Greenway to link
parks advancing
The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department plans to apply for a grant to create a greenway that would connect War Memorial and Hindman parks, officials said last week.
The proposed greenway would run through or near Kanis Park, Boyle Park, the First Tee of Central Arkansas golf center and Western Hills Park, according to preliminary plans provided by the department. The plans are subject to change.
The greenway trail is to be 12 feet wide with a 3-foot buffer on either side, according to a description provided to the Little Rock Board of Directors.
The plan lists Tri-Creek Greenway as a possibility for a name because the greenway would encompass Brodie, Fourche and Rock creeks.
A $500,000 Transportation Alternatives Program grant from the Arkansas Department of Transportation would fund the project, with the city providing $125,000 in matching funds.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation requires that local governments pass a resolution supporting grant applications through the program. The city board is to vote on the grant agreement at its regular meeting Tuesday evening.
Love Your Block
deadline extended
Little Rock's Housing and Neighborhood Programs Department has extended the deadline for Love Your Block grants because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The city's competitive grant program awards money for neighborhood-based organizations to complete projects that promote civic engagement and pride. The deadline is now June 1.
The application is available at littlerock.gov/city-administration/city-departments/housing-and-neighborhood/.
Submissions must be emailed to Lisa Wells at lwells@littlerock.gov or mailed to the department's office at 500 W. Markham St., Suite 120 W., Little Rock, Ark. 72201.
Utility donates
masks to UAMS
Central Arkansas Water, the utility for the Little Rock metropolitan area, has donated 2,100 surgical masks to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to aid health care workers during the pandemic.
Chief Executive Officer Tad Bohannon said at a meeting of the utility's board of commissioners Thursday that the utility had initially ordered the surgical masks for staff members but was then able to acquire cloth masks from Tian Yuan Garments USA, a local manufacturer.
"We realized there was a greater need for surgical masks in the health care field than there was in our field," Bohannon said.
8 firefighters test
as having covid-19
Eight employees at the Little Rock Fire Department have tested positive for covid-19, although half of them had recovered and returned to work as of Friday.
Little Rock Fire Chief Delphone Hubbard said the most recent positive test came back April 8.
Of the eight cases, three were training instructors, four were new recruits and one was a firefighter at a station in east Little Rock.
"It struck our training bureau pretty swiftly," Hubbard said.
None of the employees who became ill required hospital visits, the chief said.
The city announced the first positive case in the department on March 27.
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