Walton Family Foundation grants to fund big changes for Razorback Greenway, Bentonville schools
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The latest batch of Walton Family Foundation grants will help regional planners decide what's next for the Razorback Greenway, and Bentonville Public Schools decide what's next for its downtown campus.
The big picture: The grants come via the design excellence program, which has supported construction and renovation projects like the Rogers Historical Museum and Railyard Park in downtown Rogers or TheatreSquared in downtown Fayetteville.
- The program recently expanded into master planning, Meredith Bergstrom, senior program officer at the foundation, told Axios.
What it means: The grants have gone toward architectural and construction costs for projects that the recipients expect to be built quickly. Now, they can also go toward hiring consultants and other planning costs for longer-term projects.
By the numbers: The Walton Family Foundation awarded $800,000 to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission and $450,000 to Bentonville Public Schools, Kathryn Heller with the foundation confirmed.
Razorback Greenway
State of play: The 40-mile walking and biking trail that connects Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Lowell, Springdale, Johnson and Fayetteville, is largely used for recreation and exercise.
- But the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission wants to look at how it can be taken to the next level as more of a transportation route, Tim Reavis of the commission told Axios.
What's next: That means working with leaders from the seven cities to identify possible land use policy changes to allow for more housing to be built closer to the greenway, plus spaces for new parks and conservation areas, he said.
Bentonville Public Schools
What we're watching: Old High Middle School, the former high school that was built in the late 1920s, and R.E. Baker Elementary School, which was built in the 1950s, are still open to students in downtown Bentonville.
- The district will use the design excellence grant to collect community feedback and begin planning TBD construction projects for the schools, which share a cafeteria and library, district spokesperson Leslie Wright told Axios.
What they're saying: "Their challenge is really to think about, 'As we grow, how do we best serve our students? And how do we think about this land maximizing its potential to invite the community to be part of downtown?'" Bergstrom said.
- "So the consultant they select will help them address some of those challenges with robust stakeholder engagement community input from parents, teachers from students and the broader community."
The intrigue: While the school district is growing overall, the student population is declining near the downtown Bentonville area, Wright said.
- This district will use this opportunity to consider its options for the campus, which could involve renovating or tearing down parts of R.E. Baker, creating spaces for the public or making the schools part of the district's parent-choice program so students in the district who are assigned to a different school could possibly attend downtown.