Members of First United Methodist Church's congregation gathered at the site of the former Howard Johnson Inn on Sunday to break ground on a new project Senior Pastor David Moseley said one church member, Mildred Smith, began to push for nearly 30 years ago, and has been the driving force for ever since.
The groundbreaking was held in conjunction with Smith's 100th birthday.
The site is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Grand and Central avenues, a major gateway to downtown Hot Springs. The church purchased the property in 2014 with plans to possibly expand its campus, which may include future construction.
"I love this church and knew we needed to develop our campus further. This property has been listed a few times before the church bought it and I guess the third time's the charm," Smith said.
The first phase of the project includes converting a portion of the southernmost section of the property to a parklike area, featuring grass and trees. The northern two-thirds of the lot will be refinished and continued to be used for parking, Clarence Durand, the chairman of the church's board of trustees, said on Sunday.
Much of the sidewalk surrounding the property is broken and busted. Durand said the church has contacted the city and state about repairing the sidewalk areas in the public rights of way and remains hopeful they will offer assistance.
"We felt a responsibility to be good neighbors. This is not just about expanding and improving our campus, but about contributing to the beauty of our city," said Moseley.
Smith said she began eyeing the property nearly 30 years ago and began to pray, knowing that her church was meant to have it. After finally purchasing the property, Smith said she was overjoyed.
"This is the most wonderful day of my life and that has nothing to do with it being my 100th birthday," she said.
Local on 02/12/2018