LITTLE ROCK | Development Updates

[totheskies]

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=135462

[KevinFromTexas]

Cool pics, I'll go check it out.

By the way, you need to credit the photographer, and or cite the source/link.

[theman]

totheskies, I'm glad that you've started a thread on Little Rock again on skyscraper. Nice pics. It's been a while since we've had a presence.


I guess I'll mention downtown's latest project, River Market Tower. The latest condo development to break ground in downtown Little Rock is River Market Tower. It is an $80 million, 20 story, 450,000 sq ft tower that will have loft and condo units. River Market Tower is part of River Market Place that will include River Market Tower, retail and an eight story Hampton Inn and Suites. Ground was recently broken for this project.



A recently completed condo development is 300 Third. It was recently completed blocks from River Market Place. 300 Third is a $45 million, 18 story, 300,000 sq ft tower featuring 95 condos and a restaurant and small grocery on the first floor. 300 Third is over 80% leased.

[theman]

One of the largest projects happening in Little Rock right now is the 540,000 sq ft expansion of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The UAMS website states that The new 540,000-square-foot expansion to UAMS Medical Center, now under construction, will be located south of the current hospital, extending west past the previous location of Hooper Drive. When completed in 2008, the hospital expansion will include new patient rooms, a new emergency department, clinical lab and radiology department along with room to expand other services.

In addition, the new facility will include additional surgical and interventional suites, an intensive care unit and an intermediate care unit.

The hospital expansion will include 234 adult beds and 60 neonatal beds initially, with space for growth that would bring the total capacity to 393 private adult patient rooms between the new facility and the hospital’s existing Ward Tower.

A new parking deck will have 1,000 spaces intended primarily for patients and visitors. The deck will be located on the lower floors of the new hospital, extending underground.

Hospital addition:



Front lobby of new hospital entrance:

[theman]

Heifer Headquarter State's First Platinum Rated LEED Building
By Arkansas Business Staff

The U.S. Green Building Council on Thursday said nonprofit world hunger relief organization Heifer International has been awarded a Platinum LEEDR (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification rating for its new headquarters building in Little Rock.

The rating is the construction industry's highest honor for buildings that demonstrate environmental responsibility.

The makes Heifer's headquarters the first Platinum-rated building in Arkansas and the only one in the south-central United States, joining fewer than 50 energy-conserving buildings with the rating.


Heifer said its headquarters uses 55 percent of the energy of a building using conventional construction methods.


The $17.5 million building was designed by Reese Rowland, a principal in the Little Rock architectural firm of Polk Stanley Rowland Curzon Porter. It was built by CDI Contractors of Little Rock, which also built the Clinton Presidential Library, a Gold-rated LEEDS building.

[theman]

New digs ready for federal judges
With final frenzy of work, LR courts’ annex set to open Tuesday
By Linda Satter

LITTLE ROCK — The federal courts in Little Rock will enter a new era on Tuesday, when a sparkling new 169,000-square-foot annex opens for business.

Visitors will enter a five-story glass atrium at the building’s west end after passing through a security station walled in the same green marble and cherry wood as the four courtrooms above it.

The serene setting will belie the scurrying around of the previous week, when movers streamed into the building each evening and worked steadily until after midnight to move all the judges’ offices and chambers.

A final frenzy of activity over the long Labor Day weekend is expected to guarantee, in the words of U.S. District Clerk Jim McCormack, that “The annex will be in full operation Tuesday morning at 8 o’clock.”

“It’s been a long road,” John Greer said Friday from his office at the WER architectural firm,formerly known as Witsell, Evans and Rasco. Greer has been the head architect on the project since 1993, when the planning began.

The Little Rock firm is the primary architect for the project that adds 12 courtrooms and a host of modern features in the annex, and includes renovations to the original five-story, 76-year-old structure that itself covers about 230,000 square feet.

With the renovations, which are expected to be complete in 2010, the project’s total budget stands at about $89 million.

The architectural firm RTKL, which has offices in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and other major cities, designed the exterior and the atrium. WER focused on the interior and is the sole designer for the renovation, the first phase of which involves refurbishing the ground floor and is nearly complete.

Renderings from the WER Architecture firm:

[theman]

double post

[jimthemanincda]

Nice to see some of what is happening in Little Rock. I've been to Arkansas, but never to LR. The city and metro is comparable in size to Idaho's capital, Boise. It is always interesting to see what is going on in similarly-sized cities.

Has anyone checked out the Clinton Presidential Library? I've gone to 4 presidential libraries and eventally want to visit all 12, so I'm sure I'll be in the heart of Arkansas at some point. Keep up the posts.

[theman]

LR sees condos continue to sprout
Newest tower sells units in downtown
By Laura Stevens

LITTLE ROCK — The development of the “neighborhood” in downtown Little Rock moves forward as condominium projects progress at various paces.

The newest kid on the block, Moses Tucker Real Estate’s River Market Tower, construction on which started in July, has sold 27 of the 140 units in the 20-story condo tower.

The tower is part of an $82 million complex called River Market Place that also includes a hotel and retail space. Its boundaries are Third, Fourth, Rock and Commerce streets, and it is scheduled to be finished by the spring 2009.

It differs a bit from Moses Tucker’s 300 Third Tower in that most of the units are being purchased as primary residences, said Rett Tucker, a principal. Price per square foot ranges from $281 to $361, with available units from 757 square feet to 2,359. The maintenance fee will probably be about 25 cents per square foot per month, the same as 300 Third’s, Tucker said.

The 18-story 300 Third is 90 percent sold, with two contracts ready to be signed this week, Tucker said. Residents started moving in at the end of April.

“We’re building a neighborhood,” Tucker said.

The people who are buying into the newest tower are mostly empty-nesters, Tucker said. Unlike 300 Third, where many of the residents purchased a second home and only two units are three-bedrooms, about 80 percent of those purchasing units at the River Market Tower intend to use them as their primary residences, Tucker said. There’s also been a higher-than-anticipated demand for three-bedroom units, he said.

Moses Tucker had planned for four three-bedroom units in the newest tower. They’ve already sold six by combining one- and two-bedroom condos and will add three more to the plans, Tucker said. The threebedroom units range from 2,274 to 2,379 square feet, and the price ranges from $715,000 to $769,000.

Also in downtown, four ofthe 13 units in The Residences at Building Five are under contract and two more are about to be, said co-developer Brad Canada.

Canada and his father, Gary Canada, decided to redevelop the old Arkansas Bar Foundation building and add five floors to the riverfront structure, which had two floors underground and five above ground.

The first owners will take occupancy this month, he said. There has been interest from buyers across the board, he said, including out-of-towners, families, young people and emptynesters. “There’s not really a demographic,” he added.

