those funds for some of the downtown projects would fit with the assessments Green and Clean parameters.