Chicago Presentation on Web 2.0

Can be downloaded here

Main Street Arkansas Update - February 23, 2009

FOR THOSE OF YOU GOING TO THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE THIS WEEK – REMEMBER, THERE WILL BE NO SESSION HANDOUTS. YOU WILL SOON BE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE HANDOUTS AT WWW.MAINSTREET.ORG

Don’t forget to check the conference blog at http://www.mainstreetlive09.blogspot.com/

Also, our state dinner is Monday at Italian Village at 6pm. Meet in the hotel lobby at 5:30. Bring cash. It’s $30 for food, tax & tip.

THIS WEEK - MARCH 1-4 : NATIONAL MAIN STREETS CONFERENCE, CHICAGO, IL
MARCH 15-17: GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM, FORT SMITH
MAY 14-16 : ARKANSAS PRESERVATION CONFERENCE, EUREKA SPRINGS
SEPTEMBER 14-16: DESTINATION DOWNTOWN, EL DORADO

Main Street Arkansas Calendar February 23 - , 2009
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MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY Cary – National Main Streets Conference; Greg, Caroline, Susan – annual leave
FRIDAY Cary, Greg, Caroline, Susan, Nancy – National Main Streets Conference
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IN THIS ISSUE:
How The Economic Crash Will Reshape America
Light Rail in Central AR?
$2.5 Million Teardown in LR
LR Considers Selling Ray Winder/Park Land
400 Block of LR’s Main Street to be Demolished
Kane Webb Column on Demo
El Dorado Promise
Comments on Main Street & Rebuttal
Endorsement by DG of Preservation Tax Credit & HB 1060

How The Economic Crash Will Reshape America
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/meltdown-geography

Light Rail in Central Arkansas?
http://www.arkansasplanning.org/?p=34

$2.5 Million Teardown in LR
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/printable.asp?aid=112202

LR Considers Selling Ray Winder/Park Land
http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/feb/18/lr-reboots-ray-winder-bid-process-20090218/?news/arkansas (subscriber only, sorry)

400 Block of Main Street to be Destroyed
http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/feb/18/main-street-demolitions-get-go-signal-20090218/?subscriber/national (subscriber only, sorry)
- demolition seems to be the name of the game in the Capital City in recent months. At the risk of hyperbole, it feels like the new age of Urban Renewal has hit LR.

Kane Webb Gets It Right (again) Regarding the Demolition in Downtown LR
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Editorial/252795

El Dorado Hopes “the Promise” Brings Back the Golden Days
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/printable.asp?aid=112189

Comments & Rebuttal about Main Street
http://www.syracuse.com/opinion/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1233655126221430.xml&coll=1

http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2009/02/downtown_rebuttal.html

Endorsement of the Preservation Tax Credit & HB 1060
http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/feb/19/editorials-help-save-arkansas-20090219/ (subscriber only, sorry)

The Information Superhighway Runs Downtown

You can download the Main Street Arkansas presentation, "The Information Superhighway Runs Downtown" by clicking here.

Main Street Arkansas Update - February 9, 2009

MARCH 1-4 : NATIONAL MAIN STREETS CONFERENCE, CHICAGO, IL
MARCH 15-17: GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM, FORT SMITH
MAY 14-16 : ARKANSAS PRESERVATION CONFERENCE, EUREKA SPRINGS
SEPTEMBER 14-16: DESTINATION DOWNTOWN, EL DORADO

Main Street Arkansas Calendar February 9-13, 2009
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MONDAY Cary & Caroline, NE AR; Susan, out
TUESDAY Cary & Caroline, Paragould
WEDNESDAY Cary & Caroline, Blytheville; Greg, Eureka Springs
THURSDAY Caroline – Russellville; Greg, Eureka Springs; Susan, Blytheville
FRIDAY Greg, Eureka Springs
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Grant Opportunity
On-Line Legal E-Source
Radomski Citizen of the Year
Historic Preservation Eliminated for Senate Stimulus Package
Lecture on Non-Profits at the Clinton Center
City Park Land For Sale, Cheap
Grant Opportunity
Award Opportunity

