SPRINGTOWN -- A vision for a walking and cycling trail in Springtown has led to controversy, but the mayor is hopeful that once all the facts are known the town's residents will unite behind the plan. A special town meeting will be held Thursday to share information with town residents and town neighbors about the plan.
On Friday, Paul Lemke, Springtown's mayor, laid out the trail plan to Misty Murphy, regional trails coordinator for the Northwest Arkansas Council. She, along with Guy Headland of the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, will provide information to the public at the Thursday meeting.
The proposed trail will run along the old highway bed, starting just east of the Arkansas Highway 12 bridge over Flint Creek, and follow the old highway bed to Main Street in Springtown, continue east on a proposed sidewalk along Main, cross the new Aubrey Long Road bridge and follow the creek back to the west and then north along the north branch of Flint Creek. Total length of the trail is 1.24 miles, according to Lemke.
Easements are promised by John Wasson, owner of land to the west of Main Street, and the city owns or already has easements on the balance of the proposed trail, Lemke said. John Wasson has provided a letter of commitment to provide the needed easements, Lemke said.
"There would be no acquisition costs," Lemke said. "All the land is either city owned or we have easements," he added. Having the trail entirely within the town's corporate limits and under the auspices of the town would have the advantage of tort immunity, Lemke explained.
If completed, the trail would pass through wooded area adjacent to Flint Creek, along the edge of a hay field, past the historic Wasson home dating back to the 1800s, through town and past the city park, across the creek and along the creek bed. Should grant funding be available, Lemke proposes paving the trail with asphalt or concrete to make it handicap accessible.
The trail is currently staked out and roughly mowed but remains littered with tree branches and undergrowth.
The trail would have great value because of the proximity to Flint Creek and the plants and animals there, as well as historical value because of the Trail of Tears and Civil War roads which followed the creek, Lemke explained. Springtown and the creek are also significant in Gentry's history since many of the businesses which moved to Gentry with the coming of the railroad had their beginnings in Springtown.
According to Lemke, the trail would be only a plus for Springtown because Springtown and area residents would reap the benefits of having a walking trail for exercise and time in the outdoors and the cost to build it would not be coming out of the town's budget for streets and alleys. Lemke proposes obtaining some preliminary engineering for plans and applying for grants to complete the trail.
But even though the town council voted 5-0 to proceed with plans and begin to seek grant funding, a petition signed by 24 area residents -- five of them have since withdrawn their signatures, according to Lemke, and not all signers are voting residents of the town -- has put things on hold in the hope that information provided Thursday will alleviate concerns and unite area residents behind the plan.
"I don't want to divide the town," Lemke said, explaining that the majority of petition signers live along Main Street. Lemke said he was holding off to answer concerns and get the whole town behind the plan.
Objections to the plan centered around current abuses of Flint Creek and disrespect for private property. Among the concerns was littering and dumping of trash along the creek, broken glass and trash left behind after visiting the creek, four-wheelers and vehicles in the creek and damaging creek banks, partying and carousing along the creek, trespassing and damage to private property and concern that the city has not followed proper environmental practices to preserve the creek and its habitat.
After reading the concerns, Murphy said the trail would likely reduce the abuses cited in the petition because there would be more concerned eyes on the creek and surrounding properties who would report littering, trash dumping and activities which would damage the creek or adjacent properties. She mentioned other trails where similar problems were resolved by the existence of the trail and its public use.
Lemke suggested a number of areas in and around Springtown which might be concerns of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality -- areas he said he would like to see cleaned up, possibly through a Brownfield assistance grant.
A town meeting regarding the proposed walking trail is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the town hall, 12055 Wasson Rd., Springtown. The meeting will begin with presentations on the proposed walking trail and then open up for questions and answers.
General News on 08/13/2014