A walking and biking path for the UCA and the Conway community is expected to be finished on Aug. 30. The Stone Dam Creek Trail is being funded by a $234,000 grant that the Physical Plant received on June 20, 2011 from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department and $86,225 provided by UCA.
“UCA students, faculty and staff can use it as a get away or to relax and ponder their thoughts,” Larry Lawrence, director of the Physical Plant said. “Students in biology classes and other areas can use it to better access experimental areas related to their classes.”
The trail will make UCA more pedestrian friendly in the way that it adds a place where pedestrians can walk or bike without intrusion of vehicular traffic.
“It is nice to be able to add another feature to the campus that benefits all who choose to use this area,” Lawrence said.
The trail will be located west of Reynolds Performance Hall and is out of the way of roads and streets. Stone Dam Creek is the major drainage for a watershed in Conway and originates about five miles upstream before emptying into Lake Conway, according to the Ecological Conservation Organization’s website. – Lisa Burnett