The Pulaski County Quorum Court rejected a funding proposal that would have been the first step toward constructing a recreational trail between Little Rock and Hot Springs.
Earlier this year, the project was awarded a federal grant that would have paid 80 percent, or $2.6 million, of the project's first phase, which includes a preliminary engineering study and an environmental impact study. The grant's conditions, however, require that localities pay 20 percent, or roughly $520,000, of the project's total cost, which would have been split between Pulaski, Saline and Garland counties.
Tuesday evening's vote went contrary to the plans that had been crafted since 2013, initially by former County Judge Buddy Villines of Pulaski County and by his successor, Barry Hyde.
A measure fell one vote short of the eight needed to pass, with the board's five-member Republican bloc voting against the project: Doug Reed of Roland, Aaron Robinson of Jacksonville, Luke McCoy of Sherwood, Phil Stowers of Maumelle and Paul Elliott of Maumelle.
Democrats Tyler Denton of Little Rock, Teresa Coney of Little Rock and Robert Green of North Little Rock were absent from Tuesday's meeting.
Pulaski County was the leading organizer for the 65-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail, known tentatively as the Southwest Trail, which was planned to run from Little Rock's Central High School to Hot Springs National Park. Pulaski County's monetary contribution toward the 20 percent match is pivotal to unlocking the federal grant dollars necessary to finance the first phase of the project.
When asked how the county would move forward after the unexpected vote, Hyde simply replied, "I don't know."
The Quorum Court would need 10 of its 15 members to support the measure to expunge Tuesday's rejection, which the Democrats would have if all were present and voted for the funding.
"I believe that we have much greater needs in our country from an infrastructure perspective, and this is one of many that our federal government would be better served putting our transportation dollars towards those needs -- those bridges, those airports, those roads that need rehabilitation," Stowers said. "For that reason I can't support the resolution this evening."
Other justices of the peace then expressed similar misgivings about the project, saying that the need for local road improvement exceeded the need for a trail. However, Hyde and Public Works Director Barbara Richard noted that the county spends less than 1 percent of its road and bridge money on bike lanes and trails.
"This is going to link 11 different communities between here and Hot Springs. You've got Bryant, Lonsdale, Bauxite ... You've got 11 different communities that this brings together and creates economic development around those areas," Richard said.
A study conducted in 2015 by Alta Planning and Design of Bentonville estimated that the tourism the trail would generate could have a significant economic impact on the communities it serves, including 65,000 trail users spending $3 million in the local economy each year and supporting 68 jobs.
If the three counties do not ultimately coordinate the 20 percent match, the federal grant dollars will be redistributed to other entities that had made applications for similar nontraditional transportation projects.
"This is money that is here, it is going to be used ... and it will benefit someone else's county when it could go to enhance our trails and parks," said Justice of the Peace Donna Massey, D-Little Rock, who voted in favor of the item.
Saline and Garland county quorum courts were also expected to consider similar resolutions before Pulaski County's vote. Hyde said memoranda of understanding between Pulaski County and the other two counties were in place, a tentative agreement that they were in favor of moving the project forward.
Metro on 06/28/2017