Playground to stay
after sinkhole fix
Sinkholes that delayed last week's opening of North Little Rock's all-inclusive playground in Burns Park won't force the relocation of equipment already set up, city Parks and Recreation Director Terry Hartwick said Friday.
The $250,000 One Heart Playground, with features created specifically for special-needs children and adults, was to open Tuesday. Sinkholes discovered beneath the rubber surface that was already in place forced parks officials to cover depressions and rope off the new playground.
A geotechnical engineer's report said fill materials used to level the ground sunk after several rains in the past two months, causing a void to form between those materials and the surface, Hartwick said.
The playground is financed by private contributions, Hartwick has said.
"I even considered moving it," Hartwick said about the playground. "We've already paid for the playground equipment. We got sidewalks put in. The areas where we put the playground is beautiful, right under some trees. So moving it somewhere else I don't think is an option.
"We just need to fix it now," he said. "It may cost a little bit more."
A concert already scheduled to raise more funds for the playground will be July 15 at the Burns Park Soccer Complex.
Tickets are $10 for ages 13 and over. Ages 12 and under will be admitted free. Tickets and more information are available through the Parks Department, which can be reached at (501) 791-8538 or by email at parksandrec@nlr.ar.gov.
Sales tax election
is town hall focus
Mayor Joe Smith will hold his first scheduled town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the city sales tax election Aug. 8.
The public is invited to the meeting at Lakewood United Methodist Church, 1922 Topf Road. There will be four more town halls on the tax election, each aimed at attracting a broader group of voters than Smith's previous meetings with neighborhood associations and civic groups.
The election will ask North Little Rock voters to approve a 1 percentage point city sales tax increase that will raise the city tax to 2 percent. If approved, the total tax charged to consumers would then be 9.5 percent in North Little Rock, including the 6.5 percent state tax and 1 percent Pulaski County tax.
The ballot title specifies that revenue from the tax would be split into two parts: One-half percent would be a permanent tax for the city's operations and the other half would last for five years to be used for streets and drainage structures, fire stations and the police and courts building. Tax collection would begin Jan 1.
Early voting will begin Aug. 1 at William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St.
Metro on 06/18/2017