FORT SMITH, Ark. — The city of Fort Smith is working to replace a city dog park that was closed the first of December, and City Administrator Carl Geffken announced during a Fort Smith Board of Directors study session Tuesday night (Jan. 11) one should be coming by spring.
Geffken told the board during a comment section of the meeting that the city has been working with Sebastian County and the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) to replace the Airport Dog Park located at the corner of Massard Road and Louisville Street on the east side of Fort Smith. The $22 million extension of the primary runway at the Fort Smith Regional Airport expected to begin in May necessitated the closure of the Airport Dog Park Dec. 1, Geffken said.
The city committed $5 million toward a $22 million project to extend the runway by 1,300 additional feet. The $22 million dollar project is a collaboration between the state, which committed the other $17 million for the project, and the city for a new military mission at Ebbing Air National Guard base at the airport. The base was selected last year to be the long-term pilot training center supporting F-16 and F-35 fighter planes purchased by countries participating in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. It is estimated that 345 U.S. military personnel will be part of the center along with an estimated 180-plus members of the Singapore unit and around 300 dependents. Training and aircraft from Finland and Poland may also be part of the FMS site in the future.
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