The ED dialog continues in Arkadelphia
This time the editor of the local paper, Dan Marsh, weighs in on what is right about Arkadelphia. I agree almost entirely with Mr. Marsh. Arkadelphia, and all our other small Arkansas towns in decline, need to focus on what makes them special--what makes them unique. Arkansans live in small towns for the flavor and human connections that small-town life affords them. If we were to examine the reasons our small-towns are in decline in an open and honest manner, I think we would find that it is the very human connections and local flavor that the citizens of small-towns find attractive that are in decline. They tend to do business with a corporate chain rather than a local business owner. The public square is no longer populated by citizens in the way that it once was.
It's too easy to blame Wal-Mart for the destruction of Main Street but its dishonest to ignore it as cause. It is true that NAFTA and international trade caused the exodus of a great many of our factory jobs but it is up to us to counter-act those losses. The answers won't come easy. State government will have to retool itself--a task that tends not to come naturally. State legislators will have to do more than come to Little Rock every two years to sop up free booze with a biscuit--a task that tends not to come naturally.
I'm, personally, tired of the state's focus being placed almost exclusively on large projects instead of the fundamentals of economic development, e.g. quality of life, small business development, and an adequate and equitable education. Our down-towns can be more than a nostalgic throw-back to some by-gone era that in my opinion never really existed in the first place. They can instead become thriving economic centers that provide the local tax base and culture necessary to rebuild our small communities.
Comments
For almost any small town, one could make a list of what's right. The hard part: Applying those characteristics to improve the quality of life of the town's residents.
Posted by: Jeff Porter | October 22, 2006 05:50 PM
Adam, is there a "contact me" place on this blog? I wanted to send you something, but I don't want to post it here...
Posted by: Danyelle | October 22, 2006 08:20 PM
I agree totally. It is well known that vast majority of all jobs comes from small business. There must be more sincere efforts to assist in the development of small business, with a real interest in preserving, not only existing businesses, but also to preserve the value of a good idea that needs strategic planning and investment for development.
Posted by: Patricia Rogers-ward | October 23, 2006 01:48 AM
Q: Is there a contct Me section?
A: No, there was an email address on the original post but that has be archived away.
agweeks@ualr.edu
Posted by: Adam Weeks | October 23, 2006 08:39 AM
Great post Adam! Talk about being honest and frank; I agree with what you've said so far about refocusing our ED efforts on the state level.
On a side note, while I absolutely enjoy the variety of local coverage in this blog, I also think your blog may be turning into the ED forum of the ArkTimes (not a bad thing, mind you). You've got one of the best community blogs on here and I hope more people start reading and commenting.
Posted by: Arkansas Student![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/ruralarkansas/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 23, 2006 01:22 PM
Thank you Arkansas Student.
I didn't mean to turn this into a blog about ED but I guess that is the direction that it is taking. I feel that this is perhaps because 1) that is what I am interested in and 2) ED, coupled with school reform, is the biggest issue out there for rural Arkansas.
I just don't feel like there is a voice out there that is calling for better economic development for rural Arkansas.
Part of this is the way that federal money is distributed. For example, if you are a city of 50k or more, the federal govt. distributes Community Development Block Grant Funds (CDBG) directly to you, allowing you to administer them yourself. If your city is under that level, then it must apply to the state for its funding. Rural areas get their money somehow else--I'm ignorant about county govt. So basically, larger towns get to watch out for themselves. Small communities are left to fend for themselves. They tend to be left with a series of tokens from state govt. If you grew up in a small town then you've likely seen it. The state rep comes home to get his or her picture in the paper handing over a check to the local vol. fire dept.
Well folks, this is hurting Ark. The next gov. of Arkansas needs to get the directors of the various state agencies that have programs for rural arkansas development together in one room and not let them out until the come up with a comprehensive plan to get us going in the right direction. Then he needs to stay on them like white on rice until they see it through.
Do I sound mad? I'm not mad. I'm just passionate about our state. We have so much to offer; we are so unique. It hurts me to see it languish and fall to waste.
Posted by: Tax Payer![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/ruralarkansas/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 23, 2006 01:41 PM
As a downtown professional (there are a number of us in AR, believe it or not) I like the focus you're on Mr. Weeks.
You're on track about ADEDs use of CDBG $ for smaller towns. They're focused on metal buildings, badly designed & used for Sr. Centers as well as $ for sewer issues. While sewer issues are important, that should be the focus of the county or locality. We can use our CDBG $ better. Small towns Chambers and downtown programs should be more active in trying to garner CDBG funds. Too often they're uninformed or uninterested. Change requires leadership & vision. Something we're sorely lacking in this state.
Posted by: Arkanblogger | October 26, 2006 07:34 PM