GENTRY -- The City Council on Monday approved buying land north of the city to build a sports complex with baseball and softball diamonds and soccer fields.
At the City Council's first online meeting, the council approved buying 27 acres at 10721 Browning Road, which is north of Gentry, for $465,000.
Closing is expected to finished before May 30.
After reviewing costs of site work needed for ball diamonds and soccer fields on city land on the west side of the railroad tracks and east of the high school, the council on April 6 authorized Mayor Kevin Johnston to negotiate for the 27 acres.
Johnston said Monday the landowner was willing to reduce the price from $500,000 to $465,000.
With estimates of site work required for ball fields at parkland south of S. Little Avenue along the railroad tracks being in the $1 million range, council members determined it might be better to buy more level land for a sports complex and save the parkland along the railroad for another use which wouldn't require the extensive grading work.
The council considered a number of sites but the site to the north of the city was preferred because of its proximity, price and probability of future growth in the area -- making it advantageous to extend city utilities to the land. Also considered was the likelihood users of the facility would come into town and patronize city businesses rather than traveling to Siloam Springs or other cities.
While it would be a little less expensive to do the extensive site work and build on the parkland by the railroad than buying the land to the north of the city and building a sports complex there, being able to have a better-suited site for a sports complex for a small difference, estimated at about $27,000, was viewed as advantageous for the city.
The council also approved moving forward after seeing 30-percent plans for a splash pad in the Main Street city park prepared by McClelland Engineering. The splash pad would be built on the northwest side of the park. If all goes well, the recreational facility could open by summer 2021. With the current schedule, the plans could be submitted for a Parks and Tourism grant up to $250,000 later this summer.
Johnston updated the council on the progress of the Flint Creek bridge project on Dawn Hill East Road, saying work was underway.
The council voted to seek bond funding for a water storage facility project near the Y-City facilities of the Benton-Washington Public Water Authority. It was estimated the city could save money and get started on the project with commercial bonds as long as interest rates remain low rather than seeking federal loans and waiting nine months to a year to learn if the loans were approved.
According to cost estimates presented at the meeting the construction would be between $3.6 and $3.7 million.
NW News on 05/10/2020