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Wednesday, 03 December 2008 |
Overrun with mud and a nuisance for years, the Saline River access at Peeler Bend has been spruced up and now provides the public with a safe pathway to recreation.
Saline County Judge Lanny Fite, members of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and others met at the site Tuesday for an official ribbon-cutting for the polished access point.
The road leading to the river now is paved and wide enough at the end to allow easy boat launching into the water. Before, it was a dirt road that often attracted undesirable behavior, including people firing guns and holding all-terrain vehicle races.
Local law enforcement couldn’t do much to stop the mischief because of the bad roads, officials said.
John and Betty Penn, who have lived near the access point since 1978, walked from their house to the dedication ceremony Tuesday. They are all too familiar with the mischievous activities and are happy the area is cleaned up now.
“We’re very happy,” John Penn said. “The county and Game and Fish Commission have done such an excellent job with this project. Our kids and grandkids have all played down here, and now it’s much safer.”
He noted one thing that really pleases them and other neighbors is that the area is now ATV-prohibited.
The area previously was known as Gleason Ford, Penn said, noting it once was part of the old Military Road to Hot Springs.
Mark Oliver, assistant chief of fisheries for the Game and Fish Commission, said the project has been in the works for about two and a half years.
Following the ceremony, around 500 channel catfish were released in the river.
Oliver said people may look forward to fishing. Noting that the Lyle Road access point is the next one down, he said starting at Peeler Bend should make for a “nice float.”
“This was a totally cooperative project,” he said, adding that everyone is appreciative to the landowners “who have been cooperative throughout the whole process.”
Fite said the county owned a 50-foot right-of-way on the road and is grateful to Bob and Tina Benton for letting the county extend the right-of-way on their land.
He said the county performed the labor for the project, using a lot of jail inmate labor, and the Game and Fish Commission provided $73,000 worth of materials.
“There was a lot of mud and dirt down here, as Mr. Penn can attest to,” Fite said.
The county paved a half-mile and corrected problems with silt and erosion, he said. “Now, the police can get down here better and have better enforcement, and the public has great access to the river.”
He commended Mark Westbrook, county road superintendent, for his leading efforts on the project in conjunction with Mike Walker, game and fish regional maintenance contract coordinator.
State Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, also commended everyone involved in making the project a success.
Nearby resident Tina Benton noted the project was done with the health of the environment in mind. And now, she said, “This is a good safe place for everyone to come and enjoy and be respectful of the river.”
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