The program is focused on generating the following positive impacts for the business community through a variety of strategies:

• Increasing revenues of local businesses
• Increasing access to capital and credit
• Lowering the cost of doing business
• Improving the quality of the retail experience
• Improving the quality of the available workforce
• Connecting more quickly to the true priorities and needs of members
• Insuring maximal effectiveness through a monthly business e-newsletter

To learn more specifically about the Chamber’s BR&E Goals and how they plan to create the impacts listed above, visit http://www.phillipscountychamber.org/documents/BRE_Overview_Summer2011_CURRENT.pdf

The trail will connect with the nearby National Forest.

In mid-October the Delta Bridge Project began working with the community to develop a Trails and Greenways Master Plan (Tourism Goal 7, Action Step A). Funded by a $105,130 Delta Bridge Project grant, the plan will outline the design of a trails and greenways system that will physically connect Helena’s tourism features, including key Civil War Helena sites, Historic Downtown, and Helena River Park. The firm leading the project, Alta Planning & Design, is the same group leading the development of the regional trails system in northwest Arkansas.

Once the plan is complete, the construction of the trail project will be broken up into several phases. Phase One will be a two-mile stretch connecting the Civil War Helena anchor sites of Fort Curtis, Estevan Hall and Freedom Park with the downtown. Completion of this phase is targeted for 2013.

The Education Goal Team and the Chamber’s Education Committee are working in coordination to increase community engagement in local schools. Lynn Chadwick, Chair of the Chamber’s Education Committee, has worked with community members to launch the Arkansas Scholars program. This statewide program focuses on promoting student achievement by recognizing students for meeting specific academic criteria. The program includes regular student incentives and school visits by business and community leaders.

Over the course of this school year, Goal Team members will focus on supporting further opportunities for parent and community engagement, as well as efforts aligned with increasing the number of students who enroll and complete post-secondary programs. For more information about getting involved in local education, please contact Lynn Chadwick (lynn_chadwick2898@yahoo.com) or Julia Nordsieck (jnordsieck@banksouthern.org).

The King Biscuit Blues Festival was the recent recipient of a Delta Bridge Project grant.

Below is an update on recent grant activity in support of the 10-year Strategic Community Plan:

Grants received:

• The Delta Bridge Project approved a $223,000 grant in support of the Sonny Boy Blues Society’s efforts to increase the year-round impact of blues tourism and improve the long-term sustainability of the King Biscuit Blues Festival.  Funding comes from the Walton Family Foundation and Southern Bancorp Capital Partners.
• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently awarded SBCP a $2 million Rural Innovation Fund grant. The grant will fund an economic development and housing program in Helena with several innovative components.  More details on the specific components of the grant will be announced in the coming months.
• The Delta Bridge Project approved a $105,130 grant for a Trails and Greenways plan, with funding support from the Walton Family Foundation (see full story for more details).
• An Arkansas Community Foundation grant for $6,000 was recently awarded to Main Street Helena to purchase the equipment needed to accept EBT.

Grants submitted:

• SBCP recently submitted a Promise Neighborhood Planning Grant for more than $300,000.  SBCP and its community partners were finalists in last year’s competition for the program, which seeks to replicate some of the successes of the “cradle to college” model developed by the Harlem Children’s Zone.
• The Phillips County Chamber of Commerce submitted a $42,200 Delta Bridge Project grant for a civic leadership initiative.
• Two Delta Bridge Project grants totaling more than $500,000 were submitted for construction of the Union Fort Curtis and Freedom Park, the state’s first official Underground Railroad site.

This summer Civil War Helena (Tourism Goal 4), the 29-site tourism initiative focused on telling Helena’s unique Civil War story, will be ramping up with work on several key sites.

FORT CURTIS: Work began last week on Fort Curtis, the earthen-walled Union fort once located in the downtown. The fort will feature several cannons, one of which will be operational, and will allow visitors to walk through and explore its interior.  Located on Columbia Street at the former site of Jefferson Elementary School, this three-fourths replica of the original fort will occupy the entire block and will be the only reconstructed fort of its kind in the region. 

