Parks & Trails October 2018 Newsletter

City of Hot Springs October 2018 Newsletter

Details on page 4

We have a new logo!  10/3
Men’s Softball starts at Kimery Park
111 Opera Street
P.O. Box 700  10/8
Columbus Day
Hot Springs, AR 71902
 10/9
Call: 501-321-6871 Arts Advisory Committee,
Email: [email protected] 111 Opera Street
12:00 pm
Visit: www.cityhs.net
 10/12
Like us on Facebook: DEADLINE: Adult Coed Softball (FALL)
Hot Springs Parks & Trails
 10/13
Growing Healthy Tikes, Trikes and Trails
Communities-Hot Springs 530 Lakepark Drive
10 AM - Noon

 10/17
Adult Coed Softball starts at Kimery Park

 10/18
Parks & Trails Advisory Committee
111 Opera Street
5:00 pm

 10/25
Friends of the Parks,
Chamber of Commerce
659 Ouachita Ave
11:30 am

 10/31

Happy Halloween!

2

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 resdents
$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
For your protection please be aware of the to 7:00 AM in all city parks.
presence of FIRE ANTS. Although treated on a
regular basis, fire ants are particularly prone to Fireworks are NOT
be active in parks and especially after a rain allowed in any
shower. Please be alert!
of the City Parks.
3

Take A Kid Tikes,
Mountain Trikes,
Biking Day & Trails

Riders will be introduced to basic If it rolls or strolls, it fits! Strollers,
mountain biking skills by an experienced wagons, big wheels, tricycles, bicycles with
mountain bike rider. Youth age 9 and up will be or without training wheels (no motorized
supervised on the trail & will complete at least
one loop of the .75 mile natural surface vehicles please). Come join the parade!
All age groups will be on a .25 mile
Water Tower Loop Trail. paved, accessible trail.

All bikes will be inspected on-site by event officials & helmets are required.
Skill level of the riders will determine which group they will ride with.

All riders receive certificates of participation. Snacks and water will be available.

Registration begins at 9:30 am

Event starts at 10:00 am

Sponsored by:

4

Fall League Sign-ups happening now!
DEADLINE: October 12, 2018

Games start Wednesday

October 17, 2018

Game Time: 6:00 PM

If you have any questions, comments, team requests or if
you are interested in coaching please contact:
Adam Ussery
Sport Recreation Manager
Phone: 501-651-7740
Email: [email protected]

5

Maxine Dickerson of Hot Springs is one
of our Trail Watch Volunteers (TWV)
who also participated in the Senior
Olympics on September 14th in Little
Rock. She won 2nd Place medals in
Shot Put, Javelin, and Discus and 2nd
Place ribbons in Football Throw and
Softball Throw.
She qualified for the National Senior
Olympics being held in Albuquerque,
New Mexico in June 2019.
We are so proud of Maxine and
appreciate her eyes and ears on the city
trails systems as a TWV while she trains
for the Senior Olympics. If you see her
on the Hot Springs Creek Greenway
Trail be sure to congratulate her too!
The Downtown Association voted to
have some of the trees lining Central
Avenue downtown wrapped with white
LED lights. These lights will be on tim-
ers and will light up downtown each
evening.
A lighting ceremony will take place on
Thursday, October 4 at dusk.
For more information please contact the
Downtown Association of Hot Springs at
[email protected].

6

Parks & Trails Director Anthony Whittington attended the National Recreation
and Parks Association Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana last month.
He attended many informative seminars on parks, recreation, complete streets,
low impact development, trails development, and more.
He also visited the home of the Indiana Pacers where attendees where allowed
to go onto the court and toss basketballs around for over an hour. “It was really
cool to be able to shoot around on an NBA court,” said Whittington.

Anthony Whittington on the Pacers court while at the NRPA
conference in Indianapolis
7

Ned Skoog
President,
Friends of the Parks

What is a Park Friend?

 The Friends of the Parks is a non-profit organization that formed in 1994 and is dedicated
to development and stewardship of Hot Springs area public parks.

What do Friends do?

 Friends host fund raisers like the “Du for the Parks” Duathlon and Biketoberfest each year.
They also contribute their expertise and time to assist the city with property acquisition,
trail design and construction, and advocacy, etc.

What projects in the city have friends helped build?

 Friends have assisted with each section of the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail
construction. It is a primary focus of the group to see this trail through to completion. They
are currently conducting property acquisitions for the Stokes Creek Greenway Trail. They
have also assisted financially with grant matches for various parks and trails in Hot
Springs.

How many Friends are there and how can I become one?

