Parks & Trails March 2020 Newsletter.

Details on page 6

• Adair Park Concert Series
• Great American Cleanup
• Census 2020
• Free Walking, Running Clinic
• Find SAMMY!

111 Opera Street Table of Contents 2
P.O. Box 700 Calendar: meetings and events 3
Pavilion Rentals 4
Hot Springs, AR 71902 Seasonal Reminders 4
Greenway Sponsorships 5
Call: 501-321-6871 Adair Park Concert Series 6
Email: [email protected] Great American Cleanup 7
Census 2020 Information 7
Visit: www.cityhs.net Park News 8
Friends of the Parks
Like us on Facebook: 9
Hot Springs Parks & Trails Provided by: President Ned Skoog
Growing Healthy Communities- 10
Trail Footnotes 11
Hot Springs 12
Provided by: Ken Freeman 13
OUR STAFF 14
Trail Watch Volunteer Program 15
Director Trail Etiquette 17
Anthony Whittington Trails in Your City Parks
Landscape Superintendent FREE Walking/Running Clinic
Northwoods Trails
Brian Fisher Vandalism Notice
Parks Superintendent
2
Larry Golden
Office Manager
Kathleen Fason

Secretary
Jennifer Shinn

• 3/10 March is:
Arts Advisory Committee meeting
111 Opera Street, Ste. A Music In Our Schools
at 12:00 noon National Nutrition
National Peanut
• 3/16-17 National Women’s History
Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade National Craft
Bridge Street! Irish American

• 3/19 Special Days:
Parks & Trails Advisory Committee
111 Opera Street, Ste. A Employee Appreciation 1
at 5:00 p.m.
National Anthem 3
• 3/26
Friends of the Parks meeting Daylight Savings 8
Chamber of Commerce
659 Ouachita Ave. Plant A Flower 12
at 11:30 a.m.
Friday the 13th 13

Ides of March 15

St. Patrick’s 17

Spring Equinox 19

National Puppy 23

National Spinach 26

Take a Walk in the Park Day

3

Renting a city park pavilion is quick and easy.
Cost is minimal and clean up will be, too!

• Birthday Parties
• Family Reunions
• Wedding Receptions
• Baby Showers
• Retirement Farewells
• Fishing Derbies

Cost to reserve pavilions:
$10 per hour for city residents
$20 per hour for non-city residents

Additional fees may apply for large groups and special events. Please refer to our
Reservation Policy for fee schedules or call the Parks and Trails Department at
501-321-6871 for more information.

To make your reservation, call or come by the Parks and Trails Department at 111 Opera Street,
or fill out an interactive online form at www.cityhs.net. Reservations must be made a least two
(2) weeks prior to your event date. Postings in the information kiosks of each park reflect who
has a pavilion reserved and when each week (Monday - Sunday).

Please Remember…. The City of Hot Springs
Motorized Vehicles Noise Ordinance is
are NOT allowed on
Trails. enforced from 10:00
PM to 7:00 AM in all

city parks.

Fireworks are NOT
allowed in any
of the City Parks.

5

The City of Hot Springs Parks & Trails Department is
extending an open invitation to all individuals, bands,
choir groups, quartets, and all variety of instrumentalists
who are interested in playing music at Adair Park, 358
Central Avenue, in downtown Hot Springs on Fridays
nights 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM and on Saturday and Sundays
11:00 AM - 9:00 PM. Time slots of 2 or 3 hours are
available.
All interested parties can fill out an application online at
www.cityhs.net on the Parks & Trails page. Please
include the date(s) you are interested in performing so
we can confirm availability .
Thank you for supporting live music in Hot Springs, AR!
Please call 501-321-6871 with any questions.

