Restoring War Memorial Park’s fishing pond presents a trade-off between upfront cost and concerns about future siltation. The least expensive engineering option is estimated at $350,000; a more costly approach would include infrastructure intended to limit siltation and is expected to last longer. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that organizers consider the lower-cost option more practical, while Arkansas Game and Fish Commission officials have warned that floods could carry silt back into the pond.
What the proposed work includes
Under the lower-cost plan, the pond would be dredged to depths of up to 15 feet, with fishing piers and trees added to support fish habitat, the Democrat-Gazette reported. Organizers led by Steve Davison are seeking the $350,000 estimate for that option. The pond was created during the Mike Huckabee administration by impounding Coleman Creek to provide urban fishing, the newspaper reported; sediment later made the water too shallow to sustain a viable fishery. People still fish there, but catches have become scarce.
Game and Fish officials said a pond deep enough after restoration could support winter trout stocking, but they are concerned that floods could bring silt back into it, according to the Democrat-Gazette. The state attorney general’s office has also expressed interest, though the newspaper did not detail its role. The restoration group numbers about 40 people, and private entities have also seen potential recreational value in the proposal, the report said.
What records show about Coleman Creek
A 2022 City of Little Rock stormwater program record says the city maintains and cleans the ponds along Coleman Creek in War Memorial Park and inspects them twice a year, according to the City of Little Rock Stormwater Quality Management Program. That maintenance record does not establish whether official flood-risk maps or watershed studies identify recurring hazards near the park. A separate historical account from UA Little Rock Facilities Management records flooding in the Coleman Creek area on campus in September 1949, when three children were trapped in a tree and rescued by members of the Trojan football team. The account concerns that flooding episode; it does not document sediment buildup at the War Memorial Park pond.
Fundraising and public use
Organizers scheduled a fundraiser for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Trios Restaurant, 8201 Cantrell Road. Ward 4 City Director Capi Peck, who owns Trios, supports the effort; the restaurant is providing food, and the event will have a cash bar. Auction offerings include artwork by George Dombeck and a painting by Pat Matthews depicting a restored pond, the Democrat-Gazette reported.
Ward 3 City Director Kathy Webb, whose district includes the park, also supports the proposal. The newspaper reported that Webb regards it as a strong idea for the park and sees community-building potential in the effort. Organizers say the pond could provide a public fishing spot within walking distance of Hillcrest, UALR, the Heights and much of Midtown.
Little Rock already has other public fishing opportunities. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says its Family and Community Fishing Program supplied about 57,000 rainbow trout to 40 locations statewide during the 2024–25 winter season, including Rock Creek at Boyle Park, according to the commission. The Democrat-Gazette also reports that the commission stocks a separate Boyle Park pond with catfish for school events; other local options include the Arkansas River at Murray Park and north of Murray Lock & Dam, and Lake Maumelle along the Bufflehead Bay hiking trail when water is present.
War Memorial Park covers 117 acres at 5101 W. Markham St., according to Park Magnet. The pond project remains in its fundraising stage. Whether organizers raise enough for the proposed work—and whether the selected engineering approach can reduce the risk of renewed silt buildup—remains unresolved.