FREEDOM PARK:  Engineering and survey work is underway for Freedom Park, a four-acre site located on South Biscoe across from Estevan Hall. Freedom Park has been designated as the first Network to Freedom site in Arkansas, a National Park Service designation for key Underground Railroad sites across the nation.  The park will feature five major outdoor exhibits and is expected to be one of the major draws for the Civil War Helena initiative.  The exhibits will explore the African-American experience in Civil War Helena, following the journey from fugitive slave to Contraband to freedom and, for some, enlistment in the Union Army and participation in the Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism released plans last month for a new multi-million dollar Arkansas Welcome Center in Helena (Tourism Goal 1, Action Step D).  The Welcome Center will be located at the current Super 7 Motel site at the foot of the Highway 49 Bridge.

The design for the center features a hilltop mansion in the “informal Italianate style,” and was inspired by architectural elements seen in many of Helena’s historic buildings. Inside, a series of display cases will highlight area attractions and a computer station will enable travelers to look up destination phone numbers and book last minute hotel rooms.  The plans for the center will go out for bid in December, with estimated completion in 2013.

Through an ongoing partnership between Main Street Helena and the Delta Bridge Project, citywide gateway and directional signs are being developed to guide visitors to destinations throughout the Helena area. This project (Tourism Goal 1, Action Step C) will support ongoing tourism development by highlighting our community’s assets, including the Delta Cultural Center, Helena Museum of Phillips County (formerly the Phillips County Museum), Helena River Park and the St. Francis National Forest.

A group of approximately 25 community stakeholders has helped develop and review the sign designs and location plan. MERJE, the design firm leading the project, has also incorporated the recommendations of the city’s 2010 Branding and Marketing Report. Phase one of the signage plan is targeted for installation in October of this year and will focus on directing visitors to destinations in the historic downtown.

Giving back in Phillips County has become easier than ever! The Phillips County Volunteer Corps (PCVC) is a countywide volunteer program that seeks to connect interested volunteers with volunteer opportunities. The PCVC website (http://www.volunteermatters.com/pcvc) allows registered volunteers to sign-up for volunteer shifts with nonprofit organizations all over the county. A weekly e-newsletter highlights upcoming volunteer events and celebrates volunteer accomplishments. PCVC will host an annual celebration to recognize and reward Phillips County citizens who give back to their community.

This Leadership Goal Team project (Leadership Goal 2) is operated under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce and is run by Teach For America alumna Kathleen Quinlen, who serves as PCVC’s volunteer director.

Below is an update on recent grant activity in support of the 10-year Strategic Community Plan:

Grants received:

• The Walton Family Foundation approved a $61,521 for the Delta AHEC’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention program
• A King Foundation grant for $35,000 was recently awarded to develop a website and educational materials for Civil War Helena
• Southern Bancorp approved a $4,219 grant for development of a small fitness center at BGACDC in Marvell
• Exciting announcements are expected in the coming weeks about Estevan Hall and the Business Retention & Expansion efforts

Grants submitted:

• A Trails and Greenways Master Plan proposal in the amount of $105,130 was submitted to the Walton Family Foundation (WFF) for funding consideration after approval by the Local Development Council and Southern Grant Committee
• A $173,000 grant proposal was submitted to WFF in support of the Sonny Boy Blues Society’s efforts to increase the year-round impact of blues tourism and improve the long-term sustainability of the King Biscuit Blues Festival
• An $800,000 Scenic Byway Grant was submitted to support development of several Civil War Helena sites and construct a walking trail connecting these sites with the downtown
• A $55,975 USDA Farmer’s Market Promotion Grant was recently submitted on behalf of Main Street Helena in support of the Downtown Helena Farmer’s Market. The funds will be used to purchase needed equipment and to fund a part-time market manager

To celebrate Earth Day, the Recycling Subcommittee of the Tourism, Recreation and Quality of Life Goal Team helped spread the word about the City’s cardboard recycling program. A newspaper article was written promoting the program and explaining the process.  Also the City’s May water bills featured a recycling reminder.

Celebrate Earth Day in H-WH by Recycling (.pdf)