6

Join us on Saturday, April 4, 2020 from 9:00 am—
11:00 am for our annual cleanup along the Hot
Springs Creek Greenway Trail. Our co-hosts are
Keep Arkansas Beautiful, Arkansas Master Natural-
ists-Diamond Lakes Division, Hot Springs Friends of
the Parks, Spa Pacers, and the Hot Springs Young
Professionals.
T-shirts, trash bags, pickup sticks, and gloves will be
available while supplies last. Volunteers will pick up
trash along the area and/or do some planting at
Rotary Centennial Trailhead. Thanks for helping us
Keep Hot Springs Beautiful!
Here are the results nationwide for 2019!

Hot Springs and Garland County are counting on
everyone so the appropriate amount of federal funds
will be allocated to support our area schools,
hospitals, roads, food programs, CDBG initiatives,
and other priorities. Federal funds, grants and
support to states, counties and communities are
based on population totals and breakdowns by sex,
age, race and other factors. Hot Springs will benefit
the most when the census counts everyone in our
community. When you respond to the census, you
will help Hot Springs get its fair share of the more
than $675 billon per year in federal funds spent on
vital programs. Every home will receive an
invitation to participate by April 1, 2020.

7

This 8-ft tall Sasquatch named Sammy
standing with Parks & Trails Director
Anthony Whittington will be visiting our city
parks over the next four weeks. CAN YOU
FIND HIM?

The first person to find him, snap a picture
and tag Hot Springs Parks & Trails on
Facebook will win a $10 gift card. We will
be announcing a winner and giving out a
gift card at the end of each week!

The weather is changing. It’s warming up
and it’s a great time to get out in the parks
and FIND THE SAMMY!

Every year a Jockey Jog 5k is hosted by
the Jockey Jog for Arkansas Children’s
Hospital group. They will meet this year at
Transportation Plaza, 100 Broadway
Terrace in Hot Springs on Saturday, April 18
at 9:00 AM. They will be running along the
Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail. We love
to see groups using the greenway for this
purpose. The greenway is still always open
to the public for running, walking, and bike
riding even during these events. For more
information go to their Facebook page at
Jockey Jog 5k 2020!

8

Ned Skoog, The Hot Springs Friends of the Parks’ board of directors
continues to pursue any activity that will help complete
President the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail (HSCGT). With
the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT)
To renew your recently announcing the opening of the 2020 round of
membership Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grants, with
or become a an application due date of May 1, 2020, Friends will
“Park Friend” support the City’s Parks and Trails Department in
mail your annual identifying a specific project and preparing an application.
membership fee The most likely project that Friends would be helping with
Family-$35 would be the completing of the Jean Wallace Wetlands
Adult-$25 Trailhead by Hot Springs Creek, at the end of Television
Youth-$10 Hill Road. The City has received approval on a previous
Business-$50 grant application for the construction of most of that
Organization-$50 trailhead, but several key amenities were not able to be
to: Friends of the included. Those items, the welcome to Jean Wallace
Parks, Wetlands Trailhead sign, two concrete connector paths,
P.O. Box 996, a wood and rock column fence protecting the trail, a
Hot Springs, AR restroom, and a 500 feet trail extension to the south
71902-0996 would be included in that grant application. Once the
project is defined, and an estimated cost of the project is
determined, the City will have to identify a 20% of the
project’s cost for the local match. On many past TAP
Grants, Friends has pledged some part of that local
match. We will keep you informed on this project as it
develops. Please mark your calendars to take part in the
Great Greenway Clean-Up on April 4th. Friends will join
with the City’s Parks and Trails Department and
other civic organizations for that important work and
camaraderie. Look for info in this Newsletter next month
for more details. And, as always, look for ways to help
get our City’s multiuse pathways ”To the Lakes!”

