Parking lot was hot topic during WAC's formative years

BY ADAM WALLWORTH Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Sunday, October 29, 2006

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Like everything else in Fayetteville, the development of the Walton Arts Center was surrounded by issues that rankled, though none brought outright opposition.

In fact, many of those who were opposed to certain aspects of the plans are quick to point out that they were always behind the arts center, which is in keeping with the low percentage of opposition for the bond election that secured the city's share of the center's funding.

The Oct. 7, 1986, election was decided by 1,849 voters, with proponents handily passing the bond measure with a vote of 1,490 to 359.

But there were two issues that motivated discussion: the creation of a downtown improvement district and the large number of trees that were cleared to make way for the Walton Arts Center parking lot.

"Nobody was really against the center,"said Larry Froelich, a local attorney who represented Citizens Against Unfair Taxation, the group established to oppose funding the parking lot through the improvement district. "We weren't even against the improvement district."

At issue was the amount of money that was expected to be financed by area property owners for the parking lot, Froelich said. Because the lot would benefit the University of Arkansas and the city, those entities should have been the ones to bear the financial burden, the group argued. The measure never went to court, he said, but created such a great public outcry that the district changed its plans.

Citizens Against Unfair Taxation was successful, he said, as was the improvement district.

"It's the story of effective popular political action,"Froelich said. "When people rise up and work hard to research and they're right, they prevail."

The district gave money to the city to install street lights and construct parking areas, including the arts center lot and the lot behind Jose's, said Bill Underwood, owner of Underwood Fine Jewelers and a member of the district's board of directors.

The group didn't collect the $1.8 million it was authorized to raise from property taxes and is still in formation, he said, though doesn't have any active plans to raise more money.

Underwood said it was difficult to form the district, because people wanted to know how it would benefit them, even though residents "were afraid to come to the street."

"Dickson really went through some tough times,"said Underwood, whose store has been open on Dickson for 49 years. "I remember one year there were six murders, a drive-by shooting where Hawg Haus is now and some guy fell in a pit where the parking lot is now."

The improvement district helped correct the area's problems, Underwood said, and some of its biggest opponents have made a lot of money from the dramatic increase in the value of their property.

The removal of about 300 trees also caught the attention of some Fayetteville residents, who wanted to see a little less destruction downtown, said Fran Alexander, who was among those arguing for a pocket park.

As was the case with the improvement district, the protests were not aimed at the center, only the planned environmental damage, Alexander said.

The group supported the building of a parking deck on a portion of the lot and turning the remaining section into a park, which would have been below street level, Alexander said. The park would have added to the area's aesthetics and quality of life, she said, but "that vision was not validated."

Frank Sharp, former city board member and arts center committee member, was hesitant to talk about the park, the idea for which he said came from a public-involvement process. The issue became a "knock-down drag-out,"he said, and eventually, instead of a park, a water monument that houses fish and plants was built in the parking lot to commemorate what once was there.

"That's a battle that's over,"he said about the issue.

Bernie Madison, UA professor and former dean of the Fulbright College, was one of the university's representatives on the arts center committee.

Madison said that during early discussions there was a question of whether the center should focus on bringing in traveling performances or if it should be a place for local community groups to perform. While there was never any formal programming plan, WAC shifted toward a professional performing arts center because of financial need, he said.

The center was originally proposed to be funded with a $4.5 million gift from the Walton Family Foundation, which was to be matched by the city.

Madison said the additional financial need required raising funds from people outside the community, which led to the center taking on a more regional focus.

"I guess it worked, but it changed the nature of the center a good bit,"Madison said.

As far as whether the center has met the city's expectations, Sharp says the center and staff have surpassed them. While development discussions were going on, he said, no one thought about Nadine Baum Studios, which he says is an excellent addition.

In fact, Sharp said, education has been one of the center's major goals since its inception.

"What warms the cockles of my heart is to see all the yellow school buses parked around it,"he said.

Ron E. Bumpass, a local attorney and board member at the time, said that when the arts center's location on Dickson Street was first proposed, many objected.

"They thought it was just not safe on Dickson Street,"Bumpass said. "They didn't think it would ever work -- thought the arts center would be in the slum."

In fact, it is the center's presence that is often credited with the economic recovery of the downtown area, which is experiencing an aggressive redevelopment.

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