$31.6 million Maurice Bathhouse restoration announced, funded by Great American Outdoors Act

City officials said the National Park Service announced a $31.6 million restoration project for the Maurice Bathhouse on Bathhouse Row, funded by the Great American Outdoors Act’s Legacy Restoration Fund.

Why it matters: The project represents a major federal investment in Hot Springs National Park; city leaders said it will help return every bathhouse on Bathhouse Row to operational use for the first time in decades.

City Manager Bill Burrow and Mayor Pat McCabe noted a National Park Service press release and a groundbreaking event the same day. Burrow said the project is ‘‘a $31,600,000 development, paid for through the Great American Outdoors Act and their Legacy Restoration Fund,’’ and noted that 1911 marked the original construction cost of $125,000 for the building. City officials said this may be among the last projects funded from that Legacy Restoration Fund.

Mayor McCabe emphasized the significance of the park-city relationship and said the restoration ‘‘will be the first time in most of our memories that every bathhouse on Bathhouse Row is actually operational and open.’’ Officials noted the project’s potential to support downtown economic activity through increased park and visitor engagement.

Discussion vs. decision: The board received the announcement as informational; no city financial commitment or action was taken at the meeting.

Ending: City staff said more details would be forthcoming; the restoration is a multi-year federal project expected to materially affect Bathhouse Row’s operations and preservation.