The Jones Trust: 2020 Design Excellence Grant Recipient
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jones Trust Awarded Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program Grant to Transform Outdoor Spaces at The Jones Center
SPRINGDALE, AR., October 29, 2020 — The Walton Family Foundation has awarded the Jones Trust a grant to redesign its 52-acre campus of The Jones Center in Springdale, Arkansas.
The Jones Center received funding through the Design Excellence Program to create a regionally connected campus aligned with the Springdale Downtown Revitalization Plan. The redesign of the outdoor spaces will transform The Jones Center grounds into a regional destination and create stronger physical connections to downtown Springdale and Luther George Park. Plans include park-like green spaces, inviting bike paths, infrastructure improvements and enhanced recreational amenities to serve diverse populations in an accessible and welcoming environment.
Celia Swanson, Chairperson of The Jones Trust, says, “The grant provides us the means to modernize and re-imagine the Jones Trust‘s existing campus to remain relevant in the ever-changing Northwest Arkansas Region. We believe the vitality of the rejuvenated outdoor space will undoubtedly attract a new generation to The Jones Center/Campus and continue to serve a diverse demographic of Northwest Arkansas.”
Ed Clifford, Chief Executive Officer/President, Jones Trust/The Jones Center, remarked,” This year, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Jones Center. Looking forward, we are very excited to revitalize and enrich the outdoor experience for people of all ages and all communities who visit our campus. We will be able to create new sustainable features for recreation, performance, public art, and pathways for people to enjoy downtown Springdale.”
“We are very appreciative of the continued, generous support of the Walton Family Foundation and delighted to be 1 of 3 recipients of a Design Excellence Grant in 2020. This will be a transformative project for the 52-acre Jones campus and better connect our amenities to the downtown Springdale revitalization masterplan. We are grateful for the Walton Family Foundation’s belief in our mission to be a world-class destination where families, and those who serve families, can collaborate and thrive,” says Kelly Kemp-McLintock, CFRE Chief Advancement Officer for The Jones Center.
The Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program promotes the highest level of design in the development of future public buildings and spaces in Arkansas’ Benton and Washington counties. The program seeks to preserve a sense of place by encouraging quality design of public spaces, while complementing the rich architectural history of the region’s urban fabric.
Denver-based Civitas, Inc., a practice of urban designers, architects, and landscape architects has been selected to begin the landscape architecture design. Civitas will be hosting several meet and greet events in the coming months to get the public’s input on the Jones campus project.
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The Jones Trust is an exempt operating foundation, established in 1994 by Harvey and Bernice Jones. The Trust supports and encourages nonprofits by serving families and strengthening communities throughout Northwest Arkansas. Bernice Jones had a dream to build a community center in Springdale, AR where families could come together for recreation, education, and overall feelings of togetherness. In 1995 her dream became a reality when the Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for families opened. To learn more about The Jones Trust, visit jonestrust.org
The Jones Center is a state-of-the-art recreation, community and event center located in the heart of Northwest Arkansas. The Jones Center houses the region’s only year-round indoor ice arena as well as a junior-Olympic size lap pool, an activity pool, basketball court, indoor track, fitness center with 75+ classes offered weekly, a newly-renovated conference center and the largest bicycle pump track in North America—all situated on a 52-acre campus in downtown Springdale. To learn more about The Jones Center, visit thejonescenter.net.