An abundance of local outdoor activities isn’t all Batesville has to offer its citizens when it comes to fitness. The development of the Batesville Community Center and Aquatics Park in 2017 led the city down the path to citizen health.
The multi-purpose gymnasium offers three high school-regulation basketballs courts — which can be configured to six high school-regulation volleyball courts — a racquetball court and an indoor walking/running track.
The facility also has group fitness rooms with mirrors and equipment to support a range of activities and classes. The aquatics park has something for everyone, with a 25-yard by 25-meter competition pool, a 25-foot by 50-foot heated therapy pool and an 8-foot by 14-foot video board to display virtual aquatics classes.
With an average of 1,000 to 1,300 visitors daily, the area’s doctors have noted healthier patients, which they credit to the community center.
This isn’t the city’s only active attraction and there are plans to expand on a 20-mile network of on-street and pedestrian foot and cycling paths. The current path was built in 2010 and connects the White River Medical Center, the Fitzhugh Park Municipal Pool and the Batesville Community Gardens.
The city is also currently working on three more phases of its Master Pedestrian and Cycling Plan, with assistance from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Recreational Trails Grant and the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Trails Grant. The master plan aims to connect multiple schools and neighborhoods with heavily used parts of the city to create safe, alternative transportation for those who walk or bike to their daily destinations. To do this, the city is considering as many concerns as possible, including surrounding speed limits, congested traffic areas and ease-of-access.
From the trail’s placement to potential pedestrian bridges, every aspect of this master plan is created with Batesville citizens in mind. When the city set out to make a plan eight years ago, the focus was affordable, everyday fitness that citizens would be interested in.
Batesville
Population: 10,740
Mayor: Rick Elumbaugh
County: Independence
Region: Northeast
Did You Know?
Batesville is located in the Ozark National Forest, a 1,200,000-acre forest located in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. The forest was once home to the Osage Indians, who utilized Batesville as a primary hunting ground, as documented by geographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. The town was also home to the Cherokee Indians before a treaty that forced them west.
After completing a study with the University of Arkansas to help officials understand the recreation and fitness needs of Batesville residents, civic officials set out with a plan prioritizing the Master Pedestrian and Cycling Plan and Batesville Community Center and Aquatics Park.
Batesville citizens voted in 2012 for a one-cent sales tax increase to fund a $27 million bond used to complete and maintain numerous recreation facilities, including the Batesville Community Center. The sales-tax increase, along with the two grants for the Master Pedestrian and Cycling Plan, has helped the city offer more community-based fitness facilities.
The city is also surrounded by a variety of outdoor activities, including natural waterways, forest trails and local attractions. The White River is ideal for kayaking and canoeing, with several opportunities for renting equipment along the river. The river is also known internationally for being one of the best spots for trout fishing in the world.
Based in the Ozark National Forest, the city features an abundance of forest trails and scenic views ideal for hiking or walking. The city’s local private university, Lyon College, is home to a zip-line, on-campus lake and walking trails.
For those interested in sporting activities, the city is also home to a rock climbing facility, a disc golf course, the Natural State Golf Trail, the Batesville Speedway, a shooting complex and a variety of local sports complexes. Whether you want to go outdoors, stay inside, find something new or something familiar, Batesville is full of fitness opportunities.
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