GOSHEN -- The city officially opened the first phase of Mill Branch Park on Friday after two years of planning and work.
"Our citizens have really been clamoring for a place to exercise, to walk and bike and to enjoy being outdoors, that's close by so they don't have to go to Fayetteville or Springdale," Ken Smith, chairman of the city's Parks and Recreation Commission, said Thursday.
The city held a ribbon-cutting for the new park Friday evening. The park is east of Goshen along Arkansas 45 at 409 E. Bowen Blvd.
Smith said the city reached a lease-purchase agreement on the 104 acres about two years ago and has already paid for 30 acres. He expects to complete the full purchase in the next three years. The city agreed to pay Bob Daugherty about $12,000 an acre for the land, Smith said.
The city has been working with volunteers and with groups interested in preservation of the natural habitat and the history of the area to develop a master plan for the park, Smith said.
A survey by the Arkansas Archaeology Survey indicated that the area was suitable for human habitation as long as 13,000 years ago. The first recorded European settlement of the area was by the Dutton family in 1859. Since that time, the land has been used for vegetable farming, apple orchards and raising sheep, cattle and chickens.
Mayor Max Poye said the land was essentially vacant when the city began the process of buying it. He said the city has trails in place now.
"There was one old chicken house, a huge chicken house, that had to be torn down and removed," Poye said. "There were a couple of small barns, and they're gone."
Smith said the park development is proceeding with the help of many volunteers. He said two local Boy Scout troops have already completed projects in the park.
"One of the scout projects was done by Eagle Scout Eli Wetzel and Troop 102," Smith said. "They planted native trees and wildflowers near a kiosk in the parking area. Another was done by Eagle Scout Ty Mitchell and Troop 460. They worked on restoring an area of stream bank that had been eroded by cattle."
Smith said local schools and even the University of Arkansas have expressed interest in assisting with the development of the park and using it for outdoor science education projects. The Beaver Watershed Alliance has developed a plan for the park, which will eventually include a "tree trail" with signs identifying the more than 30 different varieties of native trees, as well as wildflowers and other native plants. Other information will detail the wildlife in the area.
The Beaver Water District is also working with the city on plans for the development of the park, including informational signs and other educational materials about the local ecosystems. Water entering Mill Branch Creek flows into Richland Creek, joins the White River and eventually flows into Beaver Lake.
"We consider that creek as being very important as one of the headwaters of Beaver Lake," Trish Ouei, public affairs director for the Beaver Water District, said Thursday.
Mary Smith (from right), a volunteer and resident of Goshen, speaks Friday with brothers Danny Dutton, Jerry Dutton and Jim Dutton, all descendants of the first known resident of Goshen, during a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the park in Goshen. The 104-acre park is the product of two years of work, largely on the part of volunteers and the city’s parks commission and is home to the original 1859 homestead of the first known European settlers in the area as well as many diverse natural features. Visit nwaonline.com/220903Daily/ for today’s photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Ken Smith (second from left), chairman of the Goshen Parks and Recreation Commission, answers questions Friday for U.S. Rep. Steve Womack as Ron Russell (left), an adjacent landowner, and Mayor Max Poye (right) listen during a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for Mill Branch Park at the town’s community center in Goshen. The 104-acre park is the product of two years of work, largely on the part of volunteers and the city’s parks commission and is home to the original 1859 homestead of the first known European settlers in the area as well as many diverse natural features. Visit nwaonline.com/220903Daily/ for today’s photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Ken Smith (center), chairman of the Goshen Parks and Recreation Commission, answers questions Friday for U.S. Rep. Steve Womack as Ron Russell (left) and Mayor Max Poye (right) listen during a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for Mill Branch Park at the community center in Goshen. The 104-acre park is the product of two years of work, largely on the part of volunteers and the city’s parks commission and is home to the original 1859 homestead of the first known European settlers in the area as well as many diverse natural features. Visit nwaonline.com/220903Daily/ for today’s photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Ken Smith (second from left), chairman of the Goshen Parks and Recreation Commission, speaks Friday during a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the park in Goshen. The 104-acre park is the product of two years of work, largely on the part of volunteers and the city’s parks commission and is home to the original 1859 homestead of the first known European settlers in the area as well as many diverse natural features. Visit nwaonline.com/220903Daily/ for today’s photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)