ElevationWeb Tech Grant Opportunity

ElevationWeb is a socially conscious web development firm. They are extending their grant match through the end of 2009. In 2008, we allocated approximately $200,000 to NGOs who needed assistance with web development and programming. You can learn more about us at www.elevationweb.org. The application for assistance is available at www.elevationweb.org/match08.html or by clicking the black box on our home page
If you do not have an RFP, please complete the application form by clicking here or by visiting the following link: www.elevationweb.org/app09.php

OnLine Legal E-Source – Free Info from UA
http://www.uacted.uark.edu/legalesource/index.html

DeWitt PRIDE’s Radomski Is Citizen of the Year
http://www.dewitt-ee.com/articles/2009/02/04/news/news01.txt


Historic Preservation Funding Eliminated from Senate Stimulus Package
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/07/stimulus.cuts/index.html

Uncharitable

How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential
A leading expert on innovation in the nonprofit sector and philanthropy, Dan Pallotta will discuss his book "Uncharitable," which questions society’s fundamental canons about charity and calls for a dramatic shift in the current way charities are regulated.

Pallotta's insurgent thesis is that society’s nonprofit ethic undermines its ability to eradicate great problems, and, ironically, puts charity at a severe disadvantage to the for-profit sector at every level. There are two rule books; one for charity, and one for everything else, Pallotta argues.
When: Friday, February 13, 2009
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. – Lunch & Lecture
Where: Clinton School of Public Service
Sturgis Hall
*Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling 501.683.5239.
Watch Clinton School Lectures Online
- You can now view past Clinton School lectures, including Tuesday's appearance from renowned author and journalist Bob Woodward, online at www.clintonschoolspeakers.com

I know you can’t all attend, but encourage you to watch the lecture online once it’s posted. This is applicable to the work we do.

City Park Land For Sale (Column)
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Editorial/251500
- I think Kane Webb is the closest thing we have to a ‘city’ columnist & try to link to each of his columns about city issues. For anyone who cares about Ray Winder, this is worth a read.

Grant Opportunity:
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=45018
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
1. Develop a program involving cooperative efforts in cultural and natural resource conservation related to projects such as trail development and maintenance, historic, cultural, forest and timber management, minor construction work, archeological conservation, and native plant habitat restoration and rehabilitation.
2. Promote and stimulate public purposes such as education, job training, development of responsible citizenship, productive community involvement, and furthering the understanding and appreciation of natural and cultural resources through the involvement of youth and young adults in care and enhancement of public resources.
3. Continue the longstanding efforts of the NPS to provide opportunities for public service, youth employment, minority youth development and training, and participation of young adults in accomplishing conservation-related work.

SESAH seeks nominations for the Best of the South: Preserving Southern Architecture Award.

This annual award honors a project that preserves or restores an historic building, or complex of buildings in an outstanding manner and that demonstrates excellence in research, technique, and documentation. Projects in the twelve-state region of SESAH that were completed in 2007 or 2008 are eligible.

Nominations should consist of no more than two typed pages of description, and be accompanied by hard copy illustrations and any other supporting material. A cover letter should identify the owner of the project, the use of the building(s), and the names of all major participants of the project.

For more information, please contact the Best of the South Award committee chair Julia R. King at julia.r.king@gmail.com. Send three (3) hard copies of the nomination to Virginia Price at
2162 North Brandywine Street, Arlington, VA 22207. The deadline for submissions is
June 30, 2009.

Winners will be announced at the 27th SESAH Annual Meeting in Jackson, Mississippi in October.

