Main Street Arkansas Update - May 30, 2011

Des Moines, Iowa

We’re glad to be back in the office (and already hitting the road). Lots of good stuff learned at the National Main Streets Conference. We tweeted throughout the conference. Don’t forget to follow us at twitter.com/MainStreetAR

Reminder – Nancy will be out 3-6 weeks with a knee replacement beginning Monday, June 6.

Main Street Arkansas Calendar May 30 – June 3, 2011
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MONDAY Memorial Day – office close
TUESDAY Mark & Susan – Helena (merchant visits)
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY Cary – Hardy (meet with board)
FRIDAY
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Help Main Street Helena Win
Reminder – Vote for AR Favorite Places
Watch National Main Street Conference Sessions
Participate in Non-Profits Sector Salary & Benefit Survey
Apply for a Scholarship to Attend the National Preservation Conference (June 1 deadline)
AHPP Offers Free Cell Phone Tours of Historic Sites

Help Main Street Helena Win
http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/this-place-matters/community-challenge/
- Starting June 1st vote for Helena, AR

Vote for Arkansas’s Favorite Places – includes many of our friends
http://www.arkansas.com/175/Default.aspx

Missed the National Main Streets Conference?
Watch a number of sessions here:
http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/training/conference/2011-des-moines/virtual-attendee/

Participate in the Non-Profit Sector Salary & Benefits Survey
http://www.nptimes.com/salary/survey/?tr=y&auid=8387198

Apply for a Scholarship to Attend the National Preservation Conference!
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is now accepting applications for the 2011 Diversity Scholarship program for the National Preservation Conference, to be held in Buffalo, NY, October 19-22, 2011. The program provides financial assistance to community leaders from diverse social, economic, racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.During the conference, attendees will have the opportunity to network with preservationists from around the country while learning more about preserving historic places and revitalizing communities.

In addition, there are statewide scholarships available for New York residents, students attending a New York school, and museum/non-profit professionals in New York. Visit our website for more information on the various scholarship opportunities and how to apply. Have questions? Email: scholarship@nthp.org. Applications are due electronically by June 1, 2011. – TOMORROW!

AHPP Offers Free Cell Phone Tours of Historic Sites
http://www.inarkansas.com/24937/free-cell-phone-tours-of-historic-sites-available

Main Street Arkansas Update - May 9, 2011

Update on the Hardy flooding – it hasn’t hit downtown but rather is in the surrounding areas. Downtown is open for business. Sorry for any confusion.

Main Street Arkansas Calendar May 9-13, 2011
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MONDAY orientation, Al Corte, new Main Street Hardy executive director
TUESDAY briefing in-district congressional staff
WEDNESDAY Mark – out
THURSDAY Cary – Trustees meeting; Greg – out
FRIDAY Cary – Trustees meeting; Samantha – out
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Expanding the Role of Downtown Retail
Blytheville Mayfest TV Spot
Downtown Monticello Square Renovations
Businesses Relocating to Downtown Siloam Springs
Jobs & Innovation Accelerator Challenge

Expanding the Role of Downtown Retail
http://fredburkhardt.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/the-expanding-role-of-downtown-retail-development/

Blytheville Mayfest TV spot
http://www.americanbankingnews.com/2011/05/04/blythevile-mayfest-music-on-main/
- This is the longest TV spot for a Main Street program I’ve seen in sometime

Downtown Monticello Square Renovations
http://mymonticellonews.net/articles/2011/05/04/news/local_news/doc4dc1a8b4ac91f061328449.txt

Businesses Relocating to Downtown Siloam Springs
http://hl.nwaonline.com/news/2011/apr/27/tulips-are-better-one-20110427/

JOBS AND INNOVATION ACCELERATOR CHALLENGE PROMOTES REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
by Rebecca Norman, Innovation Consultant, UALR Lead Center
The Obama Administration recently announced the Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge, an initiative of 16 federal agencies and bureaus to accelerate innovation-fueled job creation and economic prosperity through public-private partnerships. The Accelerator Challenge will foster broad regional innovation, job creation and global competitiveness.

The Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge offers a combination of funding from three agencies and bureaus and technical assistance resources from 13 additional agencies and bureaus to support customized solutions for approximately 20 competitively selected industry clusters in urban and rural regions across the nation and across all sectors. Each Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge investment will serve as a catalyst for leveraging private capital in the regions from an array of sources such as foundations, financial institutions, corporations and other private sector partners.

Subject to funding availability, total proposed funding for the Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge is approximately $33 million in direct federal support from funding agencies.

For more information about the Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge, go to www.eda.gov

ENERGY FOUNDATION (OPEN)
The Foundation is a partnership of major donors interested in solving the world’s energy problems. Its mission is to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy, new technologies that are essential components of a clean energy future. The Foundation is focused on advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy policy in the United States and China, the largest and fastest growing energy markets in the world. Grantmaking is focused on four areas: Climate, transportation, buildings, and sustainable energy in China. The Foundation supports efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the utility industry; policies to increase the energy efficiency of U.S. homes and businesses; policies that reduce vehicle pollution and oil consumption; national policies to cap and reduce carbon pollution; and sustainable energy programs in China. Local projects are not supported unless they have been designed for further replication or have broad regional or national implications. Additional information can be found on the Web sit. | Grant Range: $15,000 To $550,000 | Contact Info: ENERGY FOUNDATION, 301 Battery St., Floor 5, San Francisco, CA, 94111, Ph: 415-561-6700, Fax: 415-561-6709, Send Email, Visit Website

Quapaw Quarter Association's Rhea Roberts