People in Heber Springs now have a reason to stop and relax at the busiest intersection in town.
A dedication was held Sept. 24 for Eagle Bank Park at Main and Second streets.
Heber Springs Mayor Jimmy Clark said creating a park was a great use of the property, which was donated by the adjacent Eagle Bank & Trust.
“It was just a big shale pit five years ago,” he said of the property.
Clark said state Rep. Josh Miller, R-Heber Springs, secured for the city a $95,000 General Improvement Fund grant to help build the park. The project cost $390,000, the remainder of which was paid “with gas-lease money,” Clark said. Heber Springs receives income from mineral-rights on property the city owns.
Jeff Lynch, president of Eagle Bank & Trust, said his father, Bill, was approached by former Mayor Jackie McPherson about donating the property to the city.
“It’s a valuable piece of property. It has the highest traffic count of any intersection in Cleburne County,” Jeff Lynch said. “We felt like it would be a nice gift to the community and a way to give back and support our area, which we’ve done for many, many years. We did that with the understanding that the city was going to build a park there.”
Eagle Bank Park includes a water fountain, a pavilion, benches, landscaping, a bathroom and much-needed parking, albeit only about eight spaces.
“We’re always strapped for parking with shopping downtown,” Clark said. “It’s absolutely a beautiful park.”
Heber Springs Parks and Recreation Director Stacey Mills said it will be his department’s job to keep the park in good condition.
He said another full-time employee will need to be hired to help maintain the park.
“Yeah, we can take care of it — sure we can, but other things will slack, and we want to keep somebody there most of the week,” Mills said. He said he expects the park to be used frequently, and it will need constant care.
“The bathrooms — that was the huge thing. People coming from out of town to shop didn’t have anywhere to go to a bathroom,” he said. “We want to keep the bathrooms cleaned and picked up. And vandalism — that keeps me busy.”
He said the building that once housed a shoe store sat empty on the lot for quite some time before it was razed to create the park.
“I think it’s a wonderful park, and it’s going to be a huge asset,” Mills said.
Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julie Murray echoed his comments.
“It’s a huge asset for Heber Springs, and it’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s a huge step toward developing our community and growing our community when you have a park like that with restrooms right downtown.”
She said the chamber plans to install an “information center” in the park that will include a map of the city and a place to post information about events. Murray said the design hasn’t been finalized.
It will likely be “mounted on the wall somewhere, probably between the restrooms, a permanent installation where we can change information, a place to let people know what’s going on in town,” she said. “That will be a great centralized place for people to go to see what’s happening while they’re shopping downtown. We’re a very active community; there are lots of events constantly.”
She reeled off a list of events planned, including the Scarecrow Stroll, to be held Oct. 17-31 in downtown Heber Springs.
Clark said despite the vehicles whizzing nearby, the park is being used.
“People are sitting around on our benches, and the fountain — they’re already throwing pennies and quarters in there,” he said, laughing.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.