 There are approximately 65 members of Hot Springs Friends of the Parks. To become a
friend send your annual membership fee to

Friends of the Parks
P.O. Box 996
Hot Springs, AR 71902-0996

Youth - $10 Adult - $25 Family - $35 Business/Organization - $50

Join us and share in parks growth and development to improve the quality of life for today and
for generations to come. Friends meets on the last Thursday of each month at 11:30 AM in
the Parks & Trails Conference room, 111 Opera Street, Suite A.

8

Ken Freeman, aka “The Trail Guy”
Trails Coordinator

For those of you who have been
patiently waiting for more visible
progress on the Utility Services
Center Trail, Phase 3 (a.k.a. Happy
Ole Troll Trail) section of the Hot
Springs Creek Greenway Trail
(HSCGT), the Trail Guy says now is
the time to get excited. All of the
precast concrete boardwalk decking
pieces arrived and have been
installed in the empty spaces on the
stringers of the boardwalk. The
framing for pouring the concrete
connector to the sidewalk along Golf
Links Road, and the concrete
Paula and Rusty Boone and their furry friend Boudro on the

transition between the north end of Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail. They, along with many
the boardwalk and the future others in our community, are anxiously awaiting the opening
asphalt trail segment connecting it to of the Happy Ole Troll Trail !

the existing HSCGT are currently under construction. The timber safety railings
on the elevated boardwalk, the steel safety railings under Golf Links Road, the
rain gardens, the asphalt paving to the north, and plantings for the disturbed
areas will just about finish that section. I think we can see the light at the end of that
tunnel. Keep your fingers crossed for a speedy completion, now that it is
on a roll. I recently met Paulla and Rusty Boone and their dog Boudro on the trail,
who are keeping their fingers crossed, and can’t wait for the Happy Ole Troll Trail
to be open for trail user enjoyment. When you see them on the trail, say hello,
and tell them how anxious you are to get onto the new trail, as well.

As hopefully you have already spotted, in the flyer in this Newsletter, on October
13th at Entergy Park, we will be observing Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day
(TAKMBD) along with Tikes, Trikes, and Trails (TT&T). We look forward to again
working with the Hot Springs Intermediate School Student Council volunteer
helpers as they get participants registered and provide assistance, as needed, out
on the TT&T course. All kids, on anything that rolls on kid-power are invited to
come and roll along with some other Kids. It’s starting to be fall –like weather so
come out and enjoy getting to see kids being healthy in a scenic, natural setting.

9

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Trail Solutions team
continues to press forward on the trail development in the future Northwoods
Urban Forest Park. November 17, 2018 has been set for a limited opening for the
trails already built as part of the Northwoods Trails system, Phase 1. The past
couple of weeks the construction team has focused on the trail connecting the
Northwoods trails to the trail system at Garland County’s Cedar Glades Park, so
that trail users will be able to use both trail systems together. That connecting trail
is almost finished, and the construction will soon shift to the next trail on the list.
Once those trails are opened for use, construction will continue on the remainder
of the trails to be completed in Phase 1 of the Northwoods. No matter what your
favorite use of the trails is, don’t miss the opportunity this cooler weather gives us
to get out on the trails and have a great time. I’ll see you on the trails!

10

Park Name and Location Surface Type ADA Length

Baseball Trail Park - 1201 Whittington Ave Asphalt Yes 1/6 Mile
Chattanooga Park - 530 Chattanooga St Asphalt Yes 1/4 Mile

Desoto Park - 1700 Park Ave Asphalt Yes 1/5 Mile

Family Park - 215 Family Park Rd Asphalt Yes 1/5 mile

Entergy Park - 530 Lakepark Dr Asphalt Yes 1/4 Mile
North Loop Trail Asphalt Yes 2/10 Mile
Wildlife Observation Trail 3/4 Mile
Natural Surface No
Water Tower Loop Trail 1/5 Mile

Lakefront Trail Natural Surface No 1/2 Mile
1/10 Mile
Fenceline Trail Natural Surface No 1/10 Mile
1/10 Mile
Eagle Scout Trail Natural Surface No 3/10 Mile
Playground Connector Trail Asphalt Yes 1 Mile
Pavilion on the Point Asphalt No 1/2 Mile
Sunnybrook Connector Trail Asphalt Yes 1/4 Mile
Hill Wheatley Park - 688 Majestic Lodge Rd Natural Surface No
Hinsley Park - Kingsway and Meadowlake 1/4 Mile
Wade Street Park - 300 Wade St Natural Surface No 1/2 Mile
Asphalt Yes 2/3 Mile
1/2 Mile
Hot Springs Creek Greenway- Concrete Yes 1/4 Mile
Transportation Plaza Trail Asphalt Yes 1/4 Mile
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 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

12

13

14

15

16