Locals and tourists alike know the heart and soul of Hot Springs is Bathhouse Row. Looking down Central Avenue today, the heart of Hot Springs beats strong. But as many know, this has not always been the case.
As generations passed, use of the bath houses dwindled and the once-majestic properties were forced to close. Gone were the days of the rich and famous, the days of the sick seeking healing in Hot Springs' thermal waters. Bathhouse Row had gone from a hub of activity to a line of boarded up windows, sucking jobs and tourism in Hot Springs down the drain.
What Bathhouse Row needed was a new vision. The problem, however, was twofold. For one, when the Quapaw, Superior and the others closed, they became property of the National Park Service. The federal government simply lacked the authority or the dollars to radically change the direction of the deterioration. Compounding that problem as the condition of the bath houses worsened, the cost to restore them continued to rise. Without private investment and public support, the situation looked dire for both Bathhouse Row and Hot Springs as a whole.
Thus, an innovative idea was hatched -- instead of letting the buildings fall into further disrepair, the Park Service decided to lease the bath houses to private businesses. Entrepreneurial owners were handed the keys to these historic structures, under the condition that they restore the bath houses to their former glory. It took several years to see the plans come to life, but the gamble worked. Businesses from a brewery to a boutique hotel currently under construction occupy these formerly empty structures, and downtown is now thriving.
The result of Hot Springs National Park partnering with private business resulted in investment and growth. First, it has allowed the park to reduce its deferred maintenance backlog. With private business restoring the bath houses, it has saved the federal government and the American taxpayer millions of dollars in building repairs. Hot Springs National Park still has a deferred maintenance backlog of more than $12 million, but it would be much higher without the leasing program that has brought these buildings back to life.
Beyond addressing the park's maintenance backlog, these new businesses occupy prime real estate downtown and have become active members in Hot Springs business community. The owners of these businesses are leaders, investing their hard-earned money in a city and a national park many had written off for dead.
The fire that destroyed the Majestic Hotel in 2014 created much doubt about downtown's ability to survive. But the work that had already gone into redevelopment of Bathhouse Row in the years before and continued efforts by the Greater Hot Springs Chamber, Metro Partnership, Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club and downtown business owners allowed downtown to thrive with more than 100 new businesses opening since February 2014 and more than $80 million invested downtown. Tourism has increased, too, with 1,561,616 travelers visiting Hot Springs National Park in 2017 compared with 1,325,719 in 2013, an increase of nearly 18 percent, or 235,897 people, in just five short years.
Investment in the historic bath houses along Central Avenue is an example which can be followed by national parks throughout the country. Whether an urban park like Hot Springs or a park in a more remote locale, partnering with private industry can bring new life to these parks and the communities which surround them.
That is why I am excited for the House Committee on Natural Resources to visit Hot Springs on Monday (Sept. 17). Our city and its national park have a wonderful story to tell and can be an example for the country. Congressman Bruce Westerman, a Hot Springs native and a member of the Natural Resources Committee, knows this. His efforts to bring a field hearing to the city are appreciated, as we share our story with America and inspire investment -- both public and private -- in our country's national parks.
Gary Troutman is the president and CEO of the Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and Metro Partnership. He previously served as vice president of First Security Bank in Hot Springs and general manager of The Sentinel-Record.
Editorial on 09/16/2018