The Bentonville City Council approved spending about $70,000 to fix a local trail damaged by storms that rolled through Benton County last month.
Aldermen voted on the measure to repair Wishing Springs Trail during Tuesday’s regularly-scheduled city council meeting. Heavy rains of more than five inches severely damaged the trail and parks on April 18.
“The force of the water ripped through the retaining wall on Wishing Spring Trail, that leads pedestrians and cyclists into the tunnel that goes underneath North Walton (Boulevard),” states a Bentonville city memo from David Wright, parks and recreation director.
City officials expect the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management to reimburse Bentonville at 35 percent of the expenses to repair the trail damage, the memo states. The city council approved a bid waiver on the repairs because Wright said bidding could delay the project for a minimum of 45 days.
