LOWELL — The city is making progress on a 100-acre park project on the west side of town.

A new inclusive playground and a connecting trail to the Razorback Greenway are among the latest additions, according to Karen Davis, city community development director.

Phase one of the project, which focused on the northwest corner of the park, also included a fire station, farmers market area and restroom, Davis said.

The city’s second fire station was the first building constructed, joining a veterans memorial, walking trail and disc golf course at the park off Bellview Street and west of Interstate 49, she said.

The first farmers market at the new pavilion Nov. 12 will also be the last Mudtown Market of the year. The market has been taking place at Ward Nail Park off McClure Avenue, she said.

The playground is already being used by families, according to Davis.

The trailhead guides walkers, runners and cyclists east and then north, past Matrix Racquet Club to a connecting point with the Razorback Greenway at Mills Lane.

Davis said she hopes the construction of Zion Church Avenue along the north edge of the park will be finished next year. The road will eventually extend from Bellview Street to Goad Springs Street, according to the city’s master street plan.

A grand opening with several dedications at the park will be announced later this fall, she said.

Kathleen and Leonard Johnson donated the land to the city. Leonard Johnson wanted the property to be turned into a park and named after his wife, who died in 2010. He died in 2015.

The couple gave the land under the condition the property would be used for the public good, whether through public amenities or nonprofit organizations, Davis said.

NONPROFITS AT THE PARK

Four nonprofits — the Office of Human Concern, NWA Space, the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and Project Red Friday — originally planned to have facilities on the park property.

Two of the organizations have since changed plans. None have begun construction at the park.

The city has offered land to the nonprofits for $1 per year.

The Office of Human Concern has mostly finished the design phase and has begun fundraising for its facility, according to Executive Director Susan Moore.

The nonprofit distributes food to homebound people at its seven senior centers through its Meals on Wheels program.

A central kitchen to prepare meals for the program will be a part of the planned facility, Moore said. The building, which would be at the southwest corner of the…