Main Street Arkansas Update - January 26, 2009

MARCH 1-4 : NATIONAL MAIN STREETS CONFERENCE, CHICAGO, IL
MARCH 15-17: GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM, FORT SMITH
MAY 14-16 : ARKANSAS PRESERVATION CONFERENCE, EUREKA SPRINGS
SEPTEMBER 14-16: DESTINATION DOWNTOWN, EL DORADO


Main Street Arkansas Calendar January 26 – 30, 2009
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MONDAY Caroline – out
TUESDAY Nancy – Helena
WEDNESDAY Greg, Mark, Susan, Caroline – Searcy
THURSDAY Greg, Mark – Searcy
FRIDAY Cary, Greg, Caroline, Susan – out p.m.
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Arkansas’s Analysis of Future Traffic Congestion & Capacity Needs
Local & Loving It
New Mexico Main Street White Papers on the 4-Points and the Recession
2008 Arkansas Small Business Profile

Arkansas’s Analysis of Future Traffic Congestion & Capacity Needs
http://www.reason.org/ps346/ar.shtml
- we’re ranked 29th in the US http://www.reason.org/ps346/maps/state.shtml

Local & Loving It
http://www.usaweekend.com/08_issues/081228/081228green-local.html
- Thanks to Betsy McGuire for pointing this out to me. This article provides updated reinvestment statistics. They are:
• Of every $100 spent in a chain store, $14 goes back into the local economy. For a locally owned business, $45 goes back (Institute for Local Self Reliance)

New Mexico Main Street’s White Paper’s on Dealing with the 4-Points During A Recession
http://www.edd.state.nm.us/mainStreet/insideTrack/index.html
- these are excellent pieces & well worth your time. Scroll down to the bottom of the page & click the links. They’re in pdf format.

Arkansas’s 2008 Small Business Profile
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles/08ar.pdf

Main Street Arkansas Update - January 19, 2009

DATES TO REMEMBER:

T

HIS WEEK - JANUARY 20-21: QUARTERLY TRAINING, LITTLE ROCK
MARCH 1-4 : NATIONAL MAIN STREETS CONFERENCE, CHICAGO, IL
MARCH 15-17: GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM, FORT SMITH
MAY 14-16 : ARKANSAS PRESERVATION CONFERENCE, EUREKA SPRINGS
SEPTEMBER 14-16: DESTINATION DOWNTOWN, EL DORADO

Main Street Arkansas Calendar January 19 – 23, 2009
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MONDAY office closed, MLK Day
TUESDAY QUARTERLY TRAINING
WEDNESDAY QUARTERLY TRAINING
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Bill Would Create Tax Credits for Business Improvement Districts
Main Street Harrison Press
National Main Street Trends Survey
TopEventsUSA.com
Grant Opportunity
Small Business Seminars in Arkansas

Bill Would Create Tax Credits for Business Improvement Districts
http://arkansasbusiness.com/printable.asp?aid=111234
Rep. Tracy Pennartz, D-Fort Smith, on Monday filed HB1060 and HB1059, which would establish a state investment tax credit for central business improvement districts.
The texts of the full bills are available here and here

More on that here:
http://tinyurl.com/HB-1059-60

Good Harrison Press:
http://www.harrisondailytimes.com/articles/2009/01/12/news/doc496914ec6a02d352994744.txt

http://www.harrisondailytimes.com/articles/2009/01/14/news/doc496e2550a43fd615035815.txt

Announcing the 2009 National Main Streets Trends Survey: Be Heard!

In 2008, the national media talked a lot about what has been happening on “Main Street.” Have you noticed that reporters on the nightly news refer to Main Street as any street that isn’t Wall Street?

Now’s your chance to tell us what has been happening on the real Main Streets—the revitalizing commercial districts that are the heart of civic life and local economies. Please give us 15-20 minutes of your time to complete the online 2009 National Main Street Trends Survey. Make sure your voice is heard as we take the pulse of the Main Street movement.

This year we ask about your successes, how your holiday shopping season went, and how your program uses social media tools. A few questions ask you to estimate the number of businesses in your district (and the % change from last year), the number of rehab projects, the number of business openings and closings, and your operational budget. We use this information to determine the state of Main Street, create national news, and learn about your innovative ideas and triumphs for case study material for our National Main Streets Conference Opening Plenary presentation and other Center materials.

