Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Prescott Could Be Beautiful; Drawings Are Presented

Downtown Prescott could be a beautiful, tree-lined business area, according to students from the University of Arkansas Community Design Center.

The students and their instructor held a public meeting Thursday, June 29, at the Nevada County Courthouse to show what the city's business district could look like with a few changes.

For the most part, the students suggested making the sidewalks a bit more narrow and adding trees along the street line to create a barrier between the roads and businesses.

They also focused on the courthouse area, with their drawings showing trees encircling the grounds.

The war memorial, under their proposal, would be made a place where people could gather. It would have brick surrounding it on the ground, with a low brick wall along the Elm Street side.

This wall, according to Laura Terry, the instructor, could be used as a place people could go and have lunch under the trees.

Making use of computer-aided designs, they showed what Main Street, where the proposed Nevada County Library is with and without out the buildings there now, along with the mural.

The students said Main and Highway 67 is the gateway to Prescott and showed what it could look like.

It was suggested to plant trees in the lot where the mural is, loosely spacing them so the painting can be seen. This, they said, would separate the park from the street, with the trees giving those utilizing it a sense of enclosure.

The trees would also help deaden the traffic noise in the area. The design incorporated fountains for aesthetic reasons, and to help block noise as well.

With proper landscaping the mural would remain visible to passing motorists, while patrons of the park would be somewhat isolated from the streets.

The design included different size spaces for a variety of gatherings or uses.

The students also suggested making a clear distinction between residential areas and the commercial zones. This, they said, could be done with a sign or retaining wall to give definition to the downtown area.

The courthouse design was created to formalize entry into the structure and make it the landmark it should be, they said, along with strengthening where the war memorial monument is.

Currently, they said, 71 cars can be parked around the courthouse square, but with a little redesigning, another 10 spaces could be added.

"We felt the courthouse square is an important civic street," Terry said. "We gave ceremonial access to the courthouse."

Mostly, though, changes on the courthouse lawn involved planting trees.

The trees they suggested planting around town were a thornless honey locust, also called a shademaster locust.

Terry said this is a hardy variety of tree and can handle extremes in weather conditions. These trees also have a tight root ball and shouldn't harm the sidewalks.

In addition, she said, when the leaves fall in the autumn, the silhouette still gives the impression of there being leaves. Trees native to the region could also be used.

But, she said, these trees will have to be watered and maintained. In fact, a new position could be created in the city for someone to care for the trees.

Turning to an idea the Partnership used with the engraved bricks, Terry said people could make donations and have a tree they would be responsible for. Or, possibly civic clubs and the schools could pitch in and help with the maintenance of the trees.

Along Second Street, the plans were to remove the paint and sidings now on the buildings to see what's underneath. Depending on what's found, the buildings could be painted a uniform color with canvas awnings installed for a more consistent look along the street.

Along East and West Elm, the suggestion was to make this street a civic axis as it's divided by the railroad tracks.

On the west side of the street gives access to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office and courthouse, while the east side of Elm has the Prescott Police Department, Nevada County Library and Prescott City Hall, along with the Prescott Fire Department.The east side of Elm, the students said, mostly needs to be cleaned up, with the awnings replaced giving a harmonious look to the line of sight along the street.

Instead of knocking down the current library building, the students suggested turning it into a youth center, or some sort of civic gathering place.

They also suggested combining the PFD and City Hall into one building to give more office space, while removing the shell of a building near the PPD to provide more room for the fire trucks getting in and out of their bays.

The master plan showed how the improvements would look once implemented, with the trees creating a different rhythm for the people.

Everything would be offset from Main Street as it is a major thoroughfare for Prescott.

The plan included making the crosswalks more visible to motorists and for pedestrians, along with adding a traffic light at East Main and Second to help control the flow of traffic there.

Terry told how sprawl hurts downtowns with businesses moving toward interstates.

The model developed by the students showed what the central core of downtown Prescott could look like with a little work.

The density, Terry said, would allow people to get a lot done without having to travel over a wide area.

People, she said, could park and walk to virtually every area they needed to get business done in the downtown area. Their walking would be more pleasant with the trees providing shade along the sidewalks and in the parking lots.

The idea, she continued, is to make civic spaces more dominant again, pointing out this can be done by planting trees.

"The quality of Prescott would be greatly enhanced by planting trees," she said. "It's a big effort and expense, but it's worth it. It would make the area look better and get people excited."

By getting people excited, she said, they would be more likely to invest time, effort and money into other improvements.

"It's been a great summer," Terry said as the meeting wrapped up. "We appreciate the opportunity to be hear."

She said the UACDC isn't abandoning Prescott as it will be available to answer any questions people may have. In addition, she will be preparing a booklet with all the information, drawings and plans proposed by the group.

Terry reminded the audience they shouldn't expect to get all of this done at one time. "This is how we envision Prescott being in 10-15 years," she said, "but it's up to the community to decide where to focus first."

She suggested working on one project at a time, completing it then going on to the next one until all have been done.