Downtown Texarkana to Benefit From Main Street Arkansas Grants

Main Street Arkansas has awarded $200,000 for Arkansas projects through its Main Street Arkansas “Slipcover” Removal and Downtown Revitalization Grant programs, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced today. Main Street Arkansas is a program area of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Texarkana is one of several towns that will benefit from these grants.Two Main Street cities shared $143,967 in “Slipcover” Removal Grants, which help finance removal of false façades from historic Main Street Arkansas buildings. The grants are available to certified local Main Street Arkansas programs to assist in returning downtown buildings to their historic appearance. Requests for the grants, which are funded by the state Real Estate Transfer Tax, totaled $221,149.

Recipients of “Slipcover” Removal Grants were:

*Main Street Ozark, which received $28,989 to remove the metal slipcover and restore transom windows at Taylor’s Barber Shop at 101 South Third Street and $25,950 to remove the metal slipcover and restore transom windows at Morgan’s Clothing Store at 103 South Third Street

*Main Street Siloam Springs, which received $22,589 to remove the wooden slipcover at the Spot Theater Building at 310 East Main Street and $66,435 to remove the wooden slipcovers and restore windows and storefronts at the Morris Hotel Building at 110 and 114 East University Street.

Main Street Arkansas awarded $56,033 to four Main Street cities through its Downtown Revitalization Grant program. Downtown Revitalization Grants are available to certified Main Street programs for building rehabilitations, parks, streetscape improvements and other design-related projects that will have major long-term impacts in the local Main Street area. Grant requests totaled $82,933.

Recipients of Downtown Revitalization Grants were:

*Main Street Searcy, $20,667 for window and roof restoration at the American Legion Hut at 112 West Race Avenue

*Main Street Texarkana, $13,300 for window and roof restoration at the Swift Building at 410 East Broad Street

*Main Street Dumas, $17,066 to remove glass blocks and restore windows at the Merchant and Farmer’s Bank Building at 165 South Main Street

*Main Street Batesville, $5,000 to uncover and restore original 1892 windows in the Sterling Building at 187 East Main Street.

Main Street Arkansas provides technical assistance and design services that help create economic development in the state’s downtown areas. The Main Street approach to downtown revitalization focuses on four areas: design, economic restructuring, organization and promotion.

To learn more about Main Street Arkansas, visit their website.