Bentonville breaks ground on Adult Recreation Center project with 2026 planned opening

BENTONVILLE — The city broke ground on a new parks facility specifically intended to serve active adults 50 and older.

Dozens gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bentonville Adult Recreation Center on Thursday.

The project is a two-story addition to the city’s Downtown Activity Center at 215 S.W. A St.

Josh Stacey, deputy parks director, said he expects construction to begin as soon as next week. The city’s goal is to have the center open in the first quarter of 2026. The Parks and Recreation Department began planning for the facility in 2021.

Stacey has said the first floor of the center will include, among other features, a lobby and lounge area; a full-service cafe to be manned by a third party; locker rooms; two multipurpose rooms to support continual education opportunities, like classes and seminars; a gymnasium with a basketball court large enough to accommodate three pickleball courts, along with volleyball and badminton; and a pool with space for water fitness activities and socialization.

The center’s second floor will offer a fitness center with exercise equipment, a three-lane walking track and a wellness studio for group classes, according to Stacey. He said the project will add 36,000 square feet on to the approximately 9,000-square-foot Downtown Activity Center, which will bring the facility to a total of about 45,000 square feet.

David Wright, Bentonville parks director, said new facilities like the Adult Recreation Center will allow Parks and Recreation to expand its programming and serve its residents that much better. He noted the department had no recreation programs in 2007, compared to the 140 recreation programs it’s running this year.

“It really will be a home for our older population in our community, our active adults, as we move on,” Wright said. “It’s something that our community has wanted for a long time, and I’m really honored to be part of the team that gets to bring that to this.”

Wright said the city worked on the project with a steering committee composed of Bentonville residents.

Bill Burckart, Ward 3 City Council member, recalled “everybody in the city” said they wanted a senior center when he first ran for council in 2008. He said the city kept getting feedback from residents expressing the need for such a facility after it built its Community Center, which opened in 2015.

Burckart said Thursday the Adult Recreation Center will be a place where people ages 50 and over can feel comfortable pursuing a healthy lifestyle and socializing.

“It’s going to be an experience and a destination for a lot of people, and it’s just one more step to make the quality of life in Bentonville better for everybody, and that’s what our goal is,” Burckart said.

The Adult Recreation Center will also free up space at the Community Center, according to Burckart.

Stacey told the City Council at its Aug. 12 Committee of the Whole meeting the total cost of the Adult Recreation Center project will be about $23.7 million.

This includes about $22 million for construction per an amended guaranteed maximum price agreement with Flintco, a $69,255 agreement with Geotechnical and Testing Services for geotechnical services, $139,684 for expenses from the Bentonville Electrical Utility Department and $1.5 million Parks and Recreation plans to request in its 2025 budget for furniture, fixtures and equipment for the facility.

The City Council approved entering into the amended guaranteed maximum price agreement with Flintco and the agreement with Geotechnical and Testing Services Aug. 13. It also authorized the city to enter into a grant agreement with the Town Branch Foundation for $21.5 million. The grant agreement includes $21.37 million for construction and $130,000 to go toward the salary of a new position — the Adult Recreation Center facility manager — for one year.

The council voted to add that position to the city’s 2024 pay plan as well.

Stacey said Parks and Recreation moved out of the Downtown Activity Center last week ahead of the construction. The Community Center is temporarily housing a majority of Parks and Recreation staff while the rest are working out of the city Administrative Services building at 1000 S.W. 14th St.