Be sure to fill it out before Wednesday, January 28, 2009.

Go to the survey now: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=sKOFr17pr8MlJv72iT1CIQ_3d_3d

TopEventsUSA.com’s Top Arkansas Events
http://www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-arkansas.html

Only a few events are listed in Main Street or Network towns. Nominate your events here:
http://www.topeventsusa.com/top-events-nominations.html

Grants Target Environmental and Social Justice Programs
Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation
The mission of the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation is to promote a sustainable and just social and natural system. The Foundation provides support to grassroots nonprofit organizations nationwide through the following grantmaking programs. The Foundation's Protect the Health and Environment of Communities Threatened by Toxics program supports state and regional organizations that address toxics exposure and contamination. The Advance Environmental Justice program supports organizations that work to counter environmental degradation in low-income communities and communities of color. The Promote a Sustainable Agricultural and Food System program supports rural and urban organizations that focus on issues involving sustainable agriculture and community food security. The Ensure Quality Reproductive Health Care as a Human Right program supports organizations that advocate for public policies to safeguard reproductive freedom. Letters of inquiry may be submitted throughout the year. Visit the website listed above for details on each of the Foundation's grantmaking programs.


Two great seminars at 15 locations...
Starting a Business in Arkansas
If you're thinking of going into business, then this seminar is the place to start.
• Business plan keys for success
• Requirements to start a business
• Common pitfalls to avoid
TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 6 - 9 P.M.
Growing Your Business in Tough Economic Times
Looking for ways to recession-proof your existing business? Learn how your small business can survive and thrive.
• Guerilla Marketing
• Cash flow and inventory management
• Customer satisfaction and retention
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 6 - 9 P.M.
For More Information or To Register, Click Here!

Main Street Arkansas Update - January 5, 2009

As we begin a new year, I want to start our communication with a sincere “thank you” for all the work you do. Your commitment, particularly the commitment of our volunteers, truly makes a difference in each & every one of your towns. Our work, revitalizing our historic downtowns, provides an improved quality of place. This makes towns better places to live and aids in economic recruitment on both the large & small scale. Again, thank you.

If you’re looking for a roommate for the upcoming National Main Streets Conference, please let one of us know.

One administrative note – this is the time when new boards & officers are elected. Staff members - please send me contact information for people who need to be added to this e-blast. If your term has ended & you’d like to unsubscribe, just drop me an email.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

JANUARY 20-21: QUARTERLY TRAINING, LITTLE ROCK
MARCH 1-4 : NATIONAL MAIN STREETS CONFERENCE, CHICAGO, IL
MARCH 15-17: GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM, FORT SMITH
MAY 14-16 : ARKANSAS PRESERVATION CONFERENCE, EUREKA SPRINGS
SEPTEMBER 14-16: DESTINATION DOWNTOWN, EL DORADO

Main Street Arkansas Calendar January 5-9, 2009
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MONDAY Greg, Susan, Mark – Rogers; Cary, LR (pm)
TUESDAY Greg, Susan, Mark - Rogers
WEDNESDAY Nancy – Walnut Ridge
THURSDAY Caroline – Harrison
FRIDAY HPAA Awards Banquet
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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Bail Out the Arts
Call for Photos
Eureka Press
Walnut Ridge Press
Harrison Press
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Bail Out the Arts!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/28/AR2008122801274.html

Call for photos
During the Conference Opening Plenary, we will again showcase great images of activity in Main Street communities and would love to include your most recent photos. We will select the best quality images for the Opening Plenary slide show, as well as for upcoming issues of Main Street News, our website, and presentations.
Submit your photos here!

Good Eureka Springs Press:
http://www.carrollconews.com/story/1487274.html

Walnut Ridge’s Acceptance to the Downtown Network Among Top Stories of 08 in Lawrence County
http://www.thetd.com/freepages/2008-12-31/news/story3.php

Harrison Hotel Seville Press:
http://arkansasbusiness.com/printable.asp?aid=110806