Arkansas city to use Tyson Foods grant for welcoming plan

SPRINGDALE (AP) — A northwest Arkansas city will use a $96,000 grant from Tyson Foods to create a welcoming plan that focuses on the area's various cultures.

Springdale City Council members voted last week to accept the one-year grant, The Northwest Arkansas DemocratGazette reported . The grant requires the city to create a forum to gather community input, have a civic academy to introduce participants to the city's resources and create a language access program to translate city documents.

"The grant will help us identify what's not been done and what needs to be done better and can be accomplished by the city staff," said Ernest Cate, the city attorney.

The city can hire someone to develop the program or hire independent contractors to achieve the grant's goals, said Mayor Doug Sprouse.

"They've let us be wide open in the way we accomplish these goals," Sprouse said. "We'll have to determine what's the best way for us to achieve them."

The Northwest Arkansas Council's EngageNWA initiative is coordinating the program. The initiative aims to promote a welcoming and diverse culture in the area. The nonprofit includes representatives from the region's companies, schools and health care systems.

Officials with Tyson Foods and the Northwest Arkansas Council declined to comment further on the program before the public launch of EngageNWA's 2018-22 plan on Tuesday.