Bentonville residents to weigh in on trails and bikeways through new Active transportation advisory board
The city will start working more closely with residents to further develop its trails and bikeways via a new Active Transportation Advisory Board next month.
The City Council unanimously approved appointing Mayor Stephanie Orman's recommendations for the first batch of nine voting members to the board Tuesday -- plus one nonvoting member.
The Active Transportation Advisory Board will represent the general community and advise the mayor and City Council on policy matters concerning trails and bikeway facilities, according to the ordinance creating the board the council approved Oct. 8. All board decisions will be subject to final approval by the council or mayor.
Dan Weese, Bentonville transportation director, said via email the new board will elevate the voices of pedestrians, cyclists and other active transportation users and guide the city in implementing the Connecting Bentonville Plan -- the city's bike and pedestrian master plan adopted in January 2021 -- as well as refining projects to meet real-world needs. He said it will be vital in ensuring infrastructure investments, such as sidewalks, protected bike lanes and trail connectivity, reflect the diverse experiences and priorities of residents.
"The goal is to ensure that decision makers, whether elected officials or city staff, have direct access to the community's needs and ideas for safe, efficient and inclusive infrastructure," he said. "With the board's support, we aim to fully realize the city's long-term vision outlined in the bike and pedestrian master plan, ultimately creating a multimodal network where walking and biking are not only possible but preferred."
Josh Stacey, city deputy parks director, said the Parks and Recreation Department will lead the board with support from the transportation and planning departments. The board's first official meeting will be May 20 at the Bentonville Public Library, though it will take part in a bus tour Tuesday with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to learn about active transportation infrastructure projects throughout the city.
GETTING OUT
Having active transportation infrastructure is important for creating a high quality of life for Bentonville residents, according to Stacey. He argued cities and communities in which people can get around without a vehicle are the healthiest.
This infrastructure also offers a "piece of the puzzle" in the city's efforts to alleviate traffic congestion, Stacey said.
Weese agreed the city's expanded network of trails, protected bike lanes and multiuse paths will relieve pressure on its traditional roadways by offering safe and convenient alternatives for commuting.
"These efforts, seen in projects such as the Razorback Regional Greenway and Bentonville's growing trail network, not only reduce congestion, but also promote healthier lifestyles, and create a more resilient transportation system overall," he said.
Stacey said the community is telling the city active transportation is a priority and need as well.
A 2024 audience research survey from the Denver-based nonprofit City Thread contracted by the Bentonville Moves Coalition showed 89% of the Bentonville residents it polled support the Connecting Bentonville Plan.
The survey also found 64% of residents believe developing alternatives to driving is the best way to reduce the community's traffic issues -- compared to the 51% who felt that way in 2023 -- while 37% believe traffic congestion is the most important problem the city faces.
Bentonville has about 40 miles of active transportation infrastructure, including trails and bikeways, according to Stacey.
GETTING VARIETY
Active Transportation Advisory Board members will serve without pay and include one voting member representing people with disabilities, according to the ordinance creating the board. It states nonvoting members will include a high school student, a City Council member and the city parks and recreation, transportation and planning directors.
Orman's appointees who the City Council approved Tuesday and their respective term lengths are:
Steven George, Christina Johnson and Luke Powers: one-year terms expiring Dec. 31.
Monica Diodati, Jocelyn Lampkin and Jason McCrory: two-year terms expiring Dec. 31, 2026.
Ashley Calderon, Shannon Reyenga and Evan Spring: three-year terms expiring Dec. 31, 2027.
Orman also recommended Sadie Koudelka, a Bentonville West High School student, as the board's youth nonvoting representative. Gayatri Agnew, a Ward 1 City Council member, will also be on the board in a nonvoting capacity, according to Stacey.
Stacey said the city began advertising for people to serve on the board in December. A committee consisting of himself, Agnew and Tyler Overstreet, city planning and community development director, interviewed the 31 applicants and sent its recommendations for appointment to Orman.
