BENTONVILLE -- Plans for a bike playground on the north end of the city are in the works as the Advertising and Promotions Commission agreed to give $25,000 toward the project.
Commissioners voted Thursday to redirect $25,000 of the money it had set aside for a bike park to help fund a bike playground that will be built near the Bark Park off of Walton Boulevard.
Upcoming Bike Bentonville events
• Aug. 27: 19U Mountain Bike Championships
• Sept. 10: Square 2 Square
• Sept. 30-Oct. 2: Slaughter Pen Jam
• Nov. 5: CycloPath Cyclocross Race
To register or for more information, visit www.bikebentonville….
Source: Bike Bentonville
It will be one more amenity near Slaughter Pen Mountain Bike Park, the North Walton Trail and the public art pieces along the trail, commissioners said.
Renderings of the playground show ramps, tunnels and other features.
The difference between a bike park and bike playground is mainly the scale. A playground is much smaller than a park and can be placed in an area where other amenities already exist, said David Wright, parks and recreation director.
"It's a portion of what a bike park would be," he said.
The playground will sit on about an acre near the parking lot and restrooms on the North Bentonville Trail.
It's a nice amenity that can be placed on a trail head, in a visible location, and it's a good introduction for younger kids who want to learn to mountain bike, Wright said. It will used for open recreation as well as programming for the Parks and Recreation mountain biking camps.
The playground will be designed for children 5 to 12 years old but will be open to anyone.
"It's not challenging for an adult," Wright said. "It'll be challenging for a child."
It will help round out the cycling amenities in the city as it'll be geared for young riders, said Jim Webb, Bentonville resident and father of two, ages 4 and 9.
"If you're going to have families get out on their bikes, you need something that caters to the youngsters as well," he said.
Webb is also an alderman and a cyclist. He spoke highly of the city, Parks and Recreation Department and Walton Family Foundation for the work they've done in making Bentonville a destination for cyclists.
A bike playground geared toward children will give them a safe environment to learn while not interfering with more experienced cyclists on other mountain bike trails. It will also be a great addition for families who participate in events like Slaughter Pen Jam, the three-day mountain biking festival that takes place each fall, Webb said.
Playground construction should start within two to three months. The hope is to have it in place by the time the International Mountain Bicycling Association holds its World Summit in Bentonville in November, Wright said.
The playground will cost about $150,000 and will be funded through a partnership of Visit Bentonville, the Parks and Recreation Department and the Walton Family Foundation, according to officials.
"It'll be a great addition to what's going to happen as we move forward with our cycling focus," said Kalene Griffith, Visit Bentonville president and CEO.
Bike Bentonville is nearing the completion of its strategic plan. It should be ready in time for the Advertising and Promotion Committee's strategic planning meeting in late August, Griffith said.
Bike Bentonville became a program under Visit Bentonville in partnership with the Parks and Recreation Department last summer. The tourism bureau oversees the marketing while the Parks Department oversees the events.
Barbara O'Connor was hired as the program's part-time cycling coordinator in January but recently resigned for a full-time position with a different organization, Griffith told commissioners Thursday.
Griffith asked the commissioners to make the position full-time as "there's plenty to do" with the implementing the strategic plan and the increasing number of cycling events.
There were five cycling events scheduled six months ago. There's eight now and two more that are being considered, Griffith said.
It would be easier to interview for the position if it were full time rather than a part-time position that has the potential to become full time come January, she said. There's a chance the cost of that change could go over the budget for the position this year.
Commissioner Rob Apple asked to see specific numbers of how the change would affect the budget and to review the job description before approving the change.
Griffith said she would provide commissioners with that information, and they could vote on it at their Aug. 25 meeting.
NW News on 08/01/2016