Preserving city’s history goal of meet between state, locals
The Department of Arkansas Heritage is looking at coming up with a new fiveyear plan to help Texarkana, Ark., preserve local history and the department got plenty input Monday.
Eight local historic homeowners, business property owners and heritage preservation officials gathered at Arkansas-side City Hall to talk with Catherine Barrier, a certified local government coordinator with the department’s Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
Barrier presented the group with eight questions to help her zero in on how best to write a new state-wide historic preservation program set to start next year and go through 2023.
Once complete, the plan needs to be submitted to the department by the end of this year, to take affect by Jan. 1, 2018.
The plan’s goal is to help the state set priorities and organize grants and other financial aid in order to shape a program that could help cities throughout the state, preserve both their historically residential and commercial buildings, Barrier said.
During the hour-long meeting, Barrier asked eight key questions designed to focus on how best to help cities preserve their local historical buildings and other structures. Her questions involved finding out what historical areas of town currently deserve the most attention, what types of property is the community currently preserving, which types of
property don’t get preserved but need preserving and what makes preservation happen in the community.
Barrier’s questions also included identifying the largest threats to preserving historical areas in the community, what types of preservation resources could the state help provide —such as educational