Bentonville park site poses problems for county courts plan

BENTONVILLE -- Jessica Scott of Bella Vista was at Dave Peel Park downtown early Thursday morning with two of her daughters. A fun time was expected. It didn't turn out that way.

Scott's daughters -- 3-year-old McKenzie and 4-year-old Madison -- were in tears when they learned they couldn't play in the park because it was closed for maintenance.

There could be more tears from parents and kids if the park site was one day to become the site of a new courts building.

Scott said she wasn't aware Benton County officials voted earlier this week to have the park location included in a study of potential locations for the building. The possibility of losing the park doesn't appeal to her or her daughters, Scott said.

"They love coming here," Scott said. "We come here a lot while big sis is in school. That makes me really sad. We love this place."

Family trips to the park on East Central Avenue are a regular event for her and many other families, Scott said.

"Parks are a big deal, especially for stay-at-home moms," Scott said. "A lot of moms and kids use this park."

The Dave Peel Park location was added to the county's planned feasibility study Tuesday night when the Quorum Court's Committee of the Whole voted to expand the scope of the study. Adding the location also increases the cost of the study by $27,250, bringing the total cost to $205,250.

County and city officials agree the park site has been mentioned in the past as a potential location for a new county courts building, but never in a substantive discussion. City records indicate the property has been used as a park at least since the 1970s. Mayor Bob McCaslin said the question of the county using the site came up about two years ago and was never pursued.

"The way I remember it, the county judge, Bob Clinard, mentioned they could be interested in the park," McCaslin said. "I mentioned I was probably in a position to adamantly be opposed to that."

The park location was raised once more, when it was suggested the county could help the city with moving or replacing Dave Peel Park on land on Second Street, which is another site being examined in the courts study. McCaslin said that also went nowhere.

"Why would they tear down a perfectly good park and build a new one a block away?" Scott said.

McCaslin said the city hasn't been involved with the county in its courts study, but he would be interested in city officials playing a more active role.

"I don't think the mayor needs to tell the Quorum Court what to do," he said. "But I would like to be kept abreast of what's going on."

The city has an obvious interest in any project being considered for downtown, and he would like to have the city's viewpoint on questions of zoning, planning, traffic and other issues be a part of the process, McCaslin said.

"It is a county facility, but it is located in the heart of the city," McCaslin said. "We would at the least want to be involved before they're moving dirt."

The past mentions of Dave Peel Park were not initiated by the county, Clinard said. Clinard believes any downtown location faces serious problems with limited space to build that will increase the cost and limit the life of any new building placed downtown. He favors placing any new building on county-owned land near the Road Department and County Jail on Southwest 14th Street.

"There's not a real good option downtown," Clinard said. "They're all options, but there are challenges. I've not had any conversations with anyone concerning moving Dave Peel Park. I heard about it second- and third-hand."

Clinard will continue to push for a decision that gives the county room for growth, which he insists points to the Southwest 14th Street site.

"We need something that's large enough to handle our needs right now that will last as this old courthouse has for 70, 80 or 90 years," Clinard said. "We've got to have the capability to grow."

Clinard will end his term in office in December, having lost his bid for the Republican Party's nomination as county judge to Barry Moehring, a justice of the peace. Moehring will face Libertarian Party candidate Ronnie L. Smith and write-in candidate Jeff Broadston in November.

Moehring is willing to have the study proceed, but he questions the likelihood of the Dave Peel Park site being chosen.

"Just on face value, some of these sites are a lot more complex than others and I think Dave Peel Park is one of those," Moehring said.

"Public sentiment is a huge factor," Moehring said. "It's one of the key amenities in downtown Bentonville. Also, it belongs to the city, not the county. We would have to come up with a parks solution, not just a courts solution."

Plans have been discussed the past few years. A study in January 2014 identified three sites -- two downtown and one on Southwest 14th Street near the jail.

The Public Safety Committee endorsed a downtown building project early in 2015, and the Finance Committee explored financing options for a downtown building. Work on the proposal was delayed after six circuit judges sent a letter to Clinard and the Quorum Court opposing both downtown plans as inadequate.

The Finance Committee voted July 7 to expand the study to focus on three options: Southwest 14th Street near the jail, a new building on Second Street downtown, across the street from the County Courthouse, and expanding the courthouse into the area between it and the Administration Building. Adding plans to use the old courthouse increased the cost of the second phase of the study from $119,500 to about $178,000. The July 12 vote to add the Dave Peel Park site boosted the cost another $27,250.

Joel Jones, justice of the peace, voted for the expansion of the site study to include Dave Peel Park even after he cautioned the justices of the peace the idea would be unpopular. Public sentiment and the heavy use of the park are things the county should consider, Jones said.

"The consultants talked about risk factors in connection with all of the sites, different things we have to consider that could increase the cost or make it more difficult to build," Jones said. "I mentioned the moms with strollers. A lot of people use that park."

Scott also pointed to the heavy use of the park as a consideration for the county. She also said its downtown location makes it unique.

"It's centrally located here in town, close to a lot of things we use," she said. "This is one of the things that makes downtown special, makes it comfy. You should come down here on First Fridays or for Farmers' Market. This place is packed."

NW News on 07/15/2016