BENTON — Curtis McCormack wants boys and girls to play ball together, or at least at one city park.
McCormack, the city's parks director, has proposed expanding Bernard Holland Park by adding a half-dozen baseball and softball fields on the back end of the old airport property - a plan that would help make over a section of the city that sits off Interstate 30 and Airlane Drive. And it would complement otherplans to develop the area, Mc-Cormack said.
There's one immediate roadblock: Convincing city leaders to give away the 9 acres of property that sits on the back end of the old Watts Field airport. At least three aldermen oppose releasing the property to the parks commission without compensation. They suggest the commission pay at least $180,000 so the city could recoup what it paid.
McCormack says the city should donate the land because it would benefit Benton. And the purchase would take awayfrom funds needed to immediately start building the fields, which he hopes would be open sometime next year. After all, he says, parks are part of the city too.
"That whole area would be something we could all be proud of," he said, adding that he envisions one day using other undeveloped nearby property for walking and bike trails.
Already, the Benton Advertising and Promotion Commission is working on plans to build a conference center on propertythat adjoins the airport, and has suggested the county fairgrounds relocate to the old airport. And city leaders say they hope to bring an employer to the airport.
All of those ideas along with the park expansion would help improve that part of the city, Mc-Cormack said.
The airport closed last year after the Saline County Regional Airport opened in southeast Bryant.
Alderman Doug Stracener has proposed selling the land for what the city paid, which is just over $180,000 for the 9 acres. He said its current value is closer to $238,500. Aldermen Greg White and Steve Lee agree the property should be sold and not donated.
But those aldermen's opinions are news to many, as they were aired in an e-mail exchange and not during a scheduled public meeting.
In opinions by the Arkansas Attorney General's office, the use of e-mails does not automatically constitute a meeting, but it has cautioned that there is the potential for circumventing the state's open meeting laws.
Despite the alderman's initial objections to free land use, Mc-Cormack is hopeful that something can be worked out.
The proposal comes after Benton voters rejected a sales tax increase last year to fund a giant soccer complex and park, similar to the $16 million project under construction in nearby Bryant.
McCormack was reinvigorated to work on an alternative parks proposal after getting community feedback in recent months. At forums held by the mayor's office, residents and business leaders revealed many think expanding the city's parks is important.
Currently, girls play softball at Tyndall Park, and boys and adults play at Bernard Holland. The two are a couple of miles apart.
The parks commission operates off of money generated by sales tax revenue. Parks and recreation gets a quarter-percent, which pulls in just over $1 million a year. That revenue is supplemented by grants that have been used for various upgrades around the city.
Initial estimates put the cost of each ball field at around $120,000. Multiply that by six and add the $180,000 for the land and it would all but sap the commission's annual budget, McCormack said.
Alderman Charles Cunningham expects the proposal will come before the committee again, and he hopes to glean more details about long-term plans for the airport and nearby property before the council takes any official action.
Arkansas, Pages 9, 11 on 03/24/2008