Council approval to be sought

Plans to create new Gentry nature area discussed by parks commission

— Members of the city’s parks commission, on Monday, again discussed plans for the use of city-owned property along Flint Creek, near Arkansas Highway 59, as a natural recreation area.

Some preliminary plan ideas were presented by landscape designer Matthew Parks to make the two ponds usable for fishing and to include a number of trails,parking, picnic areas and possibly a nature education area.

Chamber of Commerce director Bev Saunders told commission members that Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologist Ron Moore was excited about the city’s plans and said the AGFC would stock fish if the area were cleaned up and ponds made accessible to the public and deep enough to sustain fish.

Moore said the existing ponds were too shallow and suggestedthe possibility of dredging them to make portions of the ponds 8-feet deep if that could be done without making the ponds leak. He suggested consulting with an engineer or someone familiar with building ponds in the area as a first step. He also suggested consulting with Dave Evans of the AGFC regarding use of the area along Flint Creek itself. Evans is an expert on stream bed preservation and restoration.

Evans, Saunders said, was coming to look at the area on Feb. 3.

Commission member Mike Parks suggested planning the area to be as maintenance free as possible for the city.

Volunteer labor was suggested to clean up the land, and the rest of the work could be paid for with grant funds as they become available, Saunders said.

The commission is recommending that the council, at its February meeting, adopt a resolution to move forward with plans by applying for a grant to begin work on the nature area.

A number of grant options may be available to the city to help with the project, Saunders said.

The council can apply for a $100,000 grant through the Wildlife Recreation Facilities Grant Program, Saunders said. Applications for the current grant cycle must be submitted by March 19. The grant would not require matching funds from the city.

The objective of the Wildlife Recreation Facilities Grant Program is to ignite interest in the natural, cultural, scenic beauty, fish, wildlife and other natural resources of Arkansas and to promote economic development in a healthy and environmentally-sound manner, according the Arkansas Department of Rural Services Web site.

Up to $100,000 in grant money toward a single project is available, with a total of $500,000 available per fiscal year.

Incorporated cities and towns and unincorporated communities in rural areas of less than 20,000 in population (verifiable by current U.S. Census Information) are eligible to apply for assistance through the Wildlife Recreation Facilities Grant Program.

Eligible projects include but are not limited to the construction or renovation of the following facilities: community fishing ponds; firing ranges; fishing access piers; archery ranges; fish cleaning stations; canoe or boat launches; and observation platforms and blinds.

Costs eligible for grant funding include, but are not limited to: materials for construction; labor directly related to the construction of the proposed project; interpretive or directional signage directly related to the proposed project; design fees; parking, sidewalks, and other accessconstruction directly related to the proposed project.

“We can proceed at no cost to the city,” Saunders said, offering to write the grant application herself with the help of Winrock International. “It will cost us nothing if we don’t get the grant, but we could getup to $100,000 if we get 100 percent of the grant funding,” she said.

Other grants, some of them 100 percent funded and not requiring matching funding from the city, could also be applied for to complete other portions of the nature area.

Council members had suggested the city property be turned into a natural outdoor area for walking, picnicking and possibly fishing.

Gentry Chamber of Commerce director Bev Saunders, who made the city aware of the grant funding, suggested the nature area could be both a recreational area and a natural outdoor learning center.

Some commission members suggested calling it the Flint Creek Nature Area.

“This is great,” council member James Furgason said of the preliminary plans, “and the pay back on something like this is unbelievable.”

News, Pages 1 on 01/26/2011