Now that the Back 40 trail system is complete, Bella Vista is taking the first steps toward its next mountain bike trail system, which will wind through the central part of the city, near lakes Windsor and Avalon.
Mayor Peter Christie said he expects to meet with representatives from Northwest Arkansas Trailblazers, the Property Owners Association, Cooper Communities and the Walton Family Foundation to discuss moving forward with the city's master trail plan, which calls for trails running throughout the city.
"The template we set up for cooperation and working together was good," Christie said, "so we'll essentially go through the same thing."
With a model in place after the various entities hashed out responsibilities for the Back 40, he said, he expects things to move quicker this time around.
This particular step, he said, will be covering what he considers the central part of the city, between U.S. Highway 71 and the Highlands Gate. This will be another roughly 40 miles of trail, he said.
The final stage, he said, is another series of trails in the Highlands, around Loch Lomond.
Maps in the master plan, which was put together in 2015, show a trio of primary trails running through the hills around lakes Avalon and Windsor, connecting near the corner of the Back 40 system where it nears the intersection of U.S. 71 and Lancashire Boulevard. The southern end of the system, as shown on the map, brushes near the intersection of U.S. 71 and Riordan Road, not far from Blowing Springs.
Secondary trails shown on the map connect various points on these main routes, just like trails do on the Back 40.
But while there is a plan in place, it's possible the final layout, once it accommodates the lay of the land, may not match it exactly.
At this point, Christie said, all that's happening is meetings being scheduled.
"We're not even close to digging trails yet," Christie said.
General News on 01/25/2017