City officials today unveiled plans for the Bill Clark Wetlands project on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center, campus of the Clinton School.
Construction on the $2.2 million project will begin on May 17, officials said, and the 13-acre wetlands should be mostly completed by the end of the year.
The wetlands will feature and “upper” portion with paths and pavilions, as well as a “lower” portion that will remain untouched by visitors. Designers will plant native vegetation and create a natural environment to house many types of plants and animals.
The wetlands is named for the late William E. “Bill” Clark, former CEO of CDI Contractors which build the Clinton Center. Friends of Clark donated more than $600,000 toward the cost of the project.
City Director Dean Kumpuris said the wetlands “adds a different dimension for different people to come” to the Clinton Park. It’s a perfect tribute to Clark, a well-known businessman and philanthropist in Little Rock.
“He loved the outdoors, he loved hunting, he loved fishing and they’re couldn’t be a better tribute than to have a wetlands with his name on it,” Kumpuris said.
Little Rock Public Works operating manager Eric Petty, Little Rock Parks deputy director Mark Webre and landscape architect Martin Smith discussed the details of the project.
Clinton School student Mark Lienhart, who will work with the city’s River Market District for his final Capstone project, introduced the program today at the Clinton School.