Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – June 9, 2024 – A proposed Jonesboro Parks and Recreation Master Plan is on its way for consideration by the Jonesboro City Council. The City Council’s Public Services Committee voted to move forward with the plan at a special called meeting Thursday.
The process of developing a plan started in early 2023. The stated purpose was to establish an updated vision of how the city’s system of parks, recreation programs and recreation facilities can meet the long-term needs of current and future residents.
The process of writing the plan included a nine-member advisory committee, four focus group discussions, a survey that included 1,226 responses and six public information booths at various community events.
Halff (Little Rock), the company that prepared and wrote the plan, provided assessments of the city’s parks demand, access, indoor facilities, recreational programming, operations and conditions. The company also provided recommendations and suggestions for funding.
Public Services Committee Chair Chris Gibson said he believes the plan gives the city a pretty good road map of where it needs to go. “I think a lot of the administration of this plan will fall on the shoulders of this committee and I think we’ll have to make a lot of those decisions (about what projects are short-term and what are long-term) and move these initiatives forward,” Gibson said.
Councilman Joe Hafner said follow-thru is going to be very important. “If this plan is adopted, we’re going to have to stay on the administration about what the priorities are going to be,” Hafner said. “There’s a lot of things in here about department reorganization, new parks, maintenance old parks, and I’d be really interested going forward what the priorities are going to be.”
Councilwoman Ann Williams said a parks system is only good if the residents who want to use the parks can actually get to them. She said that’s why she favors an expansion of the city’s JET (Jonesboro Economical Transportation) bus system. “For a kid on the North side to get to Craighead Forest without a car? Craighead Forest might as well be in another county,” Williams said. “It makes me sad that we brag about how wonderful Craighead Forest is and a kid hears that and thinks, how do I get there?”
Parks Director Danny Kapales told committee members that Craighead Forest, Joe Mack Campbell, Southside Softball Complex and the Shooting Range were the four parks that do not currently have JET access. Kapales said the other parks do.
Committee members Ann Williams, Brian Emison, Janice Porter, Joe Hafner and L.J. Bryant voted to send the master plan on to the full council. Chair Chris Gibson did not vote. Anthony Coleman did not attend.
The full City Council will consider the proposed master plan at its next meeting Tuesday, June 18.
Below are links to the full proposed Master Parks Plan as well as links to each of the assessments prepared by the Halff company.