LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Community-development program focuses on Beebe ....
Incorporated in 1875, the city of Beebe has grown into a bustling community from its roots as a stop on the railroad. Now a program through the University of Central Arkansas in Conway will take a look at ways to continue Beebe’s progress.
This August, officials of the city of Beebe will participate in the UCA’s Center for Community and Economic Development’s Community Development Institute Advanced Year program. This program brings community and economic leaders from across the state into a community to run focus groups, conduct interviews, tour the city and develop a report that the city can use to create goals for community progress.
“The CDI Advanced Year program is provided at no cost to the community,” said Shelby Fiegel, director of the Center for Community and Economic Development. “Beebe will receive a high-quality consultation from a group of six to 12 community and economic experts from across Arkansas and the mid-South.
Fiegel said the goal of the Center for Community and Economic Development is to assist communities across the state with community and economic-development projects. The center does this by providing a variety of training programs throughout the year. One of its biggest training events is the Community Development Institute, an annual weeklong training event that draws in community leaders from around Arkansas. This year, the event was scheduled to take place Aug. 3-7, but Fiegel said the event had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fiegel said CDI is typically a three-year program, and after attending for three years, students are considered to be graduates of CDI. She said the Advanced Year program is for CDI graduates who want to take the skills they’ve learned and put them to use in their own community and others. Since the Advanced Year class is limited to around 10 people, Fiegel said this year’s program will still happen, with some slight adjustments, such as virtual focus groups and smaller gatherings.
Kristen Boswell, public-relations director for the city of Beebe, said the community is growing and has lots of opportunity and potential.
“Beebe is a close-knit community with excellent schools, housing, shopping and dining,” she said.
The Advanced Year members will participate in a variety of events, Fiegel said. The first day will consist of presentations of community research by Advanced Year participants that includes information on different assigned personas the city might want to attract, such as families with young children looking to relocate; young, single professionals; industrial prospects; tourists; and retirees. Members will also be briefed on the city and compare it to other Arkansas cities of similar size and population.
The next day, the graduates will travel to Beebe to take a driving tour of the city and meet with city leaders. That afternoon, there will be a community focus group utilizing a Zoom conference. This will allow a conversation with community members in the areas of local government, economic development, health care, education, workforce, nonprofits, faith-based organizations and more.
After meeting and talking with community members, the last two days of the Advanced Year event will be spent developing key findings and development recommendations that will be presented on Beebe’s Facebook page. This presentation will focus on the community’s assets and opportunities from the perspective of the residents and local leaders. Advanced Year participants will identify emerging priorities for the community and give an overview of the next steps the city can pursue.
Some previous Arkansas cities that have participated in the Advanced Year program include Camden, Paris, Heber Springs, Sheridan, Alma and Lonoke. One standout project that came to fruition during an Advanced Year session was the Eiffel Tower replica that was built in the town square of Paris. The city had a vacant lot, and one of the Advanced Year members suggested building a replica of the famous structure. The owner of the lot was in one of the meetings and offered to donate the lot to the city for the project, and a local metal worker offered to build the replica. The city was able to complete the project within a matter of months, Fiegel said.
Boswell said Beebe’s leaders have looked at Camden’s report and think several of its conclusions on next steps would be a good match for Beebe, including creating a community campaign; encouraging downtown merchants to stay open later; pursuing additional employer involvement in community initiatives in education, public art and infrastructure; and researching additional grant-funding opportunities.