Fort Smith Parks Commission Meeting – December 4, 2026
Fort Smith Parks Commission Meeting – December 4, 2026
The Fort Smith Parks Commission held a regular meeting on December 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The meeting included an annual report from the West Arkansas Tennis Association (WATA), a discussion on Creekmore Park mini golf private party fees, updates on capital projects, and a preview of the upcoming public input session for the ACME property master plan. Commissioners also reviewed recent park events and budget constraints affecting future programming.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of October 2026 Minutes: Motion and second carried unanimously to approve the minutes from the previous meeting.
Annual Report from West Arkansas Tennis Association (WATA)
- Presenter: Doug Ross, Executive Director, WATA.
- Program Highlights: WATA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on developing and promoting tennis in western Arkansas. In the past year:
- Approximately 1,000 participants in USTA adult leagues.
- Roughly 14 local tournaments/mixed socials with over 600 participants.
- Almost 1,500 individuals received private instruction, clinics, and camps at Creekmore Courts.
- Nearly 350 youth participated in junior team tennis.
- Hosted the 2A High School tennis tournament at Creekmore.
- Raised nearly $6,000 in charitable donations for organizations including Ronald McDonald House, Project Compassion, and the Mental Health Awareness Council.
- 88 third graders attended the after-school play day after months of practice.
- Facility improvements included net replacement, landscaping, and rebuilding bulletin boards.
- Creekmore Tennis Court Renovation: The resurfacing/overlay project is ready for bid, but WATA is waiting on a grant decision (over $750,000 applied for) expected by end of year. Plans call for resurfacing the top four courts first, then a concrete overlay on the bottom courts, with drainage improvements (a swale between bleachers). Discussion included the possibility of adding blended lines for red-ball youth tennis, which is a USTA standard. Ross expressed confidence in city support, stating WATA’s facility partnership is among the best in the country.
Creekmore Mini Golf Private Party Fees – Policy Discussion
- Staff Recommendation: Adopt a $250 fee for private parties held before or after normal operating hours (2-hour block). No private parties during regular operating hours to avoid public confusion and staffing challenges.
- Discussion Highlights:
- Normal operating hours: Mon–Thu 12–6, Fri 12–7, Sat 12–8, Sun 1–5.
- Three or four requests for private parties were received during the season, but no fee existed.
- Staff strongly opposed closing during operating hours due to past negative public reaction at Park at West End.
- A $50 deposit was proposed, consistent with other rental fees except the glass pavilion ($200).
- Staff noted that a room rental is available separately; no coordination with party bookings is required.
- Motion: To approve private party rentals only before or after normal operating hours at $250 for two hours, with $50 deposit. Motion passed unanimously (voice vote).
Capital Project Updates
- Hillcrest Playground: Playground equipment is complete; orange fencing remains until contractor cleanup finishes. Remaining work includes electrical and a new water fountain, scheduled for late winter/early spring. Commissioner noted extensive neighborhood input on equipment color and bench placement.
- ORLP/LWCF Grant: Met with Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism; reimbursement for Phase 1A is expected soon after federal turnover. Progress is positive.
- May Ranch Greenway Phase 1B: Met with Fort Smith Railroad and Union Pacific; no objections to the crossing. Design coordination ongoing; other railroads to follow.
- Creekmore Tennis Courts (CIP): Capital improvement plan approved as presented. Shade structure options ($75,000 budget) to be reviewed; commissioner expressed concern about fabric vandalism, staff will explore alternatives.
- Department Maintenance:
- Train: Hydraulic lines, motors, motor mounts, and weather stripping replaced; train now runs quieter and more smoothly.
- Holiday light stake trailer: Being built to accommodate larger stakes; split into two trailers to avoid axle issues.
- Playground power washing: Mildew removed to improve appearance and safety.
- Picnic pavilions: Scraping and repainting planned for spring.
- New equipment operator Michael Croney: Starting CDL training in January; previously in property management; praised for dedication.
- Drop-offs at Caroline Park (circle drive and fishing dock area) repaired with asphalt melons.
Public Comments
- No public comments from citizens during the meeting.
Commissioner and Staff Reports
- ACME Property Master Plan Public Meeting: RDG (planning firm) and city staff are hosting a community open house on Tuesday, December 16, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:30 PM. Three conceptual options will be presented: (1) stormwater mitigation only, (2) recreation amenities driven by steering committee, (3) a hybrid including potential commercial/private development. The city has no preconceived outcome; input will guide next steps. An online social pinpoint tool will go live for virtual feedback. Stakeholder meetings (military, schools, developers, tourism) will occur during the day. Results will be presented to the Board of Directors on January 13, 2027, and then to the Parks Commission.
