Article originally published in the Arkansas Municipal League Association- Summer 2023 edition.

Flood Mitigation Supports Community

By Greta Hacker

Flooding is one of the most common weather related disasters. Flood damage to property, infrastructure and agricultural yields can cause significant economic and social consequences to communities. According to Risk Factor, a nonprofit environmental risk estimator tool, 13 percent of properties in Arkansas have a 26 percent chance of being affected by flooding in the next 30 years.

Many Arkansas communities have historically lacked the resources and information to properly manage flooding. The National Centers for Environmental  Information reported that the Arkansas River flood of 2019 caused an estimated $3 billion in infrastructure and property damage. Our aging flood mitigation  infrastructure may have contributed to the problem; in 2017, the Army Corps of Engineers labeled over half of the state’s levees “in unacceptable condition.”

Local leaders working to manage flooding can find help from state programs and services. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Division provides education, funding and consultation for city leaders on flood mitigation. Whit Montague, a certified floodplain manager with the Natural  Resources Division, noted that making sure property owners purchase flood insurance is a key part of recovery and resilience. “The average flood insurance claim in Arkansas during 2006-2016 was approximately $22,000,” she said. “However, only about half of the homes damaged by floods are insured for flood damage,  meaning that many homeowners are forced to pay out of pocket during recovery.”

Montague emphasized that lacking education about flood insurance is part of the problem. Lenders require property owners in official flood zones to purchase flood
insurance before taking out a mortgage. In Arkansas there is no disclosure requirement for whether a property is in a flood zone, so many buyers don’t find out about the flood insurance requirement until they go to close. This leaves the purchaser with little opportunity to shop around for a better rate. Purchasers are often given high quotes that can add hundreds of dollars onto their monthly payments.

“What is missing [from the discussion] is that there are ways to reduce that insurance premium,” Montague said. The Natural Resources Division supports  communities in this effort by coordinating the state’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This voluntary program encourages community-wide adoption of minimum regulatory standards to manage flooding and allows property owners to purchase federally backed flood insurance. The state NFIP office is available  year-round for phone, email, virtual and in-person consultation with local officials and citizens who have questions about flood insurance or mitigation.

The state also supports flood mitigation through administering federal grant funding to communities. Projects that receive funding can include repairing a levee, creating a detention or retention pond to collect floodwater, and training people to talk to the community about flood insurance. The Natural Resources Division can
also provide funding for improving properties through floodproofing, relocation, elevation or demolition of existing structures.

The city of Clarksville demonstrates a successful communitywide flood mitigation project that received support in part from a low-interest loan administered by
the Natural Resources Division. Clarksville’s downtown area lies in a 100-year floodplain, which stifled growth and revitalization due to high flood risk and the associated high flood insurance premiums. Clarksville’s levee was built in the 1950s and wasn’t deemed satisfactory to manage flooding in the area. The city received a $1 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and contributed $400,000 to finance renovation of the levee. The project took eight months and was completed in August of 2022. FEMA then designated the area as no longer being in a floodplain, which eliminated the mandatory insurance  requirement for 830 properties.

Since the city’s levee project has reduced flood risk in the area, the downtown has seen “an explosion of capital investment,” said Steve Houserman, Clarksville’s economic development director. “Just in direct investment, we have seen over $2.5 to $3 million. We also have three or four businesses that are already underway and ready to open up in the next couple of months.”

The city has also invested in its downtown since the levee renovation. Projects include purchasing, revitalizing and selling a historic building to the local University of the Ozarks, as well as constructing a public stage for concerts and other community events.

Houserman advises local officials looking to institute a floodplain management project to have good data, ideally from an environmental study of the area, that shows how the flooding causes a detriment to growth and revitalization. He also recommends involving affected groups and other stakeholders in the effort from the beginning. “Those business owners, for their own wellbeing, will show up to city council meetings and they will advocate for that issue, because it’s going to save them money in the long-term and help the local economy grow,” he said.

Montague encourages community leaders to view floodplain management as an opportunity for community progress. “Management of flood risk is not an  impediment to growth and development,” she said. “In actuality, it protects your residents and neighbors and sets the stage for smart, safe and sustainable growth.”

To learn more about the Natural Resources Division’s flood mitigation assistance programs, visit www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/natural-resources/divisions/water-management/floodplain-management.

Article originally published in the Arkansas Municipal League Association- April 2023 edition.