The units range in size from 1,350 square feet to 3,750 square feet, and prices per square foot range from $275 to $350.

He said the condos will have a maintenance fee based on square footage, but he doesn’t know the exact rates yet. They will probably range from $250 to $350 per month, he said.

Alex Marks, one of the developers of the Lafayette Square condominiums, declined tocomment for this article.

The condominiums, which occupy the top six floors of the more than 80-year-old former Lafayette Hotel, will be part of a five-building redevelopment plan to bring 94 condos downtown to the Main Street area.

“We are not releasing any new information right now as we are focused on completing the redevelopment work at the Lafayette,” Marks wrote in an e-mail Monday.

The original expected completion date announced in September 2005 by Woodland, Calif.-based Tower Investments LLC was May 2006. But 18 months later, it’s still not completed. A grand opening was held in April to display the top two floors, which were supposed to be ready for move-inby May.

About a third of the 30 units were sold. Prices for the condos, which range in size from 1,026 to 1,667 square feet, average $276 per square foot. The maintenance fee ranges from $465 to $785 per month.

Marks said in July in an email that condos on the top twofloors were ready for owners to move in. The number of sold units remained unchanged from December, and Marks said they hired Little Rock-based Tony Curtis Realtors to represent the condominiums, replacing Colliers Dickson Flake Partners.

The developers plan to add 64 condos in the Arkansas, M.M. Cohn, Kahn and Boyle buildings in an area whose boundaries are Capitol Avenue and Sixth, Louisiana and Main streets.

Dee Herring, associate broker with Keller Williams Realty, helps customers find condos downtown. A big deterrent for Lafayette is its high per-month maintenance fee, she said.

“Someone calls, we go over the condo fees, and they don’t even want to go there,” she said.

The parking is also a problem, she said. Although they now include a space with the apartment, it’s across the street and not as convenient as with the Moses Tucker properties or Residences condos, which both have attached parking garages, Herring said.

This article was published Tuesday, October 2, 2007.

[totheskies]

Man, I am so proud of Little Rock!! The city is really choosing some good development options, and the encouragement of mixed use (hotel+residential+retail) is great because it ensures a profit. At this rate, I might just have to move back and establish a year-round Opera company!

P.S. I'll be home this weekend... coming to see my mom, eat dinner at Cajun's Wharf, and then hit the piano bars!

[theman]

LR hotel setting stage for guests once more
BY LAURA STEVENS

After two years of renovations, Little Rock’s historic Capital Hotel will be reopening to the public in mid-November.

It’s down to detail time, said Joe Rantisi, general manager. Finishing touches are being made to the inside and the outside of the hotel. Interior designers are arranging furniture in guest rooms and the common areas, he said. Beds are being made, amenities are being placed in the bathrooms and hangers are going into the closets.

“We are making tremendous progress,” Rantisi said.

The hotel shut down Nov. 4, 2005, for an expected six to nine months of mechanical and electrical upgrades — the first since the hotel’s major modernization in 1983. However, Rantisi said, owner Warren Stephens asked the hotel’s staff if they’d like to do more.

That question ended up causing a complete overhaul of the hotel, Rantisi said. Rooms have been upgraded to include 32- to 42-inch liquid crystal display high-definition televisions and luxury linens from Frette and Chaz Stevens. The hotel now has high-speed wireless Internet and has added a ballroom and five kitchens, replacing the one kitchen from before.

The hotel received a temporary certificate last week for the kitchens so that new chef Lee Richardson and his team can start practicing on-site. The kitchen equipment manufacturers will be on hand for three days to make sure everything works properly.

About 160 of 200 staff positions have been filled.

Experts have come in to renovate the columns and marble in the lobby and mezzanine, and Rantisi said there will be many other surprises once the hotel is open.

Two years after the initial shutdown, the hotel will be “a jewel for Little Rock,” Rantisi said.

Lydia Westbrook, research director for the American Hotels and Lodging Association, said they don’t have any information on average lengths of time that hotels might shut down for major renovations.

The hotel will start off by hosting private groups in the second week of October, Rantisi said. He declined to name the groups, but said, “They are groups that the hotel has been able to identify that have been on the books.” He said they’ll make a good start for the hotel staff as they learn to make everything work smoothly.

[theman]

The inaugural season at Dickey-Stephens Park was a grand slam for the Arkansas Travelers.
ArkansasBusiness.com


The Travs set a franchise single-season attendance record with 372,475 fans in 2007, nearly 165,000 more than saw their home games in 2006.


It also eclipsed expectations. A feasibility study done by a Plano, Texas, consultant projected 280,000 fans would attend the games at the new North Little Rock ballpark on the shore of the Arkansas River near the Broadway Bridge, according to a 2005 article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.


"Attendance was fabulous," said Bill Valentine, the Travelers chief operating officer and executive vice president. "I imagine we might have gained a few more people if the team was a little more successful at home. We didn't have what you'd call the finest winning record this year."


In the first half of the season, the Anaheim Angels' AA farm team went 31 and 39 with a 14 and 22 record at home.


The second half of the season, the Travelers improved to 34 and 36 with an 18 and 16 home record. The Travs finished third in the Texas League's North Division in both halves of the season.


The number of fans also helped spur development in downtown North Little Rock.


"The [Alltel] Arena and Dickey-Stephens Park act as our anchor tenants," said Joe Smith, the city of North Little Rock's director of commerce and government.


People want to live near entertainment hubs, he said.


"That's what's generating these residential developments in downtown," Smith said.


Construction started in May 2006 on a 260-unit apartment complex near the Alltel Arena. The Enclave at the Riverfront will feature upscale apartments between 700 and 1,500 SF. The project is expected to be completed in 2008.


The number of Traveler fans also helped push food sales to record highs for the franchise.


For the 2007 season, food and non-alcoholic drinks sold at the ballpark and at Bill Valentine's Ballpark Restaurant raked in nearly $1 million, according to the North Little Rock restaurant tax report.


During the 2006 season at Ray Winder Field in Little Rock, the Travelers collected just under $400,000 at the snack bar for food and non-alcoholic drinks, according to the Little Rock Advertising & Promotion Commission.


While the Travelers are still totaling up receipts of the first season, Valentine said he expects the profit to be around $1 million. All that money, though, will go to pay off the overage of the construction costs on the ballpark.


Residents of North Little Rock agreed in August 2005 to a two-year, 1 percent sales tax to build the ballpark, which would cover the projected $28 million price tag.


Little Rock financier Warren Stephens had donated the 11 acres of land for the railroad-themed ballpark and then pitched in a $1.2 million scoreboard. But construction costs rose, and the city agreed to loan the Travelers the extra $5.9 million to cover the bill.


The Travelers pledged to use its profits to repay the loan.


