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Uniquely Bella Vista 2C F Wednesday, June 27, 2018 The Weekly Vista Gretchen Magee Au.D., CCC-A Doctor of Audiology Winner We Listen So You Can Hear BALANCE TESTING & TREATMENT ADVANCE TESTING EQUIPMENT HEARING AID ACCESSORIES TO CONNECT TO YOUR CELL PHONE OR TV 5 Cunningham Corner | Bella Vista 906 NW 8th Street | Bentonville 61 E Sunbridge Lane | Fayetteville 479-657-6464 Now Serving 3 Locations in NWA! www.betterhearingandbalance.net BENTONVILLE FAYETTEVILLE BELLA VISTA BIRD FOOD • FEEDERS • GARDEN ACCENTS • UNIQUE GIFTS 2011 Promenade Boulevard, Suite 430 • Rogers, AR (479) 246-0217 • rogers.wbu.com 20% OFF * All 20 lb. Bags of Seed & Suet* *Valid only at the participating store(s) listed. One discount per purchase. Offer not valid on previous purchases or sale items. Offer valid in-store thru 07/18/18. What makes Bella Vista unique? W hen the Weekly Vista staff got together to talk about what is unique about Bella Vista, we had lots of story ideas. Is it the history of Bella Vista — its beginnings as a resort community — that makes Bella Vista unique? Is it the number of active volun - teers who come from all over the country that makes this community special? Or maybe it's the businesses that find a home here? Or the way common proper- ty make bicycle trails possible? Of course, it's a combination of all those things that make Bella Vista unique including the golf courses, especially the ones along Highway 71. This year Bella Vistans had a chance to reflect on one thing that makes Bella Vista unique when the POA talked about closing golf courses. Two courses that have been most damaged by floods and therefore considered for closing are along Highway 71B. One board member refers to the area as Bella Vista's "front porch." Driving into Northwest Arkansas from Missouri, it's impossible to overlook the miles of manicured grass and hills that make up portions of three golf courses. Coming in from the north, the first course you see is the Bella Vista Country Club. While the Country Club has had some flood damage, no one has suggested it should be closed. In fact, the plan pro - posed by former board chairman Ron Stratton calls it the "flagship facility." The clubhouse for the Country Club was designed by E. Fay Jones and was recent- ly renovated and reopened. So far the restaurant in the clubhouse, B.V.'s Grill, has been very popular. After passing Town Center, the next golf course that comes into view is Kingswood and then Berksdale. Those two courses share the Kingsdale Clubhouse where the restaurant is leased to Papa Mike. At their April board meeting, the POA board of directors voted to close Berksdale be - cause of extensive damage that was not repaired after a 2017 flood. Although the board has discussed "re- purposing" the golf course land as anoth- er recreational amenity, no final decision has been made. One recurring suggestion is to use the existing concrete paths as walking and biking trails. Stratton's plan also mentioned a discussion with the NWA Trail Blazers about extending the Razorback Greenway north into Bella Vista. The Greenway is a concrete trail that stretches from Fayetteville to Lake Bella Vista. Certainly there are golfers who also enjoy using trails, but listening to the arguments it feels like golfers and trail users are two separate species. But can that be true? Even while golfers are concentrating on getting the little white ball all the way down the fairway, aren't they also soaking in the colors and light of a spring afternoon in the Ozarks? While bike riders push themselves to finish the last few yards of a long, uphill ride, aren't they also enjoying the call of birds and the glitter of sun on the creek alongside the trail? Those of us who have never golfed and aren't inclined to ride a bike down the Razorback Greenway really aren't that different either. Bella Vista's front porch, the miles of Highway 71 that welcome visitors to the state, is important to every one of us. The green of the fairways and the deeper colors of the trees just beyond them, rest eyes tired from hundreds of miles of gray pavement and skyscrappers. If golf courses must be closed, let's be sure to never close our eyes to what makes Bella Vista special. It's time to stop, take a breath and enjoy the beauty that is uniquely Bella Vista. Lynn Atkins is a reporter for The Weekly Vista. Lynn Atkins The Next Chapter Volunteers benefit Crystal Bridges Lynn Atkins latkins@nwadg.com Most every Thursday since November 2011, Rog- er Scoles has been in the lobby of Crystal Bridges. He used to work as a field director of retail services in the computer field; now he directs people to the check- in desk and answers ques - tions. He enjoys it. Scoles is one of more than 100 Bella Vistans who volunteer time at the museum located in nearby Bentonville. "I watched it being built and I knew it would be something big," he said. Over the nearly seven years in the lobby, he's met peo - ple from all over the world and earned the apprecia- tion of the paid staff. His favorite question was when a young visitor asked him if he owned the museum. Jennifer Dunham was hired as the volunteer services manager two years before the museum opened. That shows how important volunteers are at Crystal Bridges, she said. She has more than 600 active volunteers on her list. Each one of the volun - teers has choices about their job and the hours they want to work, she said. There are actually 35 different volunteer oppor- tunities at the museum ranging from tour guides, who must have extensive information about the art- work, to the Experience Art Studio where guests can do their own hands on art. Each volunteer can go online and sign themselves up for specific shifts. If it turns out they can't make it, they can go back online and remove their name so another volunteer can take it over. Bella Vistan Cornelia Fleming also works each Thursday. A retired teacher, she sometimes works in the Experience Studio with children, but sometimes she works in the lobby. Both Scoles and Fleming said they lost their spouse some years ago and need - ed a way to get out of the house. Both enjoy their time at Crystal Bridges. Fleming also works one day a week at Northwest Hospital and Scoles always volunteers when the LPGA golf tournament comes to northwest Arkansas. In ad - dition to Thursdays, both volunteer at the museum for special events. All the volunteers at Crystal Bridges get some training, Dunham said, and it's ongoing. Guides get the most training. Each volunteer is background- checked, but very few vol - unteers are turned away. There's usually a spot for everyone, she said. It's difficult to guess what a volunteer will enjoy or be good at, she said, so they let the volunteers choose the position. "We want them to enjoy what they're doing." James Dains, a new Bella Vista resident, came to the area because of Crystal Bridges, or specifically because Crystal Bridges ac - quired the Bachman-Wil- son House, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Dains was already a member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conser- vancy, an organization that preserves the architect's work. Dains came to Crystal Bridges to volunteer in the Bachman-Wilson house, but he found he loved the area, especially the biking and hiking opportunities. After retiring from a ca - reer as a civil/environmen- tal engineer, Alan Meyer enjoys the chance to learn new things while volun- teering at the museum. He also likes the structure of a regular volunteer job, but the online scheduling makes volunteering more flexible and he likes the idea that he can take off when he needs to. "The flexibility is ener - gizing," he said, "I know someone will fill in." When he was looking at houses, his real estate agent told him about Crystal Bridges. He went to volunteer for the Bach - man-Wilson house, but the training course that was required wasn't being offered. He found himself in a training class for a tour guide. "I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it," he said. Lynn Atkins/The Weekly Vista Many Crystal Bridges volunteers live in Bella Vista including Cornelia Fleming and Roger Scoles who both work a shift each week at the museum. Jan Halgrim/BV Photography Club The Back 40 trails entertain bridges throughout to encourage both rider and walker. Back 40 trails