PRAIRIE GROVE -- After some discussion and votes through email, U.S. 62 located within Prairie Grove city limits has another new name. And this name should remain in place.
Prairie Grove City Council named the road Heritage Parkway by resolution at its Feb. 23 meeting. The new name will apply to U.S. 62 from the eastern city limits of Prairie Grove to its western edge going toward Lincoln and will be used to re-address that entire section of highway, about seven miles long, for 911. It does not apply to U.S. 62-B that goes through the middle of town and has its own local names.
Alderman Tony Cunningham, who chaired a committee to come up with a name for the highway, on Thursday said he was OK with the new name.
The committee first recommended Battlefield Parkway in December but fire Chief J.C. Dobbs expressed concerns because Prairie Grove already has a street with a similar name, Battlefield Park Road. The committee met again and recommended naming the highway Riverview Parkway. City Council members approved this name by resolution Jan. 19.
Following the meeting, however, comments were made that maybe Riverview Parkway was not the best name for the highway.
Mayor Sonny Hudson wanted the Council to consider other names. He said Riverview Parkway did not have any identity with Prairie Grove.
Emails with other possible names were sent out, asking people to pick their favorite one. Heritage Parkway received the most votes, with Memorial Parkway coming in second. The special committee met again last week and decided to recommend Heritage Parkway because it was the most popular among the choices available.
"That's fine," Cunningham said Thursday. "It really didn't make any difference to me. I don't see it as any different from Riverview Parkway but this time, I guess more people felt they had an input."
Hudson personally preferred Battlefield Parkway and he said he believes most people liked that name best.
However, he said he did not have a problem with Heritage Parkway.
"I think it's a good name," Hudson said.
Alderman Dale Reed, also president of Prairie Grove Chamber of Commerce, said he would have voted for either of the top names.
"I'm fine with it," Reed said Thursday at the monthly Chamber meeting.
The next step is to start assigning addresses along the route, said Larry Oelrich, director of administrative services and public works.
Oelrich said he plans to work with Washington County's 911 office. Coming up with addresses for the highway will be more complicated because the road runs east-west and north-south.
"It doesn't match up with any of our existing grids," Oelrich said.
He said the priority will be to assign grids with address ranges for the new section of highway so that when a new business comes in, the city would be able to give out an address for that location. Existing businesses and residences will have more time to change their addresses, he added.
"Changing addresses is never fun," Oelrich said. "People don't like doing it and we don't like doing it either."
General News on 03/04/2015