The Fort Smith Parks Board met on May 14, 2026, to review ongoing and upcoming park projects, address maintenance challenges, and discuss trail connectivity issues. Key items included completion of Woodlawn Park Phase II, unexpected discoveries at Creekmore Park tennis courts, a new shade structure at the Riverfront Skate and Bike Park, and a critical decision to use shareows for the May Branch Greenway Phase 1B after railroad negotiations stalled.
So we'll get started with our main parks and break meeting. Appreciate everybody making it. First thing we have is our March uh meeting minutes to approve. Somebody's making a motion. Oh, did someone? No, okay. Let's move. I moved to approve the minutes from the RP. Alright. So motion is a second. All in favor say aye. I was gonna say one thing. I know Sam emailed everyone, but Sean emailed me and she had a family emergency and had to go out of state. So that's why she's in our here. We have more, right? Okay. Alright, well, let's just jump right into it. Project updates. There we go. Woodlawn park improvements phase two. Last time we were here, we showed you some really wet pictures. We hadn't had any of the turf laid. Unfortunately, these were taken today, so it's not as pretty as it normally is because we have a lot of leaves and limbs and everything in there, but it's getting cleaned out. That's what happens when you have random stores. There's always cleanup, but nothing dangerous. And then I did pick this picture specifically because you can see the seat wall that we integrated there with some shade. So if toddlers are on that area and the bigger kids are on the splash pad, mommy can still, mommy daddy grandparent can still see them both. But kids are already on that, enjoying it. We have actually a gentleman from Hillcrest took his little green kids out there all the way out there, and he really really enjoyed it. So good project all around improvements to that park are complete. So to date, we've done splash pad, restroom, new basketball court to address some drainage, drainage issues, brand new equipment for older kids and infants. So pretty much a complete park improvement. Down the road, we'll probably address like the small sidewalk that's around the uh park, but that's off into the future and not a big priority right now. Good job. Very good. And if you want to know, it is possible for an adult to play in that uncomfortably, uncomfortably. I wanted to see what was in it, okay. Yeah, well, there's there's a fireman's cave. There's how do you what all you need to put out a fire? There's all sorts of stuff, farmers market stuff in there. Wow, it's really great. Should have taken pictures while I was in there, but I didn't. Y'all are welcome to go get your own pictures because I'm not going back. We're been cutting. I think we do need to have one. Oh, I didn't get a picture. I've only showed y'all in a rendering, but I don't have this. The fire station side is over there. It has mud, the dog that was at fire station six. That's the dog, the fire station dog that passed away.