Greenwood ready to expand trails, ‘next step’ to develop master plan

Thanks to a $200,000 Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) grant, 3.5 more miles of trails could be paved in Greenwood by the end of the year, according to Casey Craig, director of parks and recreation for the City of Greenwood.

Craig said plans for the project from the engineer are nearing completion and then the city will need to get ARDOT to sign off on them so construction can begin.

“I would like to have it completed by the end of year, but plans don’t always go as you expect, especially in the construction world,” Craig said.

The project, which is funded by an 80/20 ARDOT Recreational Trails Program grant that had the city putting in $50,000 of the total cost, will pave a 3.5 mile stretch of gravel trail that will meander through a wooded area from The Oaks neighborhood in the south part of Greenwood to Bell Park, he said.

Other possible trails in the city are about to begin the planning stage.

“We have done a lot with playgrounds in our capital improvements. We are going to start now looking at connectivity with schools, parks and the community so that if people want to navigate by foot or bicycle, they will be able to,” Craig said. “The next step really is to develop a master plan for trails.”

COUNTY CONNECTION
Earlier in the summer, the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) Board of Trustees, Sebastian County and the City of Greenwood agreed to cover 20% of the cost of another project by Sebastian County to extend trails.

The county has applied for an Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) grant to pay for a master plan and initial civil engineering for trails that would connect Chaffee Crossing to Greenwood and eventually to Bob Boyer Park in Midland. Long-term, the trails could connect further in Sebastian County to trails managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

The grant application is for Phase One of the project, approximately nine miles connecting Chaffee to Greenwood. The cost for a master plan for Phase One is estimated to be $200,000 plus another $200,000 for the initial civil engineering, for a total cost of $400,000, according to the project presentation.

An $80,000 match is required if the grant is awarded. Sebastian County has pledged $30,000 of that match, according to Jay Randolph, Sebastian County parks administrator. The City of Greenwood and FCRA have pledged $25,000 each for matching funds.

The trails may be able to use about 0.9 mile of abandoned railway beds between Fort Smith and Greenwood for a rail to trails feature, he said. Randolph did not know how much it would cost to construct the trails. He said the master plan would be able to calculate that figure.