Museum to remain separate from parks
Moving the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum under the control of the North Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department won't place the tourist attraction into the city parks system for legal reasons, Mayor Joe Smith said last week.
The North Little Rock Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously Monday to grant a parks designation to the Maritime Museum on the downtown riverfront. The action still needs approval by the North Little Rock City Council.
Because of federal parks requirements, Smith said he intends for the Parks Department to maintain the maritime museum while the city retains ownership of the museum's assets. Assets include the World War II-era Razorback submarine and the Pearl Harbor-surviving tug Hoga.
"The property will still be owned by the city," Smith said. "The Parks Department will be dedicated to managing and promoting that property. It will not be in the parks system, per se, ownership-wise.
"Sometimes if we get a grant from the federal government, it keeps you from doing other things with the [funded] property in the future," Smith explained. "We didn't want that property to have to follow the same rules that the federal parks system requires."
The maritime museum isn't part of any city department and is governed by an independent board as a nonprofit. The city allocated $150,000 this year from its 2016 general fund budget to the museum, a continuation of annual funding. Smith said it's his intent to transfer at least that much to the Parks Department in the next city budget to fund the maritime museum.
The museum has attracted more than 20,000 visitors in each of the past two years, including 182 school groups in 2015, according to museum figures.
"AIMM has been successful in its endeavors, but I feel like we have so much more to offer," Smith said.
$162,000 earmarked for Burns Park fixes
A $162,000 grant has been awarded to the North Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department to go toward improvements at Burns Park, department Director Terry Hartwick said last week.
The grant is through the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism's Outdoor Recreation Grant Program.
Updates for Burns Park using the grant funds include the renovation of four restrooms, a playground at the youth baseball complex, and walkways to increase handicap accessibility at the covered bridge and at some park pavilions.
The grant is in addition to other improvements recently completed at Burns Park.
The former clubhouse at the Burns Park Golf Course has been renovated into the Heritage Room, which overlooks part of the golf course. The room is available for rent for meetings and events. Nine rentals are already scheduled, parks personnel said. Information on renting the Heritage Room is available by contacting the Parks Department at (501) 791-8537.
Citywide parks improvements and needs can be addressed at the Parks Department's annual public hearing. This year's public hearing will be 5:15 p.m. May 16 at the North Little Rock Community Center. The public is invited to attend and comment.
Nature Days at park scheduled for pupils
The North Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor Burns Park Nature Days on Wednesday and Thursday for fourth- and fifth-grade school groups.
The Central Arkansas Master naturalists will conduct outdoor education programs at Burns Park from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. each of the two days. There is a limit of 150 pupils each day.
Spaces are still available for schools to register. Those who wish to participate can contact North Little Rock Park Ranger Ian Hope at (501) 580-7095 or email ihope@nlr.ar.gov.
Metro on 04/24/2016