Stacey said the interview committee wanted to ensure the board members represented the entire community -- as opposed to just one geographical part of it -- and worked for a variety of employers. He noted the applicants the committee chose have lived in Bentonville for varying lengths of time and use the city's active transportation system in different ways.
"There's some folks on the board who are very educated and involved in active transportation already," he said. "They may serve on other committees, or they're involved in other organizations.
"And then there's some folks who are purely recreational users that have nothing do with that, so again, we really wanted as diverse of a group of people as we could to be on this board so that we're really getting a true sense of what the community's wanting versus just a bunch of experts or just a bunch of novices."
THREE MEMBERS' PERSPECTIVES
Johnson said Bentonville's active transportation infrastructure inspired her to start biking to work after moving to the city just over a year ago. She now also uses the paved bike trails to run errands, see concerts and visit friends whenever possible.
Johnson said she would love to help inspire and enable more people to participate in active transportation in Bentonville, as well as have a voice in the further development of active transportation infrastructure there. She hopes to contribute to the Advisory Board the perspective of a young professional working for Walmart -- representing a key demographic for potential active commuters.
"My goal is to make active transportation more accessible, feasible and safe for everyone in our community," she said. "Having a board of people who are on the ground and use the infrastructure daily will help the City Council be more in tune with the community's needs in the area of active transportation. They will be able to identify issues more quickly and improve the infrastructure more efficiently."
Calderon, an avid bicyclist and director of international leverage for Walmart, applied for the board because she deeply believes in the role active transportation plays in building a vibrant, healthy and connected community, she said. She's also passionate about using her voice and experience to amplify community input and help shape a transportation future that's accessible for everyone and, as a first-generation Latina, deeply committed to encouraging Latino representation and involvement in city initiatives.
Calderon said she brings a unique blend of strategic vision, operational expertise and commitment to community advocacy to the board, along with a passion for equity. She said she has experience building partnerships involving different fields of work, driving grassroots engagement and leading initiatives requiring diverse input and forward-thinking solutions.
"I want to support the continued expansion of safe, connected trail networks, especially in underserved or growing areas," she said. "I envision a future where you can bike, walk, skate, etc. from anywhere to anywhere in Bentonville."
Reyenga, a stay-at-home parent, said she uses Bentonville's trails and sidewalks every day for errands and leisure. Being legally blind, she can't drive or ride a bike, so using the city's active transportation infrastructure allows her and her 5-year-old son to travel independently and pursue more opportunities than they could by just using transit.
Serving on the board seemed like a great opportunity to help improve conditions for residents like her who don't drive, Reyenga said. She hopes her perspective as a disabled person will help shine a light on areas that may be overlooked or misunderstood, noting sometimes details as small as the orientation of a curb cut or tactile marker can make a big difference for someone with mobility-related challenges.
"A goal I hope to work on is maintaining access where we already have it," she said. "The city of Bentonville has some great infrastructure already, and it is deeply frustrating when safe access is blocked for silly reasons like someone parking on the sidewalk. By the end of my term, I hope it's safer and easier to get around Bentonville."
The interview committee selected the term lengths each member will have essentially at random, according to Stacey. However, the city will offer appointees the chance to reapply for another three-year term when their current term expires.
The board will meet at noon on the third Tuesday of each month, though it can call special meetings if necessary, according to the ordinance.
Stacey said the board's first four meetings will be at the Bentonville Public Library. The board will afterward move to the city's Administrative Services Building before ultimately relocating to its Adult Recreation Center once construction on the facility is finished. The meetings will be open to the public.
Construction continues Friday along Bright Road between Southwest Regional Airport and Southwest Gator boulevards in Bentonville. Josh Stacey, Bentonville deputy parks director, said the city is building about a mile of trail on Bright Road between Southwest Regional Airport and Southwest Gator boulevards by Bright Field Middle School. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Construction continues Friday along Bright Road between Southwest Regional Airport and Southwest Gator boulevards in Bentonville. Josh Stacey, Bentonville deputy parks director, said the city is building about a mile of trail on Bright Road between Southwest Regional Airport and Southwest Gator boulevards by Bright Field Middle School. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