Valentine said he hopes to have the debt paid off in five years. After that, the Travelers and the city of North Little Rock will split the ballpark's profits evenly.


"The $1 million profit tells you a whole lot right there," Smith said. "It's definitely a shot in the arm for us."


The city sales tax expired on Sept. 30.


Greater Expectations

When the Travelers open the 2008 season at home against the Midland (Texas) RockHounds on April 3, Valentine doesn't expect a drop in the number of people going through the turnstiles. He said the new amenities at the park and better play on the field might bring more fans to the stadium.

The Travelers are going to unveil a $50,000 park for children at the stadium and open a museum for Travelers' trophies, photographs and memorabilia dating back to the early 1900s.


The clock tower, which is the focal point of the stadium's entrance, had only one clock face installed for the start of the 2007 season, due to an oversight. The other three clock faces were being installed last week.


The ballpark's 24 luxury suites are gone too. They were sold out for the 2007 season, and nearly all of them were snatched up with five-year leases.


Even during the record-breaking 2007 season, concession and restaurant receipts were lower late in the season than they had been during the first heady weeks in the new park. The average take per game in April was $15,590; by August it was $11,997.


Valentine said that trend line is normal. The Little League season ends in July, so families with young players start taking vacations. Then school starts in August, so young fans can't stay up late to go to the game.The nearly $1 million in food and soft drink sales "is still more than we ever took in at Ray Winder," he said.


North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays said the ballpark accomplished everything he wanted it to when he pitched the idea to voters in 2005. The stadium wouldn't have been built in North Little Rock if voters hadn't stepped up to the plate and approved the tax.


The goal for the stadium was to have "a good, quality venue for entertainment that brought people downtown, and we accomplished that in spades," he said. He also said the game plan was to offer an affordable, family-friendly entertainment, and it did.


General admission tickets were $6 for adults and $3 for children.


Even Hays was surprised by the number of fans. Just before the season started, Hays projected attendance for the season would be between 280,000 and perhaps 350,000.


Hays said the new ballpark was the draw. It was named Ballpark of the Year by both Baseballparks.com and Ballpark Digest.


The Travelers "provide their loyal fan with the kinds of comforts and high-tech niceties previously found only in parks in other parts of the country," Baseballparks.com said in a news release on Aug. 27. "Indeed, Dickey-Stephens Park was a complete revelation to residents in Central Arkansas. After all, for decades they'd been attending games at an antique of a park called Ray Winder Field. Charming and beloved, yes. Modern and comfortable, not at all."


The stadium also received unwelcome national attention in July when a line drive hit and killed the Tulsa Drillers' first-base coach, Mike Coolbaugh.


Developing Downtown NLR


The ballpark made people more aware of downtown North Little Rock, said Michael Drake, the director of the Main Street Program for the city of North Little Rock.


"Just from being on the street, it's a remarkable increase in activity," Drake said. "How do you assess the impact of that?"


Drake credits the new ballpark with helping to attract new businesses and condominiums to downtown North Little Rock.


Drake said Attorney Sam Perroni is planning to build 12 condos and office space just north of the downtown public library branch in the 500 block of Main Street. Construction should start later this year or early 2008, Drake said.


V3 Partners LLC Commercial of North Little Rock has announced it will construct 58 town homes on Maple Street between Fourth and Seventh avenues. The City Grove Townhomes project is expected to start in the fall.


Another 26 condominiums are scheduled to be built on the second and third floors of the Twin City Bank project at Seventh Avenue and Main Street. Construction is expected to start in spring 2008. The North Little Rock bank will have an office on the 40,000-SF site.


No permits associated with the projects have been filed with the city of North Little Rock yet.


"It's just part of the tidal wave of development that results when the private sector and the public sector do these private-public partnerships that improve the quality of life," Smith said.


The $28 million investment in the stadium was worth it, said Terry Hartwick, North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.


"Almost every building in the downtown area is being sold or in the process of being sold," Hart said. "It's not slowing down."


North Little Rock Alderman Olen Thomas opposed the sales tax in 2005, and last week he hadn't changed his mind. Several elderly people told him they didn't want to pay for something they'd never use.


But $5 million of the taxes generated was earmarked to expand the Hays Senior Citizens Center.


Still, Thomas thought it was unfair that most people would have to pay for the expansion, something they wouldn't use - at least for a while. "That was the only reason I was opposed to the funding of it," Thomas said.


The tax meant total sales taxes in North Little Rock were 9 percent on general purchases and 12 percent at restaurants and hotels. Now the tax has declined by 1 percentage point, and the state has also reduced its sales tax on groceries by 3 cents.


Despite his opposition, Thomas said the stadium has turned out to be a good investment. "It's given an opportunity for people from both sides of the river to come over and enjoy baseball at a very fine facility," he said.

[theman]

Little Rock Among 10 'Markets to Watch
By Arkansas Business Staff


Little Rock is among the country's top 10 markets to watch for commercial real estate investors, according to Sperry Van Ness, a commercial real estate advisory firm of Irvine, Calif.


The firm's list highlights places businesses might want to relocate. The survey said markets that made its list are forward-thinking and have great growth potential, offering businesses an environment where they can expand.


The list said Little Rock is considered a "well-kept secret" that might not be a secret much longer. It noted that Little Rock's central business district has seen a big boost from the new Clinton Presidential Library, which has "spurred more than $7 billion in new downtown retail, hospitality, office and residential construction."


"This will certainly attract new businesses and residents to the CBD, which already is attractive to businesses with its urban feel and convenient area amenities that together help create the overall vibrancy of an active downtown environment," the report said. "Major office-using industries coming to - and expanding in - the Little Rock area include state and federal governments, non-profit organizations, University of Arkansas departments, medical and research companies, as well as telecommunications and financial services firms."


The list also said that despite the residential construction slowdown, "the overall strength of the Little Rock economy makes this a solid investment market to watch."


Other markets on the list are: Austin, Texas; central New Jersey; the Carolinas; Houston; New York; San Francisco; and San Jose, Calif.


Here is the complete segment of the listing on Arkansas:


Little Rock


Consistently overshadowed by other, larger metropolitan areas, Little Rock, Arkansas is considered a well-kept secret. But the secret may not stay a secret for much longer. Numerous accolades-including being recently named the second Most Diverse Economy in the United States by Moody's Investment-have served to underscore the strong activity in the marketplace and have further promoted the burgeoning area's vibrancy and success. Vacancy rates in Little Rock are currently at 10.6 percent while rental rates have climbed to a market-wide average of $13.03 per square foot. As the year progresses, it appears that Central Arkansas will continue to see bullish activity from all real estate sectors. This may be particularly true for office product in Little Rock's Central Business District (CBD), which now has even more appeal with the opening of a popular new draw: the William J. Clinton Presidential Center. The completion of the presidential library has spurred more than $7 billion in new downtown retail, hospitality, office and residential construction. This will certainly attract new businesses and residents to the CBD, which already is attractive to businesses with its urban feel and convenient area amenities that together help create the overall vibrancy of an active downtown environment. Major office-using industries coming to - and expanding in - the Little Rock area include state and federal governments, non-profit organizations, University of Arkansas departments, medical and research companies, as well as telecommunications and financial services firms. With such industry diversity and activity, the area can expect to see rent grow to $13.52 per square foot per year before year-end 2008. Though the residential construction slowdown will contribute to a slowing in area job growth this coming year versus previous years, the overall strength of the Little Rock economy makes this a solid investment market to watch.

