Members of the El Dorado Parks and Playgrounds Commission heard updates Tuesday, asking plenty of questions about projects at city properties.
Mayor Frank Hash and Robert Edmonds, director of public works, said crews are awaiting dry weather to continue work on an expansion of the walking/jogging trail that encircles Lions Club Municipal Golf Course, the Union County Fairgrounds and the El Dorado School District soccer fields.
Edmonds said the materials are staged for the first phase of the project — which will add just under a mile to the existing 2.25-mile trail. The loop will extend northward.
“What we’ve got out there is some low-lying areas, and we’ve got the materials out there to fill it in. We’ve just got to wait until it’s dry out there,” Hash said.
Edmonds said the section has already been grubbed out, and there is some milling and drainage work to be done. Barring inclement weather, the job should not take long to complete once it’s under way, he said.
The longer, 2.5-mile extension will run south to Champagnolle and loop east along U.S. 167 before rejoining the existing trail.
Edmonds said the city is awaiting approval of airspace encroachment permits from Arkansas Department of Transportation for the second phase of the project.
“We’re waiting on the permits to be issued from the highway department to go to bid on the longer leg,” he said.
Edmonds and Danny Carelock, manager of Lions Club Municipal Golf Course, said the water system is now operational for the outdoor restrooms, and the city has worked to repair some leaks.
Edmonds said the city is using $35,000 that was approved late last year by the El Dorado City Council to hire a contractor to heat the restrooms, so they can remain open year-round.
The money was also to be used for exterior and interior lighting, and Edmonds said the city found lower-cost solutions with the use of solar power, as well as gas for heat.
“It was just too costly to run power out there,” Edmonds said.
Ray Johnson, city sanitation supervisor, told commissioners that the Mattocks Park swimming pool is set for its traditional Memorial Day opening.
He said that Lanxess/Great Lakes Solutions has once again agreed to partner with the city to provide the necessary chemicals to operate the city’s only public swimming pool.
James Lewis, city parks and green space manager, said crews are cleaning and painting the pool.
Johnson reported that between June and early July, an average of 125 swimmers visited the pool each day. As the summer wore on and the temperatures got hotter, the daily average dropped to 75.
“Why do you think those numbers dropped off?” asked Commissioner Ken Goudy, chairman of the EPPC.
“It got so hot that folks would not come out until late in the evening. Normally, they would be lined up in the morning when we opened,” Johnson said.
He said the pool closed earlier last year because area schools opened earlier for the school year.
Lewis said crews are also working their way through city parks for maintenance and repairs, including the brick wall at Old City Park.
“Is that a consistent job?” Commissioner Alexis Alexander asked, referring to acts of vandalism and damage that are commonly reported.
Lewis said crews are painting picnic tables “to pull some color into the parks, and he said repairs have been done to the fence and gate at the dog park at Bradley and West First.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.