Moving the Needle on Childcare 

By Abayi Ibro Ayouba

In its August 17, 2022, Household Pulse survey, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the previous four weeks, 2,055 Arkansas adults left a job in order to care for children. In that same period, nearly 34,000 working Arkansans used paid leave time to care for children, and nearly 35,000 took unpaid leave to provide childcare. Many parents, particularly women, are forced to leave the workforce to care for children, reducing their earning potential and limiting their ability to contribute to the economy. This in turn affects businesses that rely on a stable and reliable workforce.

The COVID-19 pandemic shed a new light on the childcare crisis that has been brewing in many countries for years. While this crisis is not new, the pandemic exacerbated it, highlighting the need for affordable and accessible childcare options. As we continue to adjust to the “new normal,” most businesses and schools have reopened their doors, but parents are still  struggling to find affordable, accessible options and are facing daunting waitlists.

The childcare crisis, especially in Arkansas, is a significant concern for parents and caregivers. The state has been grappling with a shortage of quality and affordable childcare options for years. This problem is especially acute in rural areas, where there are fewer childcare facilities.

Leaders must understand that childcare challenges have a negative impact on the state’s economy, and it is critical to ensure that solutions are developed so that parents can provide the highest quality of life possible for their children. To address the childcare shortage in Arkansas, policymakers and community leaders must work together to find solutions that support both providers and families.

The Newport Economic Development Commission understands this pressing reality and is taking a proactive approach to addressing the state’s childcare shortage by offering home-based childcare training to community members. “We have a desperate need for additional childcare slots in Jackson County,” said Jon Chadwell, the commission’s director of economic development. “And it is an economic development issue because if people don’t have a place to care for their children, it’s hard for them to go to work, and they might decide to work in a surrounding county where childcare is available in the same place they’re working. Parents don’t typically like to leave their kids 30 or 40 miles away from where they’re working.”

The home-based childcare training program is a promising step toward addressing Newport’s childcare shortage. By supporting home-based providers, the program can increase access to  quality childcare options for families while also promoting economic growth in the region.

To make this happen, Chadwell’s office teamed up with the White River Planning and Development District and ChildCare Aware of North Central Arkansas to provide tools and training to interested community members.

“There is a shortage of infant and toddler care, not only locally, but statewide and nationally,” said ChildCare Aware’s Debbie Mize. “Everyone at ChildCare Aware is here to help anyone that would be interested in opening family childcare in their home.”

Mize and her team are working with community leaders to provide the opportunity and tools for anyone who wants to open a family childcare center in their home. “There’s a whole team at every ChildCare Aware center across the state that works closely with state agencies and other partners to support caregivers in any way that we can,” she said. “Participants in our
programming also receive guidance on how to become licensed childcare providers, which will allow them to access state funding and other resources to support their businesses.”

Home-based childcare providers offer a valuable service to their communities while also earning income and building their own businesses. The programming provided through ChildCare Aware is one step in the right direction to move the needle on childcare in a positive direction.

To learn more about home-based childcare and licensing or other resources, visit ChildCare Aware online at www.childcareaware.org/state/arkansas

By Michael Hudson

Mayor Stephanie White of Keo knows a lot about creating dynamic community festivities. In December of 2022, she and other community leaders launched the first annual Keo Pecan Festival, which highlighted the city’s pecan orchards. The festival featured live music and entertainment, a pecan baking contest, a bike ride, arts and crafts, food and more.

“Community-based events signal to residents and visitors that the place is brimming with life and interest,” White said. “Enthusiasm is contagious, and the best compliment a visitor can pay is ‘I wish I lived here.’”

A successful event will provide the opportunity for residents to feel more connected to their community and one another. It will also draw tourists to your town. Visitors will spend money at local restaurants, retail establishments and on a host of other expenses throughout the day. All of those expenditures will contribute to uplifting the local economy.

So, what should be considered when creating a successful community event?

Mayor White advised that you should strive to make your event one “where people want to be, where they feel at home and can truly enjoy the festivities and individuals around them.” By doing so, it will lead to more individuals wanting to return in the future and with them, a larger tax base.

A successful event cannot be accomplished without a core group of dedicated volunteers. Volunteers are essential in broadcasting to others the needs of the event, whether those needs include more volunteers, monetary donations or other items. Volunteers can also be some of the best spokespeople and marketers for your event. By developing a strong group of committed and excited volunteers, you can maximize the impact of a community event.

But how do you inspire volunteers to get involved?

As the director of marketing for the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, Lorie Robertson has a lot of experience generating excitement and momentum around community events. Some of the events and festivals held in the Chaffee Crossing community include an indoor Christmas show, a bi-weekly festival-style farmers and artisan market, and an annual veterans day
parade.

Robertson emphasized that highlighting the value of the event to the community is crucial for eliciting volunteer support. “By painting a picture or a vision of how important the event will be to the community and how important each role is to the overall success of the event, you can generate buy-in from volunteers, leaders and citizens,” she said.

Successful execution of community events also depends upon leaders’ ability to make sure volunteers feel heard and understood. Mayor White often checks in with volunteers on a regular basis to identify concerns and address them, paying special attention to the distribution of responsibility and work.

From personal experience, the old saying “many hands make light work” is especially true when it comes to event planning and implementation. If volunteers are overworked and unable to enjoy the event themselves, it will be extremely difficult to recruit those volunteers for future events.

Robertson stressed the importance of a solid leadership team in successfully executing a community event. “Your leadership team needs to be individuals who take pride in what they are doing and tell others about the impact it has on their lives,” she said. Those ambassadors will directly impact the development of new leaders, the retention of current volunteers and the recruitment of new volunteers.

When developing your leadership team, consider individuals who can offer valuable skillsets such as time management, organization, communication, strong work ethic and a passion for the community. They will inspire others to invest their time and talent.

There are many reasons to develop a robust offering of community-based events. During the event development process, it’s important to remember that a successful event cannot be accomplished without the buy-in from the leadership team, volunteers and community.

The best way to learn about events in your region and throughout the state is by visiting https://www.arkansas.com/events If your events aren’t listed, make sure they get added.

Article originally published in the Arkansas Municipal League Association- February 2023 edition.

EngageAR Partners on Pantries for MLK Jr. Day of Service 

By Shelby Fiegel

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service is a defining moment each year when Americans across the country step up to make communities more equitable and to take action at the local level. It is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage citizens to volunteer to improve their communities. During the last quarter-century, the MLK Day of Service has grown, and more Americans have embraced the idea that citizenship involves taking an active role in improving communities.

Engage Arkansas (EngageAR) celebrates the MLK Day of Service by engaging with municipalities and nonprofit organizations to:

• Engage with their community and create constructive action;

• Act on Dr. King’s legacy of social justice and equity; and

• Recommit by volunteering to serve others (clean up a public space, mentor a young person or help those who are food insecure).

This year in celebration of MLK Day, EngageAR supported the Little Free Pantry Movement statewide. The Little Free Pantry is a grassroots effort launched by Fayetteville’s Jessica McClard in May 2016. She planted the first Little Free Pantry, a wooden box on a post, that contained food and personal care and paper items accessible to all citizens in her community to support neighbors in need. A Maumelle Public Works Department employee retrofits a donated Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper dispenser to serve as a community food pantry as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service.

Through a donation of 100 old newspaper dispensers by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, EngageAR supported over 60 communities by repurposing the dispensers into mini food pantries. Partnering communities also hosted block parties and food drives to bring their community together.

“Our mission at EngageAR is to bridge divides by bringing people together through service and volunteerism,” said Deputy Chief of Community Engagement and Faith-Based Partnership Shana Chaplin. “We seek to provide support and tools to help local communities build strong civic infrastructure. The Little Free Pantry project is an example of how state government, private sector partners and local communities can creatively engage citizens of all ages to help meet local needs.”

Each community identified a unique approach in coordinating and supporting the pantries. Some opted for nonprofit organizations, education institutions, health care facilities or individuals to take ownership of the pantries. In Maumelle, the city identified the need for additional pantries and made the decision to support the installation of two new pantries: one for general community needs on the north side of town near the police and fire department (2000 Murphy Drive) and one for pet products at the Maumelle Center on the Lake, a senior wellness center (2 Jackie Johnson Cove).

“Engage Arkansas’ excellent idea to turn old newspaper boxes into micro food pantries proves that a project doesn’t have to be big to make a big difference,” said Maumelle Mayor Caleb Norris. “Those families who will benefit from this program will have food on the table and will know that the people in their community have stepped up to help.”

EngageAR also encouraged their partners to decorate and paint the pantries with art representative of their communities. Maumelle utilized city equipment and employee-centered volunteerism within their public works department to sand, paint and print stickers of inspiring quotes and paw prints to make the pantries aesthetically pleasing and easy to locate. Other communities and organizations opted to work with local artists and youth to decorate the pantries.

“We are so excited to be part of the MLK Day of Service project with Engage Arkansas,” said Maumelle Director of Economic Development Courtney Dunn, who served as the main point of contact for the project. “Providing resources like the Free Little Food Pantry to our community is impactful and is a community effort.”

Learn more about the MLK Day of Service at www.americorps.gov/newsroom/events/mlk-day, or visit www.engagearkansas.org/mlk-day-of-service for resources, ideas for community projects and a full map of communities participating in the project.

You can learn more about the Little Free Pantry Movement at www.littlefreepantry.org.

Article originally published in the Arkansas Municipal League Association- January 2023 edition.

The Virtuous Cycle of Adaptive Reuse 

By Greta Hacker

At the local level, it’s exciting to see a new project break ground. Some of the most well-known economic development success stories in the state are projects that created something where nothing was before: a new hotel, a new restaurant, or a new factory.

But over time, these exciting new buildings become old and can eventually become vacant when their original use is no longer relevant for the community’s needs. Recently, the Lincoln Land Institute called vacancies in the United States an “epidemic” and Arkansas is not immune to this disease. Instead of viewing these buildings as eyesores, we should view them as opportunities to be catalysts for renewal, growth and community revitalization.

Adaptive reuse, the process of revitalizing an existing building for a purpose other than what it was originally designed for, is an answer to this problem. Arkansas has seen many incredible adaptive reuse projects in larger cities, including the Momentary in Bentonville (a former cheese factory turned into contemporary art space) and the Bakery District in Fort Smith (a former baked goods facility turned into a retail, coworking, restaurant and community space).

According to Ryan Biles, Lonoke 2022 Executive Committee member and owner of Kudzu Collective (kudzucollective.design), an architectural firm that specializes in adaptive reuse, these types of projects have been gaining momentum in the United States. Recent data from the American Institute of Architectural Billing Index found that renovation and adaptive reuse projects now outpace new construction and comprise over 50 percent of the value of construction dollars spent.

Although adaptive reuse projects have clear economic benefits, Biles suggests that they can have far deeper positive impacts on a community. “The value of [adaptive reuse] to a community is certainly quantifiable, in terms of healthy lease rates and property, sales and A&P tax revenues,” he says. “But it is also a qualitative value, one where citizen perception shifts from ‘we could never’ to ‘look what we did!’ That contagious positivity— or “defiant optimism” as we call it in Lonoke—makes a huge impact on the mindset of a small town or neighborhood.”

Adaptive reuse projects happen in communities of all sizes, and some of the examples mentioned occurred in large and more affluent cities. However, the inspiring effects of renewal can be particularly helpful for underresourced and rural areas. One organization is working in some of the most rural communities in the state to turn forgotten places into affordable and eco-conscious housing while taking a community-centric approach.

The Dels Corp (www.thedelscorp.com) was founded in 2018 by Mark Bertel in Mountain Home with the goal of providing sustainable, multi-family housing throughout Arkansas and the Midwest. It all started with a property called The Dels, which was once known as Town & Country Motor Inn, one of Mountain Home’s original motels. With a great location just a few blocks from downtown, there was a lot of potential to breathe new life into this property and provide value to the citizens of Mountain Home. The Dels offers affordable, all-inclusive studio apartments with a strong community-based feel.

Since The Dels Corp’s original success in Mountain Home, Bertel and his team have renovated 11 properties in north central Arkansas and southern Missouri and have launched two restaurants. Although each property has unique features and its own unique story, each of them share a community-centered focus.

“Before we even think about purchasing a property for renovation, we make sure that we develop close partnerships with multiple stakeholders in that community,” says Hannah Thaxton, operations manager at The Dels Corp. “It is very important to us to build a presence in a city and to make sure that our project is something that the community needs and wants.” Some of the ways The Dels Corp reports involving themselves in communities prior to beginning an adaptive reuse project include joining local chambers of commerce, partnering with local schools and sponsoring events such as 5Ks and festivals.

Thaxton shares this piece of advice for leaders thinking about adaptive reuse in their own communities: “Don’t be scared of the big run-down projects, because they are usually the ones that bring the most joy. People are often thankful when something old is made new, beautiful and useful.”

Biles echoes that suggestion. “I encourage folks to think about the worst or most embarrassing building in their community and be willing to ask ‘what if?’ Most of us have driven through a dusty downtown or walked by an old, dark building and said, ‘I sure wish somebody would do something about that…’ or ‘Why doesn’t somebody clean that place up.’ I simply remind people that you can be that somebody!”