BENTONVILLE (KFSM) -- A topping out ceremony was held in Bentonville Friday (June 29) at the Helen R. Walton Children's Enrichment Center.
The ceremony was held at the site of the new facility on N.E. J Street, just south of the Amazeum.
The topping out ceremony is an age-old tradition that announced the project is near completion. This is the first early childhood program in the nation designed and constructed with an emphasis on a toxic-free environment by using only the safest building materials.
"One of the things that I don't think the community is aware of yet is the fact that this is a healthy facility, from construction materials to means to clean and maintain it, to the type of equipment that we'll be providing not only for dieting but within the classroom is healthy," executive director Michelle Barnes said.
The new center is the expansion of the Early Childhood Initiative Center and is an opportunity to collaborate with the other 400 centers in Benton and Washington Counties.