Main Street Arkansas Update - February 4, 2008

DATES TO REMEMBER:
FEBRUARY 12 – DOWNTOWN LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT, NORTH LITTLE ROCK
FEBRUARY 12 – AHPP GRANT WRITING SEMINAR
FEBRUARY 29 – FARMERS MARKET CONFERENCE, JONESBORO
MARCH 9-11 – GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM, ROGERS
MARCH 15 – LETTER OF AGREEMENT, WORKPLAN, ETC DUE TO MSA
MARCH 30-APRIL 2 – NATIONAL MAIN STREETS CONFERENCE, PHILLADELPHIA, PA

Main Street Arkansas Calendar February 4 – 8, 2008
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MONDAY
TUESDAY Cary & Caroline – ADN presentation in Monticello;
WEDNESDAY Cary – Legislative Review & Helena Board Orientation; Mark & Susan – Searcy (site visit)
THURSDAY Greg, Caroline & Susan – Eureka Springs 4-Point Training
FRIDAY Greg, Caroline & Susan – Eureka (return in the afternoon)
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Thanks to Arkansas Delta Byways for naming Main Street Arkansas “Member of the Year” for 2007.
Other MSA related winners include the Collins Theater in Paragould which won the Bootstrap Award and our RHDI program which won the Promotional Award for Arkansas DeltaMade

Congratulations to Main Street El Dorado’s MusicFest on being named “Festival of the Year” by the Arkansas Festival Association

Governor Beebe’s weekly radio address highlights the RHDI’s Arkansas DeltaMade program
http://governor.arkansas.gov/newsroom/index.php?do:newsDetail=1&news_id=375

IN THIS ISSUE:
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DECLINE OF MALLS HURTS
GREENSBURG, KS BECOMES FIRST ALL LEED PLATINUM CITY
GRANTS TO LIBRARIES
FUNDRAISING TRAINING
OPPRORTUNITY OF NON-PROFITS TO PARTNER WITH CLINTON SCHOOL FOR PUBLIC SERVICE
TEXARKANA RANKED #2 FASTEST GROWING SMALL METRO CITY
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Decline of Malls Hurts Dillards
http://arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?lID=61&sID=77&ms=62&cID=Z&aID=102589.11935.114715

Some highlights of the article:

* More than 300 malls have closed in recent years, according to Deadmalls.com, a Web site that tracks ghost malls.

* The Mall at Turtle Creek in Jonesboro was the only enclosed mall that opened in the United States in 2006, and that was one more than in 2007, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers in New York. No developer has announced plans for an enclosed mall in 2008 or the first quarter of 2009.

Greensburg, KS becomes first city to commit to LEED Platinum
http://www.revitalizationonline.com/article.asp?id=2651
Of course, we know from previous readings that the LEED system is flawed, but this seems like a step in the right direction on issues of public leadership in terms of sustainability. Preservation wasn’t possible for Greensburg so this is the second best option. Now you have to wonder if they’re using form-based codes, appropriate design, setback, etc.

Grants to Libraries
Small Grants to Libraries: John Adams Unbound Grant
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=40579

Small Grants to Libraries: Pride and Passion Grant http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=40580

FUNDRAISING TRAINING
February 22- (9:00am- noon)
Looking For $$$ In All the Right Places, presented by Mike Vogler.
Free professional development presented by New Futures for Youth. Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, Little Rock. E-mail Tauheed Salaam for registration

Judi in SoMa has taken advantage of this with some success, as has our RHDI program. Other programs may want to investigate this.
New Program Reminder:
ACE Members and the Clinton School for Public Service
ACE Members have an extraordinary opportunity to engage a Master's-level student from the Clinton School for Public Service in a ten-week Capstone project. All ACE members, regardless of geographical location, are invited to complete a project proposal form by February 28th to be considered for this program. ACE will facilitate the process of matching of Clinton School students' interests and skills with the needs of our nonprofit members. Examples of past projects include: program evaluation, management analysis, policy analysis, case-study based strategic planning, and work-process analysis and improvement. Project planning will begin May 2008, with the Capstone project beginning in September 2008. To learn more about this opportunity, or for a project proposal form, contact Rebecca.

Texarkana Ranked #2 Fastest Growing Small Metro City
http://www.forbes.com/2008/01/30/economy-cities-alabama-biz-cx_bw_0130econcities_slide_13.html