County, city agree to pursue ‘collaborative’ expansion of Ben Geren Park

In what everyone agreed was an historic meeting, the Sebastian County Quorum Court and the Fort Smith Board of Directors expressed clear consensus Tuesday night (Sept. 29) on moving forward on a plan that could see Ben Geren Park transformed into a place meeting recreational needs of the metro area and providing facilities capable of hosting national sports tournaments.

Beginning in March, the city and county have worked together on a plan that would revamp the more than 1,200-acre park by adding new sports fields (soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, etc.), an aquatics facility and numerous other “quality of place” amenities.

The city board and county quorum court met Tuesday night at Elm Grove Community Center at Martin Luther King Park to collectively discuss the next steps. Sebastian County Judge David Hudson said it’s his belief that most folks don’t care who owns the park (The county owns the park.). Rather, he noted, citizens want someone to improve the park.

“It is viewed as a park to provide opportunities … to this area. They (citizens) don’t care who owns it,” Hudson explained during his remarks. “That (doing something with the park) really is driving the meeting tonight. … We’re proud of our parks system, but we want to make it better.”

Comments made by Hudson, Fort Smith City Administrator Dennis Kelly and others pointed to a common belief that neither the city or county individually had the resources to fully develop the park in a way that would serve community needs and adequately foster sports-related tourism.

Joe Gaa, parks administrator for Sebastian County, said the city and county have determined that building new softball fields, building an aquatics park and expanding and connecting trails and greenways are three clear areas for “potential collaboration.” The needs of the region include adding three softball fields, two baseball fields, about six more soccer fields, 12 new tennis courts and the aquatics facility, Gaa explained. The rough cost estimate for the aquatics facility is $2.5 million. Gaa showed several conceptual plans of how the sports fields and aquatics facility could be incorporated into the park. He stressed that the plans were conceptual, and not set in stone.

Gaa said Ben Geren has more than enough space to handle the needed expansion. He said there are likely fewer than 75 regional parks in the U.S. with more than 1,000 acres.

“The bottom line is, there is real estate here to do this,” Gaa explained.

The economic impact of an expanded park is real, Gaa said. He reminded the elected officials that the Fort Smith Express held a regional soccer tournament at Ben Geren during the weekend. He said 80 teams, with at least 12 on a team, were in the area for two days — that’s 960 people, not counting coaches and family. (Link here for a report about a proposal by the Greater Fort Smith Sports Council.)

Hudson and Kelly then explained the legal steps necessary prior to the city and county signing an “intergovernmental” agreement to jointly finance and operate the park. One of those steps would require annexation of the park by the city of Fort Smith.

“I don’t see a major issue with that,” Hudson said of annexation. “I think that is doable.”

Kelly explained that any referendum brought before city or county voters would contain language clearly explaining specific financial and operational roles of the city and county.

One potential funding source for the park expansion is a 3% tax on prepared foods sold within Fort Smith. Kelly recently proposed a plan that could potentially generate $27.54 million in the first five years from the 3% tax. The proceeds also would fund operation and maintenance of the Fort Smith Convention Center and an expanded tourism program that would include riverfront development.

Hudson then proposed a broad plan of action that could result in an election in 2010. The first step in that action is for the city board and the quorum court to approve resolutions supporting the progress toward collaborative development, marketing and management of Ben Geren Park.

Fort Smith City Director Kevin Settle was quick to offer city support of the resolution, with the remaining six city directors immediately agreeing. Justice of the Peace Ray Stewart did the same for the quorum court, with members of that elected body also nodding in agreement.

“This is the first step in a long process that will be beneficial to all the residents of Sebastian County. This is exciting,” JP Jim Perry said after the meeting.

Hudson said he was “very encouraged” to see all parties recognize that a collaborative effort “is in everyone’s best interests.”

Claude Legris, executive director of the Fort Smith Advertising & Promotion Commission, said the expansion of the park “seems very possible.” Arkansas law requires a 3% food tax be directed through the A&P Commission.

“This is good. This is dreaming, and dreaming is a good thing,” Legris said after the meeting. “I just can’t believe we are finally talking about this, and that we are talking about it at these levels.”