At a press conference in Little Rock Wednesday morning, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced detailed plans for new projects coming to Little Rock Parks and Recreation. That is, assuming voters pass a 1% sales tax initiative on the November ballot.
This morning, city directors and Little Rock Parks and Recreation staff unveiled the detailed projects, which include indoor and outdoor youth sports complexes as well as overhauled War Memorial and Hindman parks. Both parks, formerly public golf courses, were closed in 2019, shortly after Scott was first elected mayor.
Throughout the press event, city officials continued to stress that the plans they were outlining were contingent on the passage of the “Rebuild the Rock” sales tax increase.
Otherwise, Scott says, “It doesn’t happen. The outdoor sports complex is $55 million. The city cannot afford that solely throughout our budget. The indoor sports complex is around $60 million. This sales tax that encompasses the 'Four P’s' creates somewhere around $65 million annually. If you do a 10-year lookback, that’s somewhere around $620 million. We need this.”
The "Four P’s" the mayor referenced are public safety, Parks and Recreation, public infrastructure, and the Little Rock Port.
Scott stressed that quality of life improvements are paramount to the future growth of the city.
“Millennials and Generation Z, they tend to choose where they want to live first and then they focus on their careers. And for our brothers and sisters that are retiring and aging in place, they choose where they want to retire and age out their remaining years based on quality of life and place.”
Scott said maintaining the city’s existing 63 parks is important, but said Little Rock needs new attractions to continue to grow.
Indoor Sports
The proposed indoor athletic facility encompasses just over 170,000 square feet and includes 10 basketball courts, 20 volleyball courts, and a telescopic bleacher system that can accommodate 4,000 people. The bleacher system can highlight one court, while others remain in use.
Parks and Recreation Director Leland Couch says this kind of facility has multiple uses.
“That also allows us to do concerts, different specialty venues in that. We can rent this space and make other revenue outside of just having basketball in this location,” he said.
The renderings noted that the complex would be located roughly seven minutes from Little Rock's Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, and would have just under 600 parking spaces.
The indoor sports complex is planned to be located in the downtown East End neighborhood.
Outdoor sports
The outdoor facility would span around 55 acres and would include a total of 10 multi-purpose fields that can be quickly changed between soccer, football, and baseball. The venue would also include a kitchen and cafe, training room, and press box, and would have 900 total parking spaces.
Scott said Little Rock has committed to placing the facility west of Interstate 430, likely near the existing Outlets of Little Rock.
Hindman Park
Keeping with the growing presence of mountain biking in the state, especially in Northwest Arkansas, the proposed renovations to Hindman Park would include several mountain bike trails.
Also included in the plan was a new “champion” disc golf course, and fishing amenities. Couch said the city was prepared to invest $14 million into the Hindman Park renovations.
War Memorial Park
War Memorial Park’s golf course closed in 2019, and the city says it is looking to transform the area into Little Rock’s version of New York City's Central Park.
“I couldn’t be more excited for it to be in this location. It will still allow for football games, complement the zoo, and allow families to come spend the day in a park of this size,” said Couch.
The master plan details for War Memorial Park include pickleball courts, a splash pad and playground, a restaurant, and a mountain bike downhill area. Sustainability efforts were also listed in the plan, those include an urban farm and food forest, as well as a pollinator meadow.
Mayor Scott said Wednesday’s news conference was not intended to campaign, but to educate the public on how the city plans to utilize the proposed tax increase.
