Prairie Grove - Prairie Grove City Council heard at its Sept. 19 meeting that plans are moving ahead on adding a restroom facility and a playground structure to Muddy Fork Park. Other actions included approval of a different hourly computation procedure for some Prairie Grove police officers, investment of some of the city's reserve fund and replats of several properties.
Larry Oelrich, part-time administrative assistant to Mayor Sonny Hudson, reported Muddy Fork Park playground equipment has arrived. He said a foundation pad will be built for it, and described the equipment as "a packaged unit with slides, swings, and climbing structures as well as shade structures."
Oelrich also reported the city will serve as the general contractor for a restroom facility to be built at the park, which he said will require mechanical systems, electrical, plumbing, and other work, which he said the city will sub-contract out.
Work at the park is funded by a matching grant from the state up to $119,000. This means that of the $116,000 spent on playground equipment, Prairie Grove paid half, or $58,000. The restroom facility and all other associated costs for it and the play structure are included in the grant, Oelrich said.
The park is located at 951 Bonnie Scotland Drive. It turns off Viney Grove Road in northwest Prairie Grove, about 1.5 miles north past the high school and elementary school. Bonnie Scotland Drive is a main entryway into Belle Meade subdivision.
Nearby residents Samantha E. (last name withheld by request) and her five children said they come to Muddy Fork Park to ride bikes and walk the trails on breaks from their home schooling. Samantha said she was glad to hear plans are moving forward for the park because "a lot of kids stay inside because there's nothing to do outside here."
She said, "[My] kids are excited to have a close playground. We often go into Fayetteville."
In addition to paved trails, city-maintained Muddy Fork Park currently has shaded picnic tables in various locations, wooden bridges, a fenced, grass dog park, large grass meadow and paved parking lot.
Police Chief Chris Workman asked the council to approve a different way of computing the hours for police officers who work on 12-hour shifts. He said it would work better if officers on those shifts could keep and submit their time in two-week increments like those who work 8-hour work days, or 40-hour work weeks. The council voted unanimously to approve the change.
Workman said this method will help "even things out" when police on 12-hour shifts work 36 hours one week and 48 the next.
Oelrich requested the city consider putting about $700,000 of its $ 1.2 million reserve funds into a one-year CD with Edward James Investments at a rate of 3.7% interest earnings. The request was approved unanimously.
In other business, council members approved proposals to replat property at two locations. Two thin strips of land along Red Tail Way, the entry point for Prairie View housing development right off Highway 62 and near the easternmost edge of city limits, were removed as separate lots to make the lots more uniform. That property will become part of the Property Owners Association, according to an email from Oelrich.
The other replat request was for property adjacent to the Junk Ranch along Centerpoint Church Road, a "new, informal subdivision plat," Oelrich said. He said the property isn't yet in city limits but is within the City's growth area, so required city council approval. He said the lots within this subdivision "will be larger acreages, but under five acres, and will be offered as home sites."
Chuck Wiley, public works director, reported that curbside recycling won't change but the drop off option will change soon to help minimize the hand sorting city employees must do in the current system. He also reported that Two-Ton has announced water increases, and residents on that system will see an increase of 15 cents per 1,000 gallons beginning in January, Wiley said.
Prairie Grove Fire Chief J.C. Dobbs reported that the new fire truck ordered in 2020 is now in Conway, Ark., getting all the other things added to it as specified. Dobbs additionally reported that the number of new radios soon to be provided from Washington County won't be enough, and each one costs close to $4,000. He said the request for radios was placed with the county prior to the pandemic, and things have changed since then, including population increases.
At the close of the meeting, John Dillingham, vice-president of Prairie Grove Historical Society, announced the Society is holding a volunteer opportunity to clean headstones in Prairie Grove Cemetery from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sat., Oct. 8.
Members at the meeting were Marquita Smith, Brea Gragg, Doug Stumbaugh, Tony Cunningham, Rick Clayton, and Rick Ault; members Chris Powell and Ray Carson were absent.