Ken Freeman, The Trail Guy

The Trail Guy hopes that, if being more fit in 2020 and
getting more trail time were on your New Year’s resolution
list, you’ve been exercising on the trails for the last two
months. But, if you haven’t been, have I got a deal for
you! Starting on March 3rd, the Spa Pacers ten-week
Spring walk/run clinic will be held on Tuesdays and
Thursdays at 5:45 p.m. at the Transportation Depot,
and it’s FREE. You may sign up on line at
RunSignUp.com or just show up at 5:30 p.m. on a
Tuesday or Thursday, and register then. For beginners,
this is one of those “couch to 5K” kind of clinics.
While you’re looking at your calendar, go ahead and mark
April 4th and 18th. April 4th is this year’s date for the Great
Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail Clean-up, and April
18th is Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Opening Day for

Trails. Look for more information on these in this
Newsletter, and plan on coming out to be with oth-
er people who like trails.
An IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling
Association) trail crew began construction on
February 14th on the trail that will connect the
Northwoods Trails to the future trailhead at the
end of Pullman Street off of Park Avenue. They
are projecting that it will take them six weeks, and
I want to share with you how good it looks, since
we can’t allow you out there yet. Be patient. It
won’t be long before you’ll be able to enjoy that
trail connection to the Sunset Trail (Hot Springs
National Park trail, so no bikes on it) or to Hub Y
in the Northwoods trail system.
Our construction plans for the Hot Springs Creek
Greenway Trail, Phase 6A (Southern Trail, Phase
1), which will extend the current trail, are ever so
slowly making their way through the back and
forth review with Arkansas Department of Trans-
portation. Don’t lose faith, or forget that it is going
to happen, along with a couple of other trail pro-
jects that are in the works, including the Jean
Wallace Wetlands Trailhead, by Hot Springs
Creek, at the end of Television Hill Road. While
you’re waiting on those, get the cobwebs off your
bicycles, lubricate all of the friction areas, as well
as the chain, and be ready to pounce on one of
these nice days when they appear. Whatever
your favorite way is to enjoy a trail, get out there,
and I’ll see you on the trails.

10

Improve the quality of life in Hot Springs by providing and
modeling proper trail etiquette and safety as well as
assisting users in trail navigation. A 30-minute information
class where you will receive a vest and supplies will
take place on the second Tuesday of each month,
March - September.

To sign-up call Kathleen at 501-321-6871 or email
[email protected].

For more information
about the Trail Watch
program and proper
trail etiquette go
to www.cityhs.net and
look under the Parks &
Trails Department for
Trail Watch.

11

More and more Hot Springs residents and visitors are flocking to parks and trails for fitness and
fun! Whether you are on the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail or a city park trail, it’s good to
follow these simple etiquette rules so everyone has a safe and enjoyable time on the trails.
Be Safe
•Always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle
•Use bicycle lights and reflectors after dusk/before dawn
•Wear bright or light colored clothing so you’re easily seen
•Be aware of your surroundings
•Carry a charged cell phone and proper identification
•Communicate to family and friends where you’re going
•Carry water
•Utilize the buddy system when possible
•Observe posted park rules and hours
•Keep an eye on children
•Travel at a safe speed
•Slow down on curves
•Do not ride on wet or muddy nature trails
•Dismount and walk you bike on steep nature trails to avoid locking your breaking or skidding
Stay to right and pass with care
•Always pass on the left
•Ring a bell or give clear, verbal warning to nearby trail users before passing
•Yield to oncoming traffic when passing
•Bikes yield to pedestrians
•Single file in groups
•Motorized vehicles are prohibited on trails except motorized wheelchairs
Be Courteous
•Stay on the trails to protect vegetation and minimize erosion
•“Leave No Trace”- carry out what’s carried in
•Do not disturb wildlife
•Keep to the edge when stopped to allow others to pass
Be Responsible with pets
•Keep all pets on a short leash
•Pick-up pet waste

