CBID hears proposal for small downtown Fort Smith park

story by Aric Mitchell
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Jayne Hughes has proposed a family-friendly “splash pad” in downtown Fort Smith similar to a park concept in Nashville, Tenn.

Hughes, downtown development coordinator for the city of Fort Smith, made the proposal during a Thursday (Sept. 23) meeting of the Central Business Improvement District (CBID).

Using the Bicentennial Mall in Nashville as a prototype, Hughes suggested the board consider installing the addition in the area that stretches between Compass Park (located west of the Ferris wheel) and the glass pavilion downtown. A splash pad feature similar to one in Fort Smith’s Martin Luther King Park would be included.

“Mike (Alsup, director of the Fort Smith Parks Department) and I have been talking about doing something to add to the flavor of what we’re doing down here, which is create a wonderful attraction for kids, families, tourists, and citizens in the downtown area. Installing a splash pad would help us to make better use of the area, which currently isn’t being utilized very well,” Hughes said during the meeting.

Now in the budgeting phase, the attraction would call for a series of fountains budding up out of the ground along the described path in timed succession.

“We’ve also talked about adding LED lighting and changing colors as the dancing waters move along,” Hughes said.

CBID Chairman Richard Griffin concurred. “All we have there now are some pretty green trees going all the way from Compass Park to the pavilion. We need more utilization of that glass pavilion. That’s why we have the parking lot on Second Street. If we had some activities that would draw people with children to that whole general area, it would help West End Park, too. I don’t want to clutter up the green area too much, because it is pretty, but it’s just not being utilized very well.”

Griffin also recommended considering facilities to accommodate skateboarders, picnickers, and residents of the loft apartments close-by. Griffin owns several apartments in the nearby downtown area. Board member Phil White voiced his immediate approval for the plan as long as it made use of the existing trees and natural surroundings.

“Think of having a family reunion or an event in that glass pavilion which is a beautiful facility. You’ve got the park in there, you have activities for the kids, the Ferris wheel, the Carousel, and the diner could cater the event,” Hughes said.

Hughes told board members that the plan will eventually have to go to the parks department. She has planned it as part of her budget and estimates that the entire project would cost around $200,000 since plumbing and irrigation is already in place.

“Clean the area under the bridge and make it a little more pedestrian friendly, so visitors can just walk right up to Pendergraft Park and the National Historic Site,” Hughes said. “There are just lots of neat things that could be happening if we really start making these advances.”

Other matters discussed at Thursday’s meeting include a plaque program that will invite participation from downtown property owners to commemorate different landmarks and events in Fort Smith’s history.

“Beyond the tornado that hit downtown in 1996, there really isn’t any other recognition where tourists can come and read about our past,” Hughes said. “What started that was we were getting questions all the time asking, ‘What is this? Are they building something here? What happened?’ And of course, that’s there because it recognizes that the whole West End was basically destroyed because of that tornado. There are all sorts of interesting things down here that we need to help our tourists understand.”