Quilt of Parks could see switch in Bentonville

BENTONVILLE -- A tweak is being considered to the downtown Quilt of Parks, a city official said.

David Wright, Parks and Recreation director, updated the City Council with a 28-slide presentation at its May 25 meeting.

Voters on April 13 backed the city's $266 million bond plan for capital projects and bond refinancing by approving all nine questions on a special election ballot by at least 76%.

A renovation of Dave Peel Park and the building of the Bentonville Commons as part of the Quilt of Parks is among the projects voters approved. The bond for parks work is $5 million.

Renovations call for a redesigned layout with a modern and secure playground, restrooms and an enhanced plaza.

​The commons would be at the south end of Southeast A Street where a 140-space parking lot will be turned into a plaza and activity space, according to the city.

Wright's presentation to the City Council displayed a scenario switching the locations of the park and commons.

It would be a short move. The property lines are within a 100 feet of each other, he said.

The biggest difference would be moving a beloved park from its well-known home, Wright said. Both areas are roughly the same size, and both projects are expected to cost the same -- about $2.5 to $3 million each. The city Advertising and Promotion Commission will contribute $1 million to the projects to go along with the bond money, he said.

Dave Peel Park is a two-acre area one block east of the downtown square, according to the city website. The park fronts East Central Avenue and the fenced playground is set back from the busy street. Benton County buildings, including the historic courthouse, sit across the street.

East Central Avenue had a daily average traffic count of 9,000 vehicles a day during a nine-day test period in May 2019, according to Dennis Birge, city transportation director.

Wright said he has heard from residents who say moving the park further away from East Central would make it safer for children.

Holly Hall, a Bentonville resident since 1968, has used the park for many years. Hall and her granddaughter Charlize enjoyed a recent Chick-fil-A breakfast at the park. She said she isn't opposed to the park moving as long as it stays close to its current location. She visits the park once or twice a week with her five grandchildren when the weather is nice.

The park, if moved, still would connect with A Street Promenade, a planned meandering pedestrian-only walkway that would connect northward to Lawrence Plaza. The promenade wasn't part of the bond issue and may be built with private money. The cost is estimated at $11 million, Wright said.

The parking lot is just steps southwest of the park near the business Oven and Tap south of Southeast Second Street and just west of Southeast A Street.

The commons will allow for a dedicated event area suited for activities such as a farmers market, Friday night movies and musical performances, according to the city.

The swap concept will go before the Parks and Recreation Board for discussion at 5 p.m. Monday, Wright said.

"This is why we are having the discussion. If the community says this is a bad idea, I don't have a problem with that," he said. "We are gauging the temperature and asking, what are your thoughts?

"We at the Parks and Recreation Department do not have an opinion on this one way or the other."

A renaming also would need be considered if the swap happens, Wright said. Instead of Dave Peel Park and the commons perhaps the two areas could be called Dave Peel Plaza or Dave Peel Park, he said.

Peel was elected mayor in 1932 and also was chairman of the School Board. He served as mayor until 1943. He also is credited with founding the American Legion Club and the Rotary Club in the city, according to a 1977 story in the Benton County Democrat.

Wright said it's important to tell Peel's story, to be cognizant of how important the park is to residents and also to be respectful to those who started a playground and later banded together to buy the land in the 1970s.

A family in California owned the property and let the city put in a playground, Wright said. The family later planned to sell the land to the U.S. Postal Service, but said if residents could match the asking price the land would go to them, he said.

Residents raised $32,000, and the city kicked in the other needed $4,000, Wright told the council.

Councilwoman Cindy Acree favors keeping the park where it is. She said part of the ambiance of the park is its historic flavor. The lack of tall buildings nearby appeals to her, she said. Parents and grandparents take their kids to the park to enjoy the serenity and ability to roam, she said.

"Flipping the park to a new location is a politically correct way to say we do not like the park, and we are going to create a new one to better fit the new downtown design," she said. "We already see some of that mentality with the replacement of traditional play equipment with the new, modern plastic. Keeping it where it is preserves that open-air feel.

"We will lose so much of that anyway with the development of downtown as it grows. Some things need to be left alone. It is a good location for a park now and will be very special if it remains in its current location with a much needed makeover."

The Quilt of Parks project and the A Street Promenade will be transformational for downtown, Councilman Chris Sooter said. The project will drive economic development, he said.

Dave Peel Park is part of the heritage and fabric of Bentonville, Sooter said. It's because of the dedicated residents and the City Council in the 1970s the city has that parks land in the downtown area.

"While we are developing the plan for the Quilt of Parks, it is important to respect our heritage and at the same time embrace our exciting future, and the land where Dave Peel Park is today will remain a dedicated green space for our downtown area, whether or not the playground is enhanced or expanded to an adjacent piece of property," he said.

In the summer 2016, the Dave Peel Park location was added to Benton County's feasibility study concerning sites for a new courts building. The idea never gained traction.

"I can't quote specifics, but I do recall learning through that process that the park was a very popular park with the citizens and it did strike a nerve, so it was dropped as a consideration," Benton County Justice of the Peace Tom Allen of Rogers said.

The county is building a $3.1 million, 5,500-square-foot expansion to the historic courthouse.

Downtown has become the epicenter for public events and festivals such as first Friday, farmers market, Bentonville Film Festival and Bentonville Half Marathon, according to the city.

Downtown parking is a concern, but two parking decks are under construction and a third will start later this year, Wright said. The city wouldn't break ground on the commons until the third structure is finished, he said. Work could start on the two park projects in late 2022, he said.

Other Quilt of Parks projects that need to funded and built include improvements to the downtown square, Town Branch area and the Bentonville Green, Wright said. It will take seven to 10 years to get all the amenities built, he said.

The idea is to connect the downtown public spaces, hence the name Quilt of Parks, Wright said.