- Budget & Events:
- Pancakes with the Grinch event: Approximately 800–1,000 pancakes served; free to public; successful volunteer effort.
- Halloween Train Express: Gave out 620 hot dogs in under 30 minutes; high attendance.
- Budget Cuts: Due to an additional 10% cut from the initial budget, staff proposed eliminating the Father-Daughter Dance (cost approx. $5,000) and Kids in the Kitchen program. Both require paid participation or limited attendance; free community events were prioritized. Commissioners noted potential for sponsorships.
- Contract Awards:
- Moward Median contract rebid: Savings of about $20,000; maintenance will be done in-house.
- Outdoor Restroom cleaning contract: Awarded to Clean Slate Services (new company employing individuals with difficult backgrounds), starting January 1, 2027; cost is $10,000 more than previous contract but staff confident in performance.
- Train Update: The diesel train (“Old Faithful”) is running reliably after overhaul. The electric train is not operational due to battery issues; staff are evaluating whether to convert it or retire it. The steam train remains on display at the Trolley Museum; restoration costs were prohibitive.
- Thank You: Commissioners and staff expressed gratitude for volunteer support, especially from Northside High School students and local organizations.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes from October 2026 meeting.
- Approved Creekmore mini golf private party fee policy: $250 for 2-hour rental before or after operating hours, $50 deposit; no private parties during regular hours.
- Met with railroads; greenway Phase 1B moving forward.
- Tennis court grant decision pending; project ready to bid upon grant notification.
- Staff will explore shade structure options and report back.
- Announced ACME property public input meeting on December 16, 2026.
- Acknowledged budget cuts to Father-Daughter Dance and Kids in the Kitchen; commissioners encouraged seeking sponsorships.
- Awarded outdoor restroom cleaning contract to Clean Slate Services.
- Staff to continue evaluating electric train viability.
Meeting Transcript
Alright, I'm going to get started. What we want to do with December. Parks are right meeting. Appreciate all you do. And the staff or just a little appreciation we showed them. So yeah, thank you for all they do. So let's just jump in. I'll have the approval minutes from the previous meeting for October. If I had a two stick with those. Yes. I'm sorry. Alright, we got a motion, then a second on that. All favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed. Suppose one approved. We got is an annual port from Wada. Okay. Oh man. Right up here. You want me to stand here, stand up there wherever you want. Wherever you want. I don't know if you have a point at anything on that. Um not really. I'll stand over here. You can walk around if you want to. Anyway, yeah, thank you so much for letting us come and uh talk to you guys. Uh I met a lot of you last year, but I'm Doug Ross, executive director for West Arkansas Tennis Association. And we have a little bit of our fan club here today. We have our some of our board members, our tennis pro over there. But anyway, yeah, we appreciate the partnership we have with you guys to be able to manage Creek Moore tennis courts, and it's just a pleasure, and I'm glad to be here just to give you a little bit quick recap of the year and everything else. So next slide. I I think most of you were here last year. Um, and this is just a recap in case you don't know what Wada is all about. I'm not gonna go through kind of all the word salad there, but you know, we're a nonprofit 5013 that just has a mission of developing and promoting tennis growth in western Arkansas. And we do this, like I said, we manage the courts here and provide you know a basically a wonderful experience for anybody that comes to Creekmore courts to play tennis. We do tournament, socials, mixers, camp slinks, and especially a lot of private uh instruction for people that want to you know prove playing tennis. We work closely with all the schools. There's big elementary school, third grade program that we do out here, as well as like North Side is the home uh school practice and place matches here at uh Creekmoor Park. And then we do a lot of neat community outreach programs with the FCI youth camp and uh community connections is a great program because they work with uh wheelchair and uh adaptability uh usually kids but sometimes adults, but we also programs where they can get out and learn to kind of socialize with motor skills and just a neat chance for them to experience the game of tennis. And then also we do several tournaments in which we partner with local charities such as Ronald McDonald House, Project Compassion, West Darks of LA, uh Mental Health Awareness Council, and Don Reynolds. So we try and give back with a lot of our tournament funds that we raise. So next slide. And I'll just with the circle there, I'll start in the top left. The UST adult leagues. We had close to a thousand participants this year, and those are basically USDA run programs, usually in a team format of men's and women's doubles or mixed doubles different ways, but it's a very organized league, and again, just excited to have almost a thousand people participate. To the right of that uh tournaments, we had roughly 14 local tournaments or mixed socials and had uh over 600 people participate in those, so that was uh pretty exciting. The bottom right, uh here's where we do so much over here at Creekmore with the private instruction between just individual lessons clinics and uh a few camps and stuff. We had almost 1,500 people that came over and you know learn get better at tennis here. So pretty awesome there.
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