Meet the Parks Commission

Mechel Wall
Mechel Wall

Larry Whisenhant

Larry Whisenhant is married to Marilyn Whisenhant. His children are Steve, Shawn, Paula, Marilou and Teresa. His grandchildren include Luke, Amy, Brandon, Clancy, Reid, Grace, Duff, Nash and Chris.

Larry is a native of Wichita, Kan. and has lived in Pea Ridge for six months. He has visited at least one of the city parks and took a walk, enjoyed the autumn and explored the park.

They relocated to Pea Ridge with the goal of "downsizing" and enjoying their retirement. When he learned of the need for service on the Parks Commission, he said he felt it was a great opportunity to get involved in the community and a way to give back and serve his fellow citizens.

"At this point, there are so many opportunities and so many ideas for services and activities that it is hard to set goals," he said. "Much needs to be discussed, evaluated and plans need to be made for the best options. It is important to study history and mode of operation for the parks in the past and to be sure that any proposed future is not only progressive and have the implementations of new ideas but also compatible with the past. In addition, I believe that we will have to study the current budget for operation of the parks and blend that with opportunities for implementation of new ideas in the future."

Mechel Wall

Mechel Wall is married to Barry Wall. Their children are Justin, Bryce and Jeffrey Wall.

She has been a property owner in Pea Ridge for 18 years and a resident for one year. Her family uses the parks and have enjoyed the ball fields, play structures and trails.

She wanted to make sure that improving the park facilities and trails would continue and her experience could be put to use.

Her goals for the city park include improvement of sidewalks and trails, writing grants to bring in funding for the parks, increase the number of parks for families and build a community garden.

Joe Carlson

Joe Carlson is married to Crystal Carlson. Their children are Alexis, 14; Michael, 10 and Julia, 8.

He is a native of Camden, Ark. and has lived in Pea Ridge for eight and a half years. He has visited at least one park and likes to walk on the trail while his kids play.

He is interested in serving on the Parks commission because, as Pea Ridge continues to grow, the parks will also need to grow in order to meet the needs of the growing community. He views this as an opportunity to serve the community of Pea Ridge by being part of the team that helps development take place.

His goal for the parks commission is to help coordinate the growth of our parks as Pea Ridge continues to grow. This can be done via the continued development and improvements at the Pea Ridge parks, as well as developing more community based functions and events.

James 'Jim' Crews

James Crews is married to Jason Parker.

He is native of Prescott, Ark. and has lived in Pea Ridge for six years. He has visited at least one of the city parks and enjoyed playing baseball, hunting Easter eggs and taking the kids to play.

He said that he believes that the health of our community rest in our hands. "If we want a nice community, we have to be willing to step up to make it so," Crews said. "The parks play an important part in that. The parks provide a place for exercise and family outings in a safe and fun environment. They are a place for inexpensive outings for families who are maybe on the lower side of the social economic spectrum, and provide opportunities for social interactions between members of our community that otherwise would not meet. They also serve as ambassadors for our city as they are often used for activities that bring people from other communities."

His goals for the parks system is to first find out what the citizens of Pea Ridge desire from their parks. Second, is to talk to the immediate surroundings of our parks to find out what are the issues that maybe present. Third, is to formulate a master plan for the parks that will include all of that information. If we formulate a plan not just for this year but for the next 10 years we can improve our facilities and better meet the needs of the community long term. His ideas include adding a pavilion to the park in the Givens Place subdivision, adding a climbing structure based on feedback from the homes surrounding that area. As well as creating some sort of water facility for summertime use. I also hope to look into the possibility of a dog park and another facility on the southside of town. Also, some sort of facility to accommodate large events like the fair, freedom fest and the mule jump. These are just ideas, that he feel community input is essential to whatever the park does, because they are the communities after all.

Karen Kitterman

Karen Kitterman has two children, Heather Ray and Colton Kitterman.

She is a native of California and has lived in Pea Ridge for seven years. She has visited at least one city park where she walks and attends events.

She joined the parks commission because she wanted to be more involved in the community and meet more of the residents of Pea Ridge.

Her goals for the parks are to get the Parks Commission updated and into the modern age of social networks, improve existing facilities and see what can be done to get more usage from the community.

Other members on the Parks Commission are Crystal Carlson, Ott Bell, Spencer Deal and Charles Snyder.

Community on 05/14/2014