Monday, September 24, 2012

Main Street Arkansas Update - September 24, 2012


Thanks to everyone for a great Destination Downtown conference.  It was our highest attended & very well reviewed.  Thanks to all the sponsors, particularly Main Street Rogers & the City of Rogers.  Another thanks to Kerry & Dana for all their hard work. 

Main Street Arkansas Calendar –September 24 – 28, 2012 
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MONDAY                            
TUESDAY                           Mark – Rogers
WEDNESDAY                     Mark – Rogers; Susan – off
THURSDAY                        Sam – Russellville, pm; Susan – off  
FRIDAY                                Susan – off
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Nominations Sought for Coolest Small Towns in America
Photos from DD
Free Online Built Environment Course
There are 19,700 Non-Profits in Arkansas
ArtPlace Grants Seek Letters of Inquiry
AIA Accepting Applications for Community Assessments
Chance for Free Professional PR for AR Non-Profits
AR Highway Dept Seeks Letters on Bicycle & Ped Plan
2 Grant Opportunities  


Nominations for the Coolest Small Towns in America

http://www.budgettravel.com/contest/coolest-small-towns-2012-nominations,13/?wpisrc=newsletter


Photos from Destination Downtown
If you want to access your photos, please visit our website - www.novo-studio.com. Navigate to the main site and then, click on the clients section. You'll be asked for an access code followed by a password. The access code is "dd12" and the password is "novostudio". From there, you can find your photo and download it. Let us know if you have any questions. 
We’ll put more on Facebook & Flickr throughout the week

Free Online Built Environment Course
The Built Environment Assessment Training (BEAT) Institute has launched a free online course to learn how to assess the built environment for physical activity. 

Participants will learn about the main variables found in most physical activity-focused built environment audit tools, with a more in-depth look at a few specific tools (IMI, ANC, PEDS, PARA, EAPRS & PEAT).  Participants will also learn how to customize the tools and train others to conduct assessments.

The course is geared towards researchers, practitioners, students, community advocates and anyone else with an interest in learning how to conduct audits of the built environment.

For more information or to register, visit this website: http://www.med.upenn.edu/beat/onlinetraining.shtml

Please forward to others that may be interested.
The BEAT Institute also provides on-line training on the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey at http://www.med.upenn.edu/nems/onlinetraining.shtml.

For future information about these courses please contact http://www.med.upenn.edu/beat/contact.shtml.

There are 19,700 Non-Profits in Arkansas

ArtPlace Grants Letter of Inquiry Accepted
ArtPlace invites Letters of Inquiry from initiatives involving arts organizations, artists and designers working in partnership with local and national partners to produce a transformative impact on community vibrancy.
ArtPlace believes that art, culture and creativity expressed powerfully through place can create vibrant communities, thus increasing the desire and the economic opportunity for people to thrive in place. It is all about the local

AIA Accepting Applications for Community Assessments
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) seeks communities that can demonstrate the capacity to convene a diverse set of community leaders and stakeholders for an intensive, collaborative planning process focused on long-term sustainability.  Funded communities receive pro bono services and funding up to $15,000. A cash match of $5,000 is required. Applications are due November 16, 2012.  For more information and to see examples of project reports, which often include a focus on historic resources, visit the AIA website

Public Relations Advice for Your Nonprofit

The Arkansas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America wants to help our state’s nonprofit and charitable organizations further their missions. 

On Nov. 16, the chapter’s monthly meeting will be dedicated to brainstorming public relations and marketing strategy for two organizations. The winning nonprofits will engage with PR professionals from across the state in an hour of free PR/marketing consultation. PRSA members are from all sectors, including corporate, nonprofit, education, healthcare, agency and more.

The competition is open to any 501(c)(3) organization based in Arkansas. Small and large organizations looking to further their PR and marketing efforts are encouraged to apply.  To apply, contact Heide Harrell (hharrell@stoneward.com) to request a copy of the entry form. Entries are due by October 12. 

ARKANSAS STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST
Notice is hereby given that the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department
in coordination with the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism is seeking letters of
interest from qualified consulting firms to conduct a study for the Arkansas State Bicycle
and Pedestrian Transportation Plan.
The Arkansas State Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan will establish a framework for planning,
development, and implementation of safe and usable facilities for bicycle and pedestrian
transportation during the transportation planning process and shall be in accordance with
the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2010 Policy Statement on Bicycle and
Pedestrian Accommodation Regulations and Recommendations.
A letter of interest, together with primary contact information and Architect-Engineer
Qualifications Standard Form 330 Parts I and II available at
should be addressed to:
Frank Vozel
Deputy Director and Chief Engineer
Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department
P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, AR 72203-2261
or
10324 Interstate 30, Little Rock, AR 72209
Five (5) sets of paper responses and a copy in pdf format on a Compact Disc (CD) must
be received no later than 3:00 p.m. (CDT) on September 25, 2012. Any responses
received after this deadline will not be considered.
After a review of all letters of interest received, selected firms will be furnished a scope of
work and requested to submit proposals for accomplishing the work.
The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (Department) complies with
all civil rights provisions of federal statutes and related authorities that prohibit
discrimination in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. Therefore,
the Department does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, age, national
origin, religion or disability, in the admission, access to and treatment in the Department’s
programs and activities, as well as the Department’s hiring or employment practices.
Complaints of alleged discrimination and inquiries regarding the Department’s
nondiscrimination policies may be directed to EEO/DBE Section Head (ADA/504/Title VI
Coordinator), P. O. Box 2261, Little Rock, AR 72203, (501) 569-2298, (Voice/TTY 711),
or the following email address:EE0/DBE_Section_Head@ahtd.ar.gov.


Brownfields Grant Opportunity
The proposal guidelines for the FY13 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant competition were released today.  The deadline for submitting a proposal is November 19, 2012.  Below are links to the individual guidelines:


Funding Number



09/08/2012  
Environmental Protection Agency  
EPA-OSWER-OBLR-12-07  
 
09/08/2012  
Environmental Protection Agency  
EPA-OSWER-OBLR-12-08  
 
09/08/2012  
Environmental Protection Agency  
EPA-OSWER-OBLR-12-09  

Heritage Preservation Supported
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program provides support to meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting preventive conservation measures that mitigate deterioration and prolong the useful life of collections. Support is provided for preventive conservation measures, which encompass managing relative humidity, temperature, light, and pollutants in collection spaces; providing protective storage enclosures and systems for collections; and safeguarding collections from theft and from natural and man-made disasters. The application deadline is December 4, 2012.