[theman]

PRESIDENT CLINTON JOINS FRIENDS & FAMILY OF LATE BILL CLARK TO UNVEIL PLANS FOR WETLANDS RESTORATION
Arkansas Times Arkansas Blog

Project Will Be Lasting Memorial to Little Rock Civic Leader

(Little Rock, AR – October 23, 2007) Surrounded by family and friends of the late civic leader William E. “Bill” Clark, President Bill Clinton and Little Rock City Director Dean Kumpuris today unveiled the plans for the thirteen (13) acre William E. Clark Presidential Park Wetlands Project, which will be a lasting memorial to the Little Rock businessman, philanthropist, and outdoorsman who died earlier this year.

The Clark Wetlands Project involves the restoration of riverfront wetlands adjacent to the Clinton Presidential Park and Riverfront Park in downtown Little Rock. It is designed to showcase wildlife and river life in a restored wetlands habitat for the education and enjoyment of the hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to the Clinton Presidential Park and Library and Little Rock’s River Market District.

The William E. Clark Presidential Park Wetlands Project is the result of a national collaboration between The Conservation Fund, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Also participating in the Clark Wetlands Project are Audubon Arkansas, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, the City Parks Conservancy, and the City of Little Rock.

The Wetlands is named for William E. “Bill” Clark, an avid outdoorsman and strong business, civic, charitable, and political leader in Arkansas for over three decades. The Clark and Dillard families created one of the South’s largest construction firms, CDI, of which Bill served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Bill built his personal and professional reputation nationally as CDI successfully completed award-winning projects from coast to coast.

As the builder of the Clinton Presidential Library, Bill Clark and CDI turned the attention of the world to Little Rock for innovation, craftsmanship, skill, and quality in completing perhaps the most intriguing, efficient, environmentally-sensitive Presidential Library in our nation’s history.

In remembering his friend, President Clinton noted, “Bill Clark was respected and beloved throughout Arkansas for his leadership, generosity, candor, humor, and ability to make things happen. Throughout his career, he transformed many landscapes, and the transformation of the Wetlands is a tribute to him personally. It is also a major, environmentally-sensitive addition to the riverfront of Little Rock and to the area which is now the home of my Presidential Library and Heifer International world headquarters.”

Clark’s friend and fellow outdoorsman Dr. Kumpuris remarked, “Bill always loved the outdoors and devoted much of his time to preserving and enjoying it. An avid hunter and fisherman, he spent many sunrises and sunsets overlooking the Arkansas River and wetlands, enjoying nature. With this project, millions more will get to share that same experience and do so in the City that Bill loved next to two parks that he loved.”

The Clark Wetlands will provide unprecedented public access to conservation, tourism, educational, environmental, and wildlife opportunities. The project will feature pedestrian trails and an elevated walkway to provide access to the entire site. The Clark Wetlands will also include two bridges that offer spectacular views of the Arkansas River, the channel stream, and wetland and aquatic habitats. It will feature interpretive displays and observation pavilions for visitors, students, and patrons to both enjoy and learn from the Clark Wetlands.

Design for the William E. Clark Presidential Park Wetlands has been contributed in-kind by Larson Burns Smith, Inc. working with Landscape Architecture, Inc. The $2 million project is scheduled to being construction this winter.



WILLIAM E. CLARK PRESIDENTIAL PARK WETLANDS
Facts

PROJECT AND DESIGN FEATURES:

· Arkansas Backwater Sandbar Habitat Restoration and Demonstration Area

§ Total Ecological Restoration ±5 Acres

§ Sandbar Habitat

§ Low Marsh

§ High Marsh

§ Herbaceous Sandbar

§ Shrub/Tree Sandbar

§ Native Grass, Forbs, Wildflower Seeded High Banks

§ Invasive Species Control

§ Management Plan



· Aquatic Habitat

§ Main Backwater Channel – 8’ deep/5’wide (1000 linear feet)

§ Side Backwater Channel - 3-5’ deep/5’ wide (150 linear feet)

§ Scour Pool – Storm water Outfall – Dissipate Energy

§ Deep Pool – 12’ deep – ¼ acre – Refuge of Cool Water during Summer

§ Channels constructed out of 12” diameter pine logs placed vertical – local renewable resource

§ Total Open Water Channel Width – 25’

§ 10:1 Slope from Channel to Low Marsh



· Terrestrial Habitat

§ Bat Boxes



· Wildlife Viewing

§ Birds

§ Mammals

§ Amphibians

§ Reptiles



· Pedestrian Interaction/Education

§ Concrete Walks with Railing – 1750 linear feet (barrier free)

§ Boardwalks with Rail– 7500 square feet (barrier free)

§ Overlooks with Shade Structures

§ Constructed Wetlands Terraced with Clay Seal

§ Re-Circulate Water – Low flow solar pump

§ Solar Air Diffusers – Dissolved Oxygen Supporting Aquatic life

§ Native Trees

§ Native Ornamental Aquatics



· Storm water Filter and Trash Collection/Disposal Demonstration

§ Trash Boom vs. Oil Grease Separator

§ Maintenance Access to Main Storm water Drain line

§ Stormwater Watershed Area

§ Educational Opportunities

§ Contaminant Filter through Plant Material



· Arkansas River Hydrology

§ Controls every aspect of the project from design through construction

§ Normal Water Level 230

§ Level 233.00 for 50 days of the year

§ High water mark 243.00


BUDGET:

· Project Budget and Funding

§ Approximately $2 Million; combination of Federal grant money and private donations.

§ Private funds raised through contributions to the City Parks Conservancy in memory of William E. “Bill” Clark.



SCHEDULE:

· Construction will commence this winter

· Length of construction will be dictated by the Arkansas River

[theman]

Cities consider River Rail extension to airport
By Jake Sandlin

LITTLE ROCK — A River Rail extension to Little Rock’s airport is moving forward as local governments look for a consultant to map out a route and determine a cost for branching out from downtown.