Park Name and Location Surface Type ADA Length

Baseball Trail Park - 1201 Whittington Ave Asphalt Yes 1/6 Mile
Yes 1/4 Mile
Chattanooga Park - 530 Chattanooga St Asphalt
1/5 Mile
Desoto Park - 1700 Park Ave Asphalt Yes
1/4 Mile
Entergy Park - 530 Lakepark Dr Asphalt Yes 2/10 Mile
North Loop Trail Asphalt Yes 3/4 Mile
Wildlife Observation Trail
Natural Surface No 1/5 Mile
Water Tower Loop Trail
1/2 Mile
Lakefront Trail Natural Surface No 1/10 Mile
1/10 Mile
Fenceline Trail Natural Surface No 1/10 Mile
3/10 Mile
Eagle Scout Trail Natural Surface No 1/5 mile
Yes 1 Mile
Playground Connector Trail Asphalt No 1/2 Mile
Pavilion on the Point Asphalt Yes 1/4 Mile
Sunnybrook Connector Trail Asphalt Yes
1/4 Mile
Family Park - 215 Family Park Rd Asphalt No 1/2 Mile
2/3 Mile
Hill Wheatley Park - 688 Majestic Lodge Rd Natural Surface No 1/2 Mile
Yes 1/4 Mile
Hinsley Park - Kingsway and Meadowlake Natural Surface 1/4 Mile

Wade Street Park - 300 Wade St Asphalt

Hot Springs Creek Greenway- Concrete Yes
Transportation Plaza Trail Asphalt Yes
Valley Street Creekwalk Concrete Yes
Jaycee Trail and Friendship Park Trail Asphalt Yes
Hollywood Trail Asphalt Yes
Blue Heron Trail
Asphalt Yes
Utility Service Center Trail

13

FREE Spring Forward
Walking and Running

“Remember that the happiest people are not
those getting more, but those giving more.”
Volunteers Needed for Group Leaders at
the SPA Pacer Spring Walking and
Running Clinic March 3rd through May 7th.
Leaders needed for Walkers, Beginner
Runner, Intermediate Runner, and Advance
Runner groups.
Please contact Debbie Rigsby
[email protected] or Bea Mickelson
[email protected] if you can help.

The 10-week clinic goes from Tuesday,
March 3rd through Thursday, May 7th.
Will meet on Tuesday and Thursday nights
at 5:45 pm at Transportation Depot - 100
Broadway. The goal is to inspire men and
women to improve well being through
walking and running.
6 groups - Beginner Walkers, Walkers
Group B, Beginner Runners Group A,
Beginner Runners Group B, Intermediate
Runners, and Advanced Runners. For more
details or to sign up go to runsignup.com.click
here.

BikeHotSprings.com is the place to
go online for information and maps
of not only the Northwoods Trails
but all trails in and around Hot
Springs, AR. From intermediate
to advanced, there is a trail for
everyone who wants to get outside
and walk, run, or ride the trails!

15

NORTHWOODS FULL MOON RIDES! This year there is a bonus full moon in October

which means riders have 12 chances to join in on the fun!! After each ride don’t miss out

on the music and grilling out... our community is growing and we want YOU to be a part

of it! The rides will be no drop beginner to intermediate routes. The routes will depend

on the skill level of the participants. Each ride will last for around an hour on the trails.

Riders will meet at the Waterworks Trailhead, 300 Pineland Drive, at 5:30 and begin the

ride by 6:15. All riders must have a mountain bike in working order, helmet, front light,

back-up light source, and water to hydrate. Sponsored by: Northwoods Trails - Hot

Springs, Visit Hot Springs, Superior Bathhouse Brewery & Parkside Cycle

Who: All mountain bikers/All skill levels

What: Full Moon Rides

Where: Northwoods, Waterworks Trailhead

When: Meet @ 5:30pm, Ride @ 6:15 pm

How much: FREE

Why: Full moons are awesome and mountain bikes are too.

*Contingent on weather, Follow Northwoods Trails - Hot Springs Trail Conditions group

for weather updates leading up to each event!

Full Schedule of Series includes:

Sunday, March 8

Friday, April 9

Friday, May 8

Friday, June 5

Sunday, July 5

Monday, August 3

Wednesday, September 2

Friday, October 2

Saturday, October 31

Sunday, November 29

Wednesday, December 30 16