Conceptual master plan for the city’s regional park.
City of Fayetteville
Where to vote: Check www.voterview.ar-nova.org to see your polling place.
Early voting for the Nov. 12 special bond election is underway at the County Clerk’s office inside the Washington County Courthouse at 280 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville.
Ballots can be cast between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 8. The courthouse will be closed Monday for Veterans Day.
A vote for permission
Voters are being asked for permission to extend bonds originally used to build the Fayetteville Town Center. The debt, which is paid for using money collected from the city’s 2 percent tax on hotel stays and food purchases at restaurants, is down to about $1.5 million.
With that debt nearly paid off, officials have come up with a couple of options for what to do with the tax money for the next 25 years.
Voters will decide three ballot questions:
1. Should $1.5 million in bonds be issued to repay the remaining Town Center debt?
2. Should $6.9 million in bonds be issued to help fund Walton Arts Center expansions?
3. Should $3.5 million in bonds be issued to help build a regional park?
Regardless of the outcome of the election, the 2 percent HMR tax will not change. Instead, the money would be put to some other undetermined use.
The Washington County Courthouse is located at 280 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville.
» See a list of polling places
Michael Tingley, design principal of Boora Architects, discusses renovation plans at the Walton Arts Center.
Staff photo
Question 1
The first question is essentially asking voters for permission refinance the remaining $1.5 million in Town Center debt to clear the way for questions 2 and 3. If Question 1 fails, the city won’t be able to issue bonds for the full ballot amounts of questions 2 and 3.
Question 2
The Walton Arts Center money would go toward a construction project at the center’s Dickson Street campus, which calls for a new facade and entryway at the corner of West Avenue, a larger lobby, an expanded Starr Theatre, additional backstage space, and a re-configured Rosen Memorial Rose Garden.
The arts center would still need about $13 million in donations and other funds to complete the project. A&P Commissioners gave $600,000 to the center in May to help fund the design of the expansion.
» Read more about the expansion plan
Question 3
Click to enlarge
Flyer staff map
The park money would help begin construction of the first phase of a 200-acre regional park where sports fields, trails, pavilions, a splash park and a concert amphitheater are planned.
Phase one includes eight soccer fields, restrooms, concessions and basic park infrastructure like streets, sidewalks, parking and utilities. Soccer fields are first on the list because the city’s 1,500 youth soccer participants will need a place to play once the University of Arkansas reclaims its Lewis Park complex in 2018.
The park’s second phase calls for eight youth baseball fields, trails, a great lawn, a large pavilion and a playground.
Softball fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, a disc golf course, a community amphitheater and some type of water feature – like a splash pad – could follow.
