BITS & PIECES: Park parking and the cost of fun

By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

Good news for those who frequent the new Barkadelphia Community Dog Park: During our interview with City Manager Gary Brinkley about the initiative to continue a 1-cent sales tax, we asked a few sideline questions. Among them was whether the city still plans to add parking spaces to the dog park. We’ve yet to take our beloved Ozzy for a romp around the park, but we have taken note and are glad to report — based on the numbers of pets and their humans we so often see there — that the dog park has been well received. The downside to all its use of late is that park-goers’ vehicles are beginning to leave a muddy mess in the grassy parking area along Mill Creek Drive, thanks to all the rain we’ve gotten of late. When the city announced official plans to erect the park, it pledged to add seven parking spaces. We were assured in our discussion with Mr. Brinkley that it will happen. We neglected to inquire when the pedestrian bridge over Mill Creek will be replaced with a paw-friendly (and ADA-compliant!) version.

We also asked how much the city budgets for its many community events throughout the year. Brinkley tells us the special events budget for 2024 includes operational expenses of $305,470 and capital expenses of $183,000, the latter of which, he tell us, will go mostly toward improvements to the Town Square venue. This is the lot between Town Hall and the Group Living Inc. headquarters, also commonly referred to as the Mural Parking Lot. The special events budget also includes the costs for the downtown banners that are changed out every season. Breaking down the pricing of events: some are receptions with coffee and light refreshments, ranging in cost from $50-$250. There are roughly 25 planned events each year. On the other end of the spectrum is the Arkadelphia Festival of the Arts, the two-day weekend event billed as the city’s largest festival. The city budgets up to $45,000 for this particular festival, which Brinkley says “in reality is an $80,000 event.” The city relies on sponsorships to absorb the remaining expenses.

Adios, los Arroyos.

The annual Perritt Primary Chili Supper and Art Show is slated for Thursday, Feb. 29, from 5-7 p.m. Purchase tickets through Perritt, Southern Bancorp or Citizens Bank.

We were among several victims of a recent rash of vehicle break-ins in which the thieves were targeting guns. We had two rifles stolen from our unlocked pickup, so perhaps we had it coming. Our hope is that the perpetrator is only preparing for a zombie apocalypse, and that when the split-second comes that a member of the walking dead zeroes in on our thief, our gun misfires as it did for us so many times. Rule #8: Thou shall not steal.

With no organized opposition to the Move Arkadelphia Forward tax continuation to speak to, we hope our readers find our reporting on the issue to be fair and informative.

This week last year we reported on the opening of Ouachita Valley Meats. CLICK HERE to read that story.

Ozzy the Chocolate Chihuaha says he’s unsure whether he loves or hates the testing of the sirens each Wednesday at noon in Arkadelphia, but we’re here to report his howl is darn cute.

We’re still on the fence about the legalization of marijuana as a recreational drug. The more we smell it — and that’s pretty often, these days — the less we think it’s a good idea. We get second-hand paranoia when we find ourselves walking through a waft of its odor in the aisles of a supermarket, fearing that others might suspect we’re the source of the smell.

Joel Phelps is publisher of arkadelphian.com. Opinions expressed in Bits & Pieces are his own. Reach him at editor@arkadelphian.com. “In Mexico, you know what they call Twinkies? ‘Los submarinos.’”