ROGERS -- The Maple Grove Park update is one the Parks and Recreation Department's first jobs this year.
The park, on the corner of Oak and Arkansas streets, will get a pedestrian tunnel connecting both sides of the street along the park, Americans with Disabilities Act accessible restroom facilities and equipment, a new fence and additional parking along Arkansas Street, Lance Jobe, project engineer, said during a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting Wednesday. Work already has started.
Maple Grove's signature large green space will be maintained and a landscape architect used primarily native plants to spruce up the area. A few trees felled in the initial measures of the update will be replaced with new ones.
Commissioners plan to hold monthly park visits to better identify needs before making improvements.
"We need (commissioners) to visit, take notes, make observations and state opinions of what you think about the park in its entirety, including the layout, playground equipment," etc., said Andrea Brinton, assistant director of Parks and Recreation.
Commissioners visited Cambridge and Olive Street parks this month and will visit Veterans Park and Kirksey, a park shared by the middle school and city, by the next meeting in February.
"We need to know 'Is it time for an update?' or 'Do we need more of something (there)?'" said Jim White, director of Parks and Recreation. "We'd like a second set of eyes on it."
Lake Atalanta Park continues to see work done after its October opening, officials said. Some stonework, landscaping and attention to water features is left on a to-do list, Jobe said.
Other Lake Atalanta projects include working on a design for a new canoe and kayak launch pad, said David Hook, facilities development manager.
Hardware cloth wrapped around trees at Lake Atalanta has discouraged a beaver nicknamed Bart from taking any more down, but the beaver seems to have moved on to collecting small bushes for its home, White said. About 20 shrubs at the park went missing recently.
NW News on 01/19/2017