Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer

A plan to double the size of the Gulley Park parking lot on Township Street is set to begin this week in Fayetteville.

The project includes adding enough spaces to accommodate 68 vehicles, and building a wet garden area to hold and filter stormwater before it enters Niokaska Creek.

During construction, the Township Street parking lot and the walking trail through the west side of the lot will be closed, but the remainder of Gulley Park will remain open. Visitors are asked to use the other parking lot at Old Wire Road. If necessary, the Parks and Recreation Department will open some grass parking areas, particularly on weekends with good weather. Park patrons are also encouraged to access the park on foot or bicycle via the recently completed Niokaska Creek Trail and the Old Wire Road Cycle Track.

The project is primarily funded through the 2019 parks bond program, and will be followed next year with improvements to the Gulley Park playground area, including the addition of an interactive fountain. The improvements are part of the Gulley Park Master Plan, which was updated in 2018.

For more information about the Gulley Park Master Plan, visit https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/3070/Gulley-Park-Master-Plan.

The parking lot project is expected to be completed sometime this spring.