By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
The Arkadelphia Board of Directors gave administration the go-ahead to proceed with construction drawings for the first phase of a long-promised city park.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Park at the northeast corner of 15th and Pine streets is now tentatively set for a ground breaking ceremony on MLK Day in 2026.
Funding for the 2.8-acre park will come from a $750,000 bank loan, and another quarter-million dollars from cash reserves and donations raised through the Clark County Community Foundation.
At a meeting held Tuesday, Sept. 2, directors gave administration the green light to proceed with a $125,500 task order for Halff Associates Inc. to prepare construction documents.
Park elements included in construction documents include: Parking for about 8 vehicles and 2 ADA spaces along North 15th Street; Entry signage; Playground; Play area shade structures; 2 half-court basketball courts; Hardscape and ADA paved walks to main program areas; Restroom (and its blueprints); Splash fountains and concrete steps for an outdoor education venue; Shade structure at splash fountains and playground; Retaining walls at upper terraced youth empowerment zone along Pine Street; Entry stairs and landscaping along Pine Street; Pedestrian lighting along pathways and features; Site furnishings; Phased plans for two separate construction periods, if needed for funding; Phase 1 rendering of the park.
The process will be broken down into three tasks — a kick-off meeting, construction documents, and opinions on probably constructions costs — with point checks at 60% and 100% of the drawings.
Rezoning properties
The rezoning of 44 acres of recently auctioned lands is on its way to being official. Directors passed the first of three readings to rezone four properties on W.P. Malone Road, from Badger Lane north to the city limits.
The ordinance got unanimous approval from the city’s Planning Commission during an August meeting.
Upon passage of the third and final reading, the properties will be rezoned from a Non-Urban District to Highway Commercial.
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Sanitation rates going up
In other business, the board OK’d minutes from its recent day-long retreat, where administration recommended a sanitation rate increase to help provide for funding needs. The current rates, established in 2011, have not been sufficient for the Sanitation Department’s rising costs of operations and capital needed to operate, Brinkley said.
During the retreat, the board approved a monthly rate increase of $1.75 and 10% for commercial and dump fees, and to reduce trash bag distribution to once a year instead of twice annually.
In a separate move at the retreat, the board approved a $93,760 purchase of a new trash compactor. The Sanitation Department said it would cost $41,000 to repair the equipment, which would cause about two weeks’ down time at the transfer station. The total replacement comes with an estimated one week of down time for the equipment.
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