Three transportation consulting firms in the last week answered requests for proposals from Metroplan, central Arkansas’ regional planning agency, for a feasibility study about linking streetcar tracks in Little Rock’sand North Little Rock’s downtowns with Little Rock National Airport, Adams Field.

The airport’s terminal is about three miles from the streetcar’s easternmost stop near the Clinton Presidential Library and Heifer International.

“It’s really as much of a route study as it is a feasibility study,” Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines said Friday. “There was a study in the late 1980s that said going from downtown to the airport was feasible back then. Ifwe could lay out where the route is going it would give us an idea of what the cost will be.”

The study would consider alternative routes, the use of new track or existing freight rail track, and costs. Results could be complete in six months, Villines said.

Metroplan advertised for proposals on behalf of the county, Little Rock and North Little Rock. Metroplan will form a committee to choose the best proposal then negotiate the consultant’sprice within about a month, said Jim McKenzie, Metroplan’s executive director.

The companies are: Carter & Burgess Inc. of Fort Worth; URS Corporation of Fort Worth; and Wilbur Smith Associates of Columbia, S.C. Carter & Burgess has a branch office in Little Rock.

“The [extension’s] cost will be dictated by the route chosen,” McKenzie said. “We won’t know the route until we get into it.”

River Rail opened a $20 million first phase in November 2004 on two loops in Little Rock and North Little Rock, joined by tracks across the Main Street Bridge across the Arkansas River.

A $9 million second phase to the Clinton Library and Heifer International east of Interstate 30 opened in February, a link designed to someday extend to the airport.

“It’s been in the plans ever since the idea for River Railfirst became a reality,” said Betty Wineland, executive director for Central Arkansas Transit Authority, which manages River Rail. “Just where it was going to fit into the expansion, we really didn’t know.”

The two cities and the county were partners in building the first two phases of the $29 million River Rail and will equally share in subsidizing about $689,000 for operating expenses this year. Federal funding paid for 80 percent of the start-up and expansion. The same formula would apply for the next phase.

Because the second phase is entirely in Little Rock, North Little Rock has first rights to the next extension under terms of project financing agreed to by the two cities. However, Mayor Patrick Hays would forfeit first rights, he said, if it means building an airport extension.

“There is still some development I’d like to see materialize before I would suggest we exercise our option,” Hays said. “And I think it would benefit us a great deal to have downtown connection from our city to the airport.”

When the airport built a parking deck in 2001, plans incorporated ways to accommodate a River Rail link, said Philip Launius, the airport’s spokesman.

The airport has never surveyed airline passengers to measure interest in a streetcar extension, but such an addition would likely draw passengers, he added.

“It would be an interestingsort of way to get to and from here,” Launius said. “Obviously, local passengers would have their vehicles here. The people from out-of-town might enjoy it and might like to do it because it would be a different thing to do.”

The extension could use current streetcars and continue onto the existing 3.4 miles of track, Wineland said. Streetcars can reach speeds of 40 miles an hour, but move slowly now because most track runs along busy downtown streets.

“I wouldn’t think people leaving the airport would necessarily want to transfer,” Wineland said. “We might want to modify the interior [of additional trolleys] to have areas for luggage, but we basically could use the same cars.”

River Rail averaged 12,035 passengers monthly running three streetcars at a time through the first nine months of this year, Wineland said. Since it opened three years ago, streetcars havecarried about 445,000 riders.

However, passenger trends from CATA show numbers lag in day-to-day riders, but peak for downtown events and during conventions.

“Right now it is set up for primarily for the tourist trade,” McKenzie said. “But the other thing we had hoped would happen is happening and that is we’re getting a significant amount of redevelopment along the rail line.

“So from the development angle, it’s done exactly what it was intended to do. And it is supporting the tourist economy, which is no small contribution to the regional economy here.”

[totheskies]

River Rail opened a $20 million first phase in November 2004 on two loops in Little Rock and North Little Rock, joined by tracks across the Main Street Bridge across the Arkansas River.

A $9 million second phase to the Clinton Library and Heifer International east of Interstate 30 opened in February, a link designed to someday extend to the airport.
“It’s been in the plans ever since the idea for River Railfirst became a reality,” said Betty Wineland, executive director for Central Arkansas Transit Authority, which manages River Rail. “Just where it was going to fit into the expansion, we really didn’t know.”

The two cities and the county were partners in building the first two phases of the $29 million River Rail and will equally share in subsidizing about $689,000 for operating expenses this year. Federal funding paid for 80 percent of the start-up and expansion. The same formula would apply for the next phase.

Because the second phase is entirely in Little Rock, North Little Rock has first rights to the next extension under terms of project financing agreed to by the two cities. However, Mayor Patrick Hays would forfeit first rights, he said, if it means building an airport extension.
“There is still some development I’d like to see materialize before I would suggest we exercise our option,” Hays said. “And I think it would benefit us a great deal to have downtown connection from our city to the airport.”

When the airport built a parking deck in 2001, plans incorporated ways to accommodate a River Rail link, said Philip Launius, the airport’s spokesman.

The airport has never surveyed airline passengers to measure interest in a streetcar extension, but such an addition would likely draw passengers, he added.

“It would be an interestingsort of way to get to and from here,” Launius said. “Obviously, local passengers would have their vehicles here. The people from out-of-town might enjoy it and might like to do it because it would be a different thing to do.”

The extension could use current streetcars and continue onto the existing 3.4 miles of track, Wineland said. Streetcars can reach speeds of 40 miles an hour, but move slowly now because most track runs along busy downtown streets.

“I wouldn’t think people leaving the airport would necessarily want to transfer,” Wineland said. “We might want to modify the interior [of additional trolleys] to have areas for luggage, but we basically could use the same cars.”

River Rail averaged 12,035 passengers monthly running three streetcars at a time through the first nine months of this year, Wineland said. Since it opened three years ago, streetcars havecarried about 445,000 riders.


Amazing!!! Simply Amazing!!!!!!!!!

The long-term planning for the RiverRail sees no end in sight. Some of these Texans should take notice

[theman]

Going ‘Vertical’
Developer hopes project is a ‘catalyst’ for Union Station area.
David Koon
Arkansas Times



The block bounded by West Markham, Garland, South Victory and South Pulaski Streets near Union Station in Little Rock doesn't look like much yet — a sloping, newly-denuded lot that quickly turned to a muddy quagmire during the rains last week. Given the neighborhood, however, any amount of progress has to be counted as a positive. Nearby, a seemingly abandoned car sits on a flat, surrounded by old clothes, empty food wrappers, cigarette butts and broken glass. A few blocks over, outside the Salvation Army shelter on Markham, homeless men linger on the sidewalk, hands jammed in their pockets against the cold snap.


The developer of the project — to be called Vertical Modern Urban Lofts — believes in the potential of the area. Calling the neighborhood around the train station a “well kept secret,” he hopes his $7 million dollar development will be the spark the area needs to take off.


The brains behind Vertical Lofts is Matt Bell. A co-founder of Little Rock's Bell-Corley Construction, Bell recently left the company to pursue projects like Vertical. Bell's vision for Vertical is ambitious: a compact, gated community of 22 residential units and one commercial space, each housed in a modern, three-story take on the traditional townhouse. All will be built with environmentally friendly features like ultra-efficient heat and air, bamboo floors, and insulated concrete forms. Bell said utility costs should run at around 35 percent of a traditionally built home of similar size. The residential units, ranging from 2,050 to 2,450 square feet, will each feature a two-car garage, a rooftop patio, and views of the State Capitol, Union Train Station and Episcopal Collegiate School. Bell said the units will be priced from $319,900 to $375,500.


In order to buy the entire block for the development, Bell had to put together a series of seven individual deals for the houses that once stood there. He said if he hadn't been able to purchase all the properties, the project would have been a no-go.


“Once I got the entire block, it allowed me to secure [the planned development] with fencing and controlled access gates. It's a lot more secure.”


Though condominiums have been the hot thing in the Little Rock real estate market of late, Bell said that the units at Vertical Lofts aren't condos. Instead, he said, they're “lot line houses,” with the buyer purchasing both the structure and the land it sits on. As such, there will be no condo dues, just a property owners' association fee. He said about a third of the units in phase one have already been sold.


“It's behind about three weeks because of this rain right now,” Bell said. “But in six months from right now, the first phase — phase one — will be complete. We'll start phase two within three months after that, and it looks like we'll have a lot of that pre-sold as well.” Bell said that the pricing will be considerably lower than condominiums in the River Market area.


“These are going to be quite a bit less per square foot,” he said. “The ones downtown are running close to $300 a square foot. These are starting at $153 a square foot. So, about half the price, and they all have two car garages not included in the square footage.”


Bell admits that the neighborhood around his development — which includes shabby warehouse space, some dilapidated houses and the Salvation Army shelter — is part of the reason why the area has long been passed over by developers. Bell, however, sees the neighborhood as ripe for investment. Once Vertical Lofts is in place, he said, it should serve as a catalyst for further development, with new construction and upscale renovations “backfilling” toward downtown and eventually revitalizing the entire Markham/President Clinton Avenue corridor.


To see that happen, however, Bell said that the Salvation Army shelter at 1111 W. Markham will likely need to go. “There's a lot of loitering,” Bell said. “For further development — commercial, retail — it's a pretty bad detriment to the area and I would like to see it moved to a location that is less critical to the city as far as development goes.”


Randy Jeffrey is director of the Capitol Zoning District Commission, a state agency that tries to spur development and revitalization in the neighborhoods adjacent to the state Capitol. Though the Salvation Army shelter lies just outside the CZD, he said the location of the shelter can be a problem when it comes to development near the train station.


“The homeless force that is so prevalent in that area can be a detriment to development,” Jeffery said. “It is a concern, and it's difficult to know what to do. You want to help people in need, but the area also needs development.”


Regardless, Jeffery said the Vertical Lofts project is sure to help the prospects for the train station area. “It's the first residential development that's gone on in that neighborhood in — oh, I couldn't even begin to guess,” he said. “I certainly think it's going to help spur revitalization of the neighborhood and be an asset to the neighborhood.”

[theman]

Hotel Renovation Redux: A 'Capital Idea' Reborn
By Jan Cottingham
Arkansas Business


It should be clear by now that Warren Stephens doesn't take half measures: Episcopal Collegiate School. The Alotian Club. Dickey-Stephens Park.

The CEO of Stephens Inc. can now add the renovated Capital Hotel to the roster of Stephens-subsidized creations, or in the case of the Capital, re-creations. A couple of these gems are private, a couple public; all are first-class additions to the central Arkansas scene.


Stephens, who owns the hotel with his wife, Harriet, made his intent clear in a news conference last Monday, the first day that the 135-year-old Capital was open to the public.


"This hotel will move Little Rock to the absolute top in terms of a luxury hotel," Stephens said." We have a hotel that is equal to or better than any I've ever been in."


Just a few days before, workers had finished placing the Stephens Inc. name in letters at least a story high on the Stephens Building at Center and West Markham streets. The 25-story blue-glass high-rise towers over the Victorian-era hotel just a block away.


The Stephens name can now be seen far and wide, a symbolic gesture, intended or not, that Warren Stephens has fully emerged from under the giant shadow cast by his late father, financier Jackson T. "Jack" Stephens, founder with his brother, W.R. "Witt," of the Stephens empire.


And the Capital Hotel, enlarged, refurbished and modernized in every way, is back, having closed in November 2005 for a renovation that was projected to take about eight months and cost something more than $1 million.


Two years and at least $24 million later, Stephens told reporters: "One of the things we want to do is establish the highest level of service that we can. We had a very good level of service in the old hotel ... but we certainly are striving for a higher level of service with the facilities that we now have that can support that level of service."


The facilities include new meeting rooms totaling 6,400 SF, five state-of-the-art kitchens, new plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and mechanical systems, flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet in every room, luxury linens and two revitalized restaurants: a smaller, more intimate and more elegant Ashley's and a highly polished wood-paneled Capital Bar & Grill that will offer "organic" martinis among other libations.


'Taken Down to the Studs'


The building was, as Chuck Magill, the Capital Hotel's genial marketing director, put it, "taken down to the studs." Those bare bones, which first went up in 1872 as a complex of stores, offices and "gentlemen's living quarters," are the cause of some confusion about the hotel's age. "Constuction started in 1872, but the building was not a hotel," Mike Polston, staff historian with the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, wrote in an e-mail. "It opened as a hotel in Jan. 1877. The way I see it is that the building is about 135 years old and hotel will be about 131."


Quoting that same indispensable resource: "The new hotel got its name from a Little Rock matron, Mrs. Morehead Wright. When asked ... to suggest a name, Wright noted that it was a 'capital enterprise located in a capital building' in the 'capital of the state,' which she hoped would be a 'capital success.' Hence, in January 1877, the Capital Hotel opened with a new, grand interior created to match its grand exterior. The hotel hosted many political and historic personages, including President Ulysses S. Grant. In fact, legend says that the Capital's unusually large elevator was built to allow Grant to take his horse to his hotel room."


Despite the massive makeover, the "unusually large elevator" remains intact. Indeed, on first inspection, the hotel does not appear radically altered. The effect is both deceptive and intentional - deceptive in that massive work was done on the hotel and intentional in that the Stephenses wanted to preserve a building that is, after all, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


The hotel, which the Stephens' interests bought in 1988, underwent its last major restoration in 1983, when it was brought back from terrible disrepair.


"We think that we've done some great things to the hotel," Stephens said last week. "We improved it. We kept the things that people loved about it before and we think we've added some things that people are going to love going forward in the future."


Stephens said the hotel lobby would be among the first changes that visitors would notice. "The lobby looks the same except it's white and before the columns were kind of yellowed." The renovators matched the columns, which are faux marble, to the, real, marble walls, "and I think it really increases the lightness of the lobby."


The most dramatic changes, he said, are the additions of two event rooms on either side of the mezzanine and an 1,800-SF ballroom on the first floor, behind the lobby. That ballroom was carved out of what Magill called the "core" of the hotel and what had been two restrooms, a men's and a women's, and space that had previously housed various small retail operations. The ballroom, whose walls are covered in lattice-work, features state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment.


Space remains for a Bauman's apparel store, which Magill expects will open after the first of the year and which will offer Ferragamo items for men and women, the full line of Kiehl's products and Bauman's "signature custom-tailored clothing."


The hotel palette is one of burgundy/rust, brown and gold, colors that Magill called true to the Capital's Victorian heritage.


Stephens said that he and his wife were "very involved" in the renovation, including all the color schemes of the rooms, carpets and draperies. "All those things Harriet approved." The Stephenses did employ the interior design firm of David Kleinberg & Associates of New York. David Kleinberg has worked with Mr. and Mrs. Stephens on other projects, including their own home. Mark Doramus oversaw the construction.


The Capital's previous 120 rooms have been trimmed to 94, allowing not just for more spacious guest rooms but for bigger bathrooms and closets. A "luxury tier" of rooms includes four new 1,100-SF corner suites and 15 800-SF Capital Rooms. The corner suites, which run $760 a night, feature a reception foyer, a powder room, dining and living areas and one or two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. More than 50 percent of the rooms rent at $199 a night, Magill said.


Kleinberg said in a telephone interview from New York that he took his design inspiration from the hotel itself and its location. "We tried to make sure that it didn't look like it was part of a chain." The hotel's design "really acknowledges that it's a one-of-a-kind little boutique hotel," he said. "I tried to have it have the feel of Southern hospitality and turn-of-the-century charm."


"The only challenges were dealing with the individual spaces, because it is an old building where no two windows are alike, no two rooms alike," Kleinberg said. "It allowed us to address things in more of a residential way and look at each space on its own merit."


He has a good relationship with the Stephenses, Kleinberg said, which was a bonus. "Warren and Harriet Stephens don't do things halfway."


Asked about any surprises discovered in the renovation of such an old building, Stephens laughed and said, "One of the surprises for me was how well some of the original timber support beams still look," though they found a fair share of termites.


However, "We suspected that the infrastructure of the hotel was in bad need of an upgrade and repair, and we were right about that," he said.


Magill said that "I would have to say that the former bus station turned out to have been built like the proverbial Fort Knox and took much longer than anticipated to demolish." That station became private parking for hotel guests.


Other less noticeable additions include staff office and storage space. "You just have to do those back-of-the-house things in order to achieve what you want to do from a service level," Stephens said.


Food and Drink


One of the most heralded changes has been the hiring of executive chef Lee Richardson. Like Magill, Richardson hails from New Orleans, where he worked at Restaurant August under the tutelage of James Beard Award-winning chef John Besh.


Richardson directed the design and installation of the five kitchens and calls his culinary philosophy "a celebration of Southern tradition meets genuine Midwestern values - country ham and sorghum, catfish and pecans, black apples and walnuts in a patchwork quilt."


"He's going to celebrate a little bit more of Arkansas and Southern cooking I think than we've done in the past," Stephens said. "It's still going to be a fine dining experience, but you're going to have some interesting menu options. I can speak for a lot of his interesting options. Every one I've had has been delicious."


The mezzanine, which previously was used for events, is now furnished with separate seating areas and, Magill said, will be more of a meeting place where guests can enjoy a cup of tea or glass of wine in the afternoon after the start of the new year.


A "fact sheet" provided by Magill said that the Capital wine cellar, which had been used as an exclusive private dining room, will retain that function. "Guests enjoy a unique tasting menu designed to include only the finest available foods tailored to the preference of the host and paired with wines from our 600 label cellar."


Finally, the Capital Bar & Grill, in addition to those organic martinis, will offer "comfort" cuisine, now that it has its own kitchen. The bar looks to maintain its long tradition as a place to do spirits-assisted business and political deals.


The Business


Stephens said the hotel "financially did very well before the renovation. We think it will do much better going forward. We absolutely expect to be very profitable. ... Getting the return on the investment that we made, we feel really very good about that. And a lot of it is that is because we have the meeting rooms and ballrooms and facilities that we just never had before."


The hotel is getting 10 inquiries a week about weddings, rehearsal dinners and other events, he said.


In 2004, the last full year that the Capital Hotel was open, the hotel's revenue per room was $33,095, second in the Little Rock area behind only the Embassy Suites on Financial Centre Parkway.


Stephens called the Capital "a combination of history and modern conveniences that you just don't see very often. And I think what that means to Little Rock, we'll just have to see. But I know that if I was someone who was interested in old hotels or trying to see what a city had to offer - and there are a lot of those people, that that's what they do, that's what they enjoy doing - this place would be on the list and they'd make it a point to be here."


In other words: Rebuild it and they will come.

[theman]

Here is the first of two articles on railroad bridge renovations into pedestrian bridges in downtown Little Rock. The first is in the planning stages and the second is currently being converted.

Clinton Library Bridge Project Remains in Plan
By Nate Hinkel
Arkansas Business


The western end of the 14.2-mile River Trail has been carrying pedestrians and cyclists over the Arkansas River for more than a year, but its eastern counterpart is still in flux.

When converted, the Rock Island Bridge will complete the eastern loop of the paved trail, giving users an integrated and easily accessible route to traverse the Arkansas River from downtown North Little Rock and Little Rock. Renovating the bridge for foot and bike traffic was part of the original vision for the Clinton Presidential Library, which opened in 2004, and officials say completing the project is still a top priority.


But funding delays and rising material costs have slowed the project, and officials are hesitant to put a time frame on when it might be completed.


"We are moving forward with the project, and we have dedicated a lot of time and effort to making this a reality," said Jordan Johnson, a spokesman for the Clinton Foundation. "The importance of the bridge in terms of River Trail usage, economic development and tourism purposes is clear, and we are proceeding with finalizing the best possible plan from both a design and cost standpoint."


Renovation of the Rock Island Bridge, which was built by the Memphis & Choctaw Railroad in 1899, was originally expected to cost about $5 million, but estimates have now risen to between $10 million and $13 million. The Clinton Foundation will put up $4 million, while the city of Little Rock is standing by its original commitment of an additional $1 million. That still leaves funding to be found for more than half the total cost.


Johnson said he's optimistic the remaining money can be secured through federal grants and further fundraising efforts. He said Clinton Library officials met a year ago with a group that was working on a similar project in Pittsburgh, and learning of its price tag was an "awakening."


"No doubt we originally didn't expect it to cost that much," Johnson said. "But the price of steel is the main cost factor, along with other aspects we wanted to include to ensure we were going to get it right and have a structure everyone can be proud of."


NLR Stands Ready


North Little Rock city officials, meanwhile, are ahead of the game. Mayor Patrick Hays said the bridge's landing on his side of the river is already being prepared, mainly because of new Federal Emergency Management Agency maps and flood plain initiatives.


"We have a very high level of confidence that construction on that bridge will begin in the next year or two and have been doing our part," Hays said. "That's prime riverfront property, and we're ready to have another entrance into our great city."


Hays said the City Council will consider Monday night a plan to make available the space between the foot of the Rock Island Bridge and the Interstate 40 bridge for an "entertainment-slash-RV park." He said the space would be available to visitors with recreational vehicles most of the time, but would also be open to concerts and special events. The city would also build a pavilion and perhaps even a playground, Hays said.



We are moving forward with the project, and we have dedicated a lot of time and effort to making this a reality.

More than seven miles upstream near the I-430 bridge, the $12.5 million Big Dam Bridge, which opened in September 2006, has been serving the western edge of the River Trail loop with much fanfare.


Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines, credited with championing the Big Dam Bridge project, said a recent estimate put bridge traffic at as much as 4,000 visitors on a busy day. He says the Rock Island Bridge is a key component of the River Trail and could expect even greater traffic because of its proximity to the Clinton Library and other downtown attractions.


"There's no question it's an integral part of the overall vision, and the quicker it gets done, the better off we'll be," Villines said. "My understanding is that they are close to getting a plan going, and I think everyone will be excited to have that completed."


Junction Function


With the western edge of the trail anchored by the Big Dam Bridge and the eastern edge in the works, one more former railroad bridge in between is undergoing a transformation.


Work on making the Junction Bridge, under the guidance of the Pulaski County Bridge Public Facilities Board, into a pedestrian bridge is expected to be completed by May. (For more on progress there, click here.)


Although the $4.8 million project will connect pedestrians and cyclists with both sides of the river, it differs from the aim of the Rock Island Bridge in that it won't be a flowing continuation of the River Trail.


"Because of the lift span that needs to be permanently raised for river traffic, the design includes elevators for users to connect the two levels on each side," said Billie Ann Myers, chairman of the Bridge Facilities Board.


Johnson said a final design has not yet been decided on for the Rock Island Bridge, but he is certain that it will include a plan to allow a seamless flow of traffic without the use of stairs or an elevator.


"That's another reason the cost would be higher," he said.


An Eye-Opener


When Clinton Foundation officials met with a group redeveloping a former train bridge in Pittsburgh in November 2006, developers of the Rock Island Bridge project gained needed perspective.


"Converting these old train bridges into a modern pedestrian crossing is a unique animal in that it hasn't been done very much," Johnson said. "The bridge in Pittsburgh is similar to the Rock Island Bridge in a lot of ways, and it was eye-opening to see what all went into their process and how much it ended up costing them."


The Clinton Foundation has spent several hundred thousand dollars since in feasibility and design studies, and is now focused on finalizing a plan and raising the additional funds.


In Pittsburgh, the $10 million Hot Metal Bridge for bikers and pedestrians will have a ribbon-cutting Wednesday. The Pittsburgh bridge, which formerly was used to shuttle molten iron and materials between steel plants on both sides of the Monongahela River there, is a key piece of that city's Three Rivers Heritage Trail and the Eliza Furnace Trail.


"The similarities in terms of being an important link to an ongoing and expanding trail system was another thing we had in common," Johnson said. "The feedback and advice we've gotten from them has been immeasurable."


Build It and They'll Come


Villines said an accurate price tag can't be attached to the economic benefits of completing the Rock Island Bridge and subsequently the entire River Trail loop.


The Big Dam Bridge alone further branded itself with an annual 100-mile bike race that had a surprising 1,200 participants in its inaugural race on opening weekend in 2006. This year, the "Big Dam 100" attracted more than 1,500, he said.


"And a good portion of those folks come to town from other parts of the state and other parts of the country," Villines said. "Once we get the entire loop finished out, more opportunities will come, and more visitors will come."


Bruce Moore, Little Rock city manager, said the delay in renovating the Rock Island Bridge hasn't affected the city's $1 million pledge. The money, said Moore, was a part of a parks and recreation bond issue in 1998.


"The city actually owns the bridge, and we have been working very closely with the Clinton Foundation in getting this done," he said. "This is just another component to our downtown revitalization that we've made a commitment to getting accomplished. The library alone has proven to be worth every cent of investment, and I see the bridge as being that same kind of investment."


Johnson was hesitant to put a time frame on the project, but said renovation of the Rock Island Bridge is as big a priority now as it has been.


"We're moving forward more quickly than ever before and hope to have a clearer overall picture very soon," he said.

[theman]

Second bridge article.

Junction Bridge Right on Track
By Nate Hinkel
Arkansas Business


The head of the board overseeing the transition of the Junction Bridge from an old railroad bridge to a pedestrian walkway says the project is right on schedule.


Billie Ann Myers, chairman of the Pulaski County Bridge Public Facilities Board, said the $4.8 million project is on schedule for a soft launch in early May.


"Our goal was to have it done before all of the Riverfest festivities, and it looks like that's going to happen," she said. "It'll be the best view of the fireworks in the city."


The Junction Bridge project began its transformation in June. May Construction of Little Rock won the bid for the renovation, and McClelland Consulting Engineers Inc. of Little Rock handled the design work.


When completed, the Junction Bridge will transport pedestrians and bikers across the Arkansas River. One of the biggest challenges was accommodating the lifted portion of the bridge, which is about 35 feet taller in the middle than the rest of the span to allow for river traffic.


"I think one of the biggest challenges construction crews faced was getting that lift span up and locked into place," said Buddy Villines, Pulaski County judge, who toured the bridge early last week. "But everything has gone smoothly."


For pedestrians to maneuver the lift span, staircases and elevators were incorporated into the design.


Myers said the board is still seeking an additional $1 million or so to add decorative LED lighting and other "bells and whistles" that can be included down the road.


"The lighting system that is already in the plan is beautiful, and it's going to have a really great look to it," she said. "But eventually there's going to be room to add some lighting, benches and more decorative-type things that we're preparing for now."

Little Rock's Junction Bridge.