Over the course of four years, Fort Smith has prioritized wellness and fitness and has spearheaded a fight against pressing health issues.
The Fort Smith Board of Directors, in collaboration with a number of nonprofits that includes 64.6 Downtown, formed objectives that have current and long-term value for the community.
Those objectives include creating more parks, open spaces, biking and walking trails and permanent athletic areas, all designed to increase connectivity and walkability while promoting physical activity within the Fort Smith area.
Arkansas has ranked low in terms of adult activity and obesity. The percentage of obese or overweight adults in the state is 70%, according to Aspire Arkansas, while the rate in Sebastian County is 69%.
Clearly the need to combat such trends is great, and Fort Smith is working to reverse the statistics.
Projects along the Arkansas Riverfront in downtown Fort Smith are part of the solution. Artwork installations, the Fort Smith Riverfront Skate & Bike Park and the Greg Smith Trail stand as positive outcomes associated with private/public partnerships that target wellness and fitness.
The park features pump tracks—bike tracks that simulate the off-road experience—a 12-foot vertical wall, mountain bike playground and skating features. Art is incorporated, enabling the park to serve as a place of exercise and inspiration with the Arkansas River as the backdrop.
The Greg Smith Trail, or “River Walk,” has expanded in three stages since its inception in 2016.
Covering six paved miles, the trail begins at the National Historic Site and runs to the Riverfront Amphitheater along the skate and bike park, past the U.S. Marshals Museum (under construction) and to a recently purchased wetlands area.
The 330 acres of wetland along the Arkansas River are planned for a series of multi-use, soft service trails for hikers, runners, walkers and cyclists.
The nonprofit 64.6 has injected additional green space into the mix of five parks located downtown.
Garrison Commons is a pocket park nestled between two Main Street buildings that was introduced in 2015. It features food truck space, two picnic tables and a stage.
Gateway Park was completed this year and offers a reimagined entrance to downtown in the form of a landscaped park incorporating statues of three prominent figures with significance to Fort Smith, including legendary “hanging judge” Isaac C. Parker.
The other statues depict John Carnall, representing public education, and Sisters of Mercy Mother Superior Mary Teresa Farrell, representing the establishment of health care.
The community is further enhanced by the development of Chaffee Crossing.
The city and the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) are partnering to add 6.5 miles of trails to connect Chaffee Crossing to the Fort Smith Master Trail Plan and regional trails.
The second segment of the project involves extending the first segment from McClure Drive southwest about a mile to Massard Road near the Wells Lake Road intersection. Work on the second segment, estimated at $2.1 million is expected to begin in 2020.
A third segment of approximately 5 miles is in the works.
Throughout downtown and Chaffee Crossing, 64.6 Downtown and FCRA strive to establish the connectivity of Fort Smith with the city’s support. So far, the improvements have been largely successful and supported by the community.
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