GRAVETTE -- Voters in Gravette will decide a sales tax question in the March 1 election that could pay for improvements to roads and sewer, sidewalks and parks. Gravette voters will decide whether to renew a three-fourths-cent sales tax.
Gravette Mayor Kurt Maddox noted his town will have three exits when the Bella Vista Bypass is finished.
"We will definitely have growth," Maddox said. "How we manage that is the big thing we have to figure out."
Gravette is a town where people know each other, he said. The city plans to spend the tax money on parks and connecting sidewalks. Those amenities will keep the family atmosphere by making it easier for neighbors to stay in touch either by walking to a friend's home or visiting in a city park, he said.
Maddox hopes to draw more families to Gravette.
"If you don't design for what people are looking for, then you will only get what's left over," he said.
The city was paying off sewer bonds from a 2009 election early, probably by the end of January, said Patrick Hall, business director.
The Gravette question is divided into four parts. Voters are asked to approve $1.6 million for streets, $2.25 million for parks and recreation, $750,000 for sewer improvements and $1.65 million for sidewalks. Costs to the city for the $6.25 million bond mean $5.42 million in improvements, Hall said.
Gravette displayed park plans at a public forum Jan. 14. Drawings depicted a sidewalk connecting schools, downtown and ball fields in Pop Allum Park. Plans included a farmers' market pavilion and a dog park, more ball fields, a splash pad near the pool and a park in Hiwasse, annexed by Gravette in 2012.
The Hiwasse annexation added about 5,000 acres to the city. Another voluntary annexation of 1,000 acres closed the gap between Gravette and Bella Vista in the past year. City officials said they cut property taxes by one-fourth of a mill, but the annexation kept property tax income about the same.
Community members asked for a timeline on projects and some asked about more sewer improvements and when the city's 24 miles of dirt roads will be all paved.
Ashley Harris of Hiwasse said she looks forward to taking her children to a local park instead of driving to Bella Vista.
"I'm most excited about the trails. I'd like to see it all link up," Harris said.
The day after the forum, Walmart announced plans to close its store in town. That scared people a little, but Walmart hasn't been a critical part of sales tax for the last year, Hall said. Groceries sold in Gravette amount to less than 1 percent of the total sales tax, Hall said. There is a Dollar General in town, a hardware store, two drug stores, restaurants and gas stations.
Troy Blankenship of Hiwasse said he hadn't decided whether to vote for the tax. The ideas weren't bad, but he said he wanted more information and to see the city extending sewer toward the bypass to invite more business to the community.
"We need to be thinking about that now," Blankenship said.
There are sewer improvements planned in Gravette. Most of the city's sewer infrastructure is from about 1960, Hall said. He said Birmingham, El Paso and Irving streets are on the short list for improvements. Priority paving projects include Gordon Hollow Road and North Mount Pleasant in Hiwasse.
Devoting all of the bond proceeds toward sewer projects wouldn't get lines to the bypass, Hall said.
General News on 02/10/2016