I hope that all of you make use of the Tucker Creek trail between Salem and Hogan. It's a great asset for runners, walkers, shortcutters, bikers, dog walkers (we are currently working on putting clean-up stations along the trail), strollers, etc.

It's current running length is approximately 1.5 miles. After some help from our city engineers, I found out this morning that if we extend the trail along Tucker Creek all the way to Tyler, we would be able to add another 1.75 miles. We would also have multiple access points (parking/potty/etc) along the trail. We hope that a major "trailhead" would be at the new Pompe Park at Prince along with Gatlin Park on Tyler.

I, for one, think it would be great to be able to do a down and back 10k and never leave the trail. Not to mention (why do people always say this before they mention something) the healthy and safe transportation a comprehensive trail system offers. I think the trail system is our best chance, as a city, of adopting a "parks lifestyle." The more we get out, get active and get involved the better off we are all going to be.

Speaking of getting involved....please email me at jljgates@gmail.com if you want to exercise your civic muscles and help us with this cause.

"Long way to go and a short time to get there..."

Thought that it might be necessary to give a sequence of events / timeline if we are to do a bond issue in time to get any construction done this year. It is possible that we could meet the following timeline. However, we would need some help and things to fall into place.

1. Work with the council to establish a scope of work. This includes the total dollar amount ($13.5+m is what we've been kicking around), and the projects we would work on (Former Fairgrounds, Softball Complex, New Fairgrounds, Trails).


2. The council would adopt a bond election ordinance setting the ballot title and date of the election.


3. 30-45 days later - ELECTION DAY!
   

If we were to schedule a special council meeting some time next week, we could possibly adopt an election ordinance on May 8th and hold an election on June 19th. That would be an ambitious schedule, but I would be willing to go forward with a great plan now rather than a *perfect plan later. I've got to remind everyone, that this effort cannot go forward without a lot of help from Conway's citizens. Specifically, those who know how inadequate our parks infrastructure is and are ready to do something about it.

Editor's note *there ain't no perfect plan

Ask not what your parks can do for you...

I am looking for a few good men and women to enlist in the cause. Basically anyone who feels that Conway does need more and better parks and is willing to help with the parks bond campaign. Everyone is eligible to help. Please forward the link www.conwayrunandplay.blogspot.com to anyone you think might be interested. I've been brainstorming on some natural partner organizations:

• Women Can Run


• Conway Youth Baseball


• Conway Youth Softball


• Boys and Girls Club

If you are in these organizations or know someone who is please email me at jljgates@gmail.com.

I look forward to plotting and scheming for the good of all things park with you.

WHY-BMA?, Cause its gonna be great.

OK. I'm a little leary of putting images out on the web that aren't quite ready for public consumption. However, these are especially exciting to look at. This is not a finished product and we have some proposed changes. But, hopefully the new baseball/parks facility at the former YBMA fairgrounds will look something like this.

The changes.

1. Boys and Girls Club is shown getting 2 acres. That's more than they need (I am on the board) We should probably reduce that to 2/3 of an acre.
2. The Boys and Girls Club will most likely move to the NE corner and the "signature" field will go to the NW corner. This will allow for a Robins Street entrance and some more greenspace.
3. The mayor has kind of a laundry list of other tweaking. Permeable parking surfaces that serve as greenspace or playspace, drop-off locations, sidewalk surrounding the park and plans to recapture the land under and around the watertower should it be relocated. (that may be in the works)

This plan should address our current recreational and competitive baseball needs. It also serves as a perfect home for the Boys and Girls Club. The price tag should be around $7m. We could pass a bond issue and do it now or we could wait 10-12 years.

This is a park to be proud of as opposed to the blighted facilities we have now. This is the park people expect to see when they come to a town like Conway. Let's give it to them. Let's give it to ourselves.

The Land that Time Forgot (and WalMart almost bought)

Spent the afternoon surveying the 20 acres of park land the city is in the process of buying at Prince and Morningside. (WalMart wanted this rezoned commercial. They said they only needed to "move" the creek) It is an amazing piece of property. There is not a better looking section of Tucker Creek. I want to do some research on a low impact route for the trail that takes full advantage of the natural assets. If anyone knows a good conservation resource let me know. The property has some nice open space for play along with some great woods for a real preserve type setting. I'm excited. I can't wait to go back when its not so humid.

Excuse my layout skills. I told you I was new at this.

Why Burgers? Why Now?

I think bonding the A and P prepared food or "burger tax" is the best way to pay for these improvements for a number of reasons.

1. A big part of the prepared food tax is paid by people who don't live in Conway but the parks are mainly for the benefit of those who do. I know that I eat out a ton (it shows, that's why I should Run and Play more) but when you go to the restaurants surrounding Conway Commons or close to the interstate, they are filled with folks from out of town or out of state. I prefer to use other citizens money to pay for our parks.


2. We can raise the money without raising the tax. By extending the second cent for the life of the bonds (20 years) we can make our improvements now. If we don't pass the bonds and wait to pay as we go it would take ten years to build out these parks. With the bonds, we can complete these projects in 2 years and still use the first cent to do other parks projects.


3. By using bonds we get today's prices for construction, not the prices for construction 10 years from now. We also get to keep using our first cent of A and P taxes to improve existing parks and meet our other growing needs.

Its gonna take an election to do this. An election is gonna take work. We will always have anti's. We will always have nitpickers. I want more and better parks and I want them now.

*Editor's Note - The above image is not equating the prepared food tax to theft or encouraging the theft of hamburgers. I am only encouraging all of you to "Robble, Robble" as many burgers as possible to speed up paying for parks.

In a nutshell

The most recent estimates for the parks improvements listed above (youth baseball and softball, new fair site, and trail system) are somewhere around $13 million. I know that sounds like a lot, but trust me, its easy to get there in the public realm. The breakdown would look something like this:

• YBMA Fairgrounds (40 acres)-$7.5 million. This includes 9 ballfields, playground, sprayground, pond, walking trails, site for Boys and Girls Club and open space. This should be enough fields to handle current recreational and competetive play.
• Softball Fields (25 acres)- $3.5 million. Essentially the corner of Bob Courtway and Siebenmorgen. Park will include 4-5 fields, 2 creeks and other park amenities to be designed. This park hasn't gone to the master planners yet.
• Tucker Creek Trail (1-1.5 mile expansion)-$1.5 million. The highlight of this expansion will feature a 20 acre park at Morningside and Prince. (sale pending) We can extend the trail from the Salem Road access point all the way to Gatlin Park on Tyler.
• New site for the Fair - $1+million. In order to get the most bang for our buck out of the YBMA fairgrounds, we need a new site for the Fair. The site could also host other large community events.

I don't think anyone disagrees that Conway needs these things. For a city of our size, we don't have the quality or quantity of parks facilities we need. Typically, we don't disagree until we start talking about how to pay for it. Here's one way to do it. Conway currently has a 2 cent tax on prepared food. If we bond the second cent for 20 yrs it will raise $13.5+ million. This will take a vote of the people. Can we pass it? Yes. Will we? Not without help. More later....

Now what...

So...I've created my first blog. Judging from others I have read, my life was neither exciting nor boring enough to document daily. That's why this blog is dedicated to an issue I feel strongly about rather than personal comings and goings.

That issue is the future of Parks and Recreation within the city of Conway. Specifically, how we can pay for it. I hope that we, as voters, will have an opportunity this summer to vote on a $13 million bond issue to do the following:

• Renovate and finish the former YBMA Fairgrounds
• Build Youth Softball Complex at Siebenmorgen and Bob Courtway
• Purchase site for new Fairgrounds and other community wide events
• Expand Tucker Creek Trails System

We will flesh out plans for each of these later in the blog. Its doable. We can do it without raising taxes or fees. Its going to take a lot of work. Who's coming with us?