Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting - September 11, 2025
Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting - September 11, 2025
The Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Commission convened on September 11, 2025 (the agenda listed September 10, 2025 at 12:00 pm). The primary agenda items included a detailed review of the FY26-FY30 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), updates on numerous ongoing park projects, and public comment. The Commission unanimously approved the minutes from the previous meeting.
Consent Calendar
- The Commission unanimously approved the minutes from the June 11, 2025 meeting.
FY26-FY30 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Review
- Overview: Parks staff presented the Five-Year CIP, asking the Commission to focus primarily on the FY2026 budget. Staff noted that reserves are lower than in recent years due to substantial project completions.
- Maybranch Greenway: The $5.1 million FY2026 allocation is heavily offset by $3.5 million in anticipated grants. Staff reported the National Parks Service grant process has stalled and that the City is working with state representatives to resolve the reimbursement issue.
- Tennis Court Resurfacing: A $1 million project for Creekmore Park was reviewed, featuring a concrete overlay for the bottom four courts and resurfacing the top four. The City has applied for a $893,600 CAGP grant requiring a $223,400 match. Staff stated the project is critical regardless of the grant outcome.
- John Bell, Jr. Park: Phase III improvements were pushed to FY2028-2029. Staff expressed disappointment over the delay. Two soccer leagues and a rugby league have expressed interest in leasing the fields.
- Tilles Park Parking Lot: A new $250,000 line item for FY2026 was added to address severe deterioration caused by increased park traffic.
- Outdoor Shade Structures: A $75,000 project for a shade structure at the Riverfront Skate and Bike Park is planned for FY2026, with major pavilion replacements at Carol Ann Cross Park and Harley A. Wilson Park in FY2027.
- Neighborhood Parks: The CIP prioritizes the Spradling Park trail ($375,000) and the Riley Farm Park bridge replacement ($410,000). Staff strongly recommended against further delays on the Riley Farm Park project.
- Cisterna Park Pumphouse: Bids came in significantly over budget ($225,000 to $422,000). A value-engineering redesign is in progress before rebidding.
- Citywide Restrooms: A restroom renovation at Spradling Park ($50,000) is in FY2026, and a Portland Loo at the Farmers Market ($250,000) is proposed for FY2027.
- Acme Property: A placeholder remains in the CIP for future development of the property.
Project Updates
- Tilles Park Inclusive Playground: The playground has opened silently. It features a Quantas infinity structure and a Hedra toddler area. Fencing for the toddler area is nearly complete. Staff noted it is one of less than ten parks featuring this Quantas model.
- Creekmore Park Bathhouse & Enclosure: The renovated bathhouse and diving well enclosure are fully complete. Staff reported the project received extremely positive community feedback, particularly during swim meets.
- Creekmore Park Parking Lot Phase II: Completed $1,000 under budget. The project included new curb and gutter, ADA improvements, and drainage solutions for the miniature golf course.
- Oak Cemetery Retaining Wall: Completed within budget through an alternative sloped wall design.
- Hillcrest Park Improvements: A design revision was submitted to accommodate community requests.
- Maybranch Greenway Phase IB: A meeting with the railroad is scheduled for September 25. Plans are being updated per ArDOT comments.
- Cisterna Park Pumphouse: Undergoing redesign due to high initial bids.
- Staff Highlight: Parks operator Karina Ortega obtained her Commercial Driver's License.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Park Partners announced their board has approved a contribution of $250,000 for Maybranch Greenway Phase 2 and $100,000 for Phase 3.
Commission and Staff Comments
- Staff reported the Play Day event in August served over 800 hot dogs and was attended by approximately 1,000 people.
- The new miniature golf operation was deemed a success, and options for holiday and private party openings are being explored.
- Splash pads will remain open through September, with a potential mid-to-late October closure depending on weather.
- Staff noted that the train at Creekmore Park and the miniature golf course were heavily utilized throughout the summer.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes Approved: The June 11, 2025 minutes were unanimously approved.
- CIP Advanced: The Commission reviewed the FY26-FY30 CIP. The plan is scheduled for presentation at a Board of Directors study session on October 28, 2025.
- Grant Pursuits: The Commission was briefed on efforts to unblock the NPS ORLP grant for Maybranch Greenway and on the CAGP application for tennis court resurfacing.
- Private Partnerships: Significant private funding was acknowledged, including commitments from Park Partners and in-kind contributions from ID Logistics and Graphic Packaging.
- Next Steps: Staff will continue grant management, rebid the Cisterna Park pumphouse, finalize the Creekmore Park tennis court design, and develop lease agreement language for John Bell, Jr. Park fields.
Meeting Transcript
We have a poor. We'll go ahead and get started. Thank you all for attending the September parts of Rio. First one of the appreciate that. So uh we'll just get started with uh the June minutes. It's been a while. We took a look at that. I'll entertain a motion. Okay. We'll go to second. Everybody's got to do second. All right. Any other discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. Got that. Alright. Let's jump in. The vote's the capital improvement. This is very tiny up there, but you have a printout in front of you. You'll see really, I mean, kind of in years past, we really focus on next year because those of us who've been on this commission have been around 2027 and on, it is very fluid, it changes. So really what we would request the commission to focus on is next year's. And I can tell you everything in the estimated 2025 column that will be out the door spent. So we've made a lot of progress, and I think in years past, this year's gonna be eye-opening for some because they're used to us having huge reserves, huge carry forwards, and we don't have that because we finally made a lot of progress, and I think citizens see that. So in the past, there's kind of been a lot of money that just gets moved around and it's there, but no longer have that, but and it is for very good reasons. This money is here to spend, not to sit in the account and collect interest. So the biggest expense is it's okay with y'all. 2025 really will be in project updates, so I'll just save it for that. And there's not many line items in 2026. So if it's okay with you all, I'll just go line by line and kind of explain that. Okay. Alright, so the biggest one is May Branch Greenway. And I know that 5.1 million dollar number, that looks like a lot of money, but on the back page of the grants and revenues that you'll see, we have three almost 3.5 million dollars of that is funded by grants, so it looks like a big number, but it's not really that much whenever you think of just our 1-8 cent sales and use tax. And we are working with the city's government relations manager on that. You know, we made a lot of progress on that ORLP grant with National Park Service. They've kind of gone dormant, I think I would say, so we're calling in our state senators to get that ball rolling again. We had a Chris, you've been here in Madeline. We had to do that the first time and got a lot of movement, so we're doing that now and very proactive in that because we're ready for reimbursement. Okay, so are we just not hearing from them or getting some pushback? It we heard from them, and then whenever we said, hey, we've supplied you all of the information. Where are we on being able to submit a reimbursement? Because we phase one a all of that we can get our 50% cost share back, but nothing. And we tried three times and nothing. So we're going to Bozeman's office, gonna work with them. He was successful in the past, but that's where we are because we don't want to sit there and keep saying, Well, we haven't heard from them, we haven't heard from them. No, let's move. We have a lot of momentum going. We don't want to stop just because of your office, pretty much.
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