Preservation plan up for public review

There is still time left to share input for a project to develop a comprehensive historic preservation plan for El Dorado.

The community is invited to attend a Virtual Open House to review the latest draft of the plan, ask questions, make recommendations and take an online survey at www.eldoradohistoricpreservationplan.com.

The survey is also available at surveymonkey. com/r/T8RV3YX.

The online event opened June 22 and ends

Friday.

The El Dorado Historic District Commission, who initiated the project in 2019, is reminding local residents that they have a hand in crafting a master plan to identify and prioritize historic preservation issues and projects in El Dorado, as well as engage in efforts to develop ideas that are laid out in the plan.

The plan is being drafted by The Lakota Group, an Illinois-based urban design firm.

On June 11, a team from Lakota presented an overview of the latest draft of the plan and walked commissioners through some of its highlights.

The firm is expected to submit a final draft to the city by July 15.

“Last year, the city of El Dorado Historic District Commission embarked on a citywide preservation plan, making it a priority in our grant proposal to the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program,” said Elizabeth Eggleston, executive director of the EHDC.

“We were awarded the largest Certified Local Government grant that we have received to date,” Eggleston said.

With the $42,000 AHPP grant and a $10,000 match from the El Dorado Works tax, commissioners accepted Lakota’s bid proposal in April of 2019, not to exceed $46,574.

A steering committee was formed and stakeholders were identified for the project and the groups met with Lakota team members when they initially toured the city in the spring of 2019.

Lakota and the EHDC solicited feedback from the public during an Open House that was held last fall in the South Arkansas Community College Library Auditorium and recommendations from the community have been incorporated into the proposed plan.

The most recent draft identifies important preservation issues in El Dorado, goals and specific, realistic and achievable strategies and action items to enhance the city’s current historic preservation program.

“Everyone in El Dorado and The Lakota Group put a lot of time and effort into the preservation plan, so we are asking everyone who is interested in the process to complete the online survey,” Eggleston said.

To help spread the word about the Open House and online survey issue reminders about the deadline, Eggleston said the EHDC has been sending out email blasts.

“After the online survey is complete, future work will be prioritized, including future opportunities for grant funding and the AHPP has already started working with the city of El Dorado to start more closely delineating survey areas for the priority neighborhoods that are identified in the plan to try to plan our future grant requests.” Eggleston said, adding, “It’s a matter of prioritizing and putting some of these things into action.”

Ken Bridges, chairman of the EHDC, said the plan highlights how historic preservation impacts the economy, about which there has been great concern due to challenges the country is facing because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

“Preservation, when properly implemented, cannot only stabilize property values and the tax base for a community, it can rebuild entire neighborhoods and business districts,” Bridges said. “It can provide the stability that businesses need to thrive, as evidenced by the success of so many downtown merchants.”

He said the preservation plan can also serve as a road map for economic progress in El Dorado.

Commissioner Linda Rathbun spearheaded the preservation project while serving as EHDC chairman in 2019 and she is working with current chairman Bridges to help see the project through.

The commission is working to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the city’s history and heritage.

“History is more than just the buildings; it is the people. The people of El Dorado have many stories to tell. These stories not only say many things about the structures and how they were used but also about how the people lived and how the community came to be,” Bridges said.

Eggleston said the EHDC is also teaming up with other local historic preservation groups, including Main Street El Dorado and the South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society, and will continue to seek their help once the master plan has been completed.

“When the implementation phase comes, it’s going to involve all the local preservation partners. We’re going to have to have a lot of help. If you look at this plan, there’s a lot of work to do,” Eggleston said.