GENTRY -- Springtown has withdrawn its application for an Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism grant to build a walking trail on the west side of town, according to letters obtained by the Eagle Observer on Monday.
According to draft minutes of the Jan. 9 Springtown council meeting, no update was available on the proposed walking trail; but a Jan. 24 letter to the Department of Parks and Tourism obtained by the Eagle Observer and signed by Springtown's new mayor, Preston Barrett, asks that the grant application approved by a previous council be withdrawn.
The letter, addressed to John Beneke, director of the state agency, and signed by Barrett, states: "There has been concern expressed by the community here in Springtown with regards to the proposed walking trail. Back in June and July 2014, a petition circulated in town that acquired the signatures of many property owners and registered voters who opposed the creation of a walking trail. I was elected to represent my constituents and therefore request that the application applying for the Trails for Life Grant Program be withdrawn."
The town council on Oct. 10, 2014, approved a resolution to seek grant funding to build a portion of a proposed walking trail -- from near the Arkansas Highway 12 bridge over Flint Creek to the Aubrey Long Road Bridge -- and to enter in an agreement with Cassie Elliott of Visionary Milestones to prepare the grant application and administer the grant if it is awarded.
Easements were 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, Paul Lemke, Springtown's former mayor, said Aug. 8. John Wasson provided a letter of commitment to provide the needed easements, Lemke said.
A second letter, from Beneke to Barrett and dated Jan. 30, acknowledges the withdrawal request and offers answers to questions should the town apply for assistance in the future.
A call to Springtown for Mayor Barrett for comment was not returned by press time Tuesday.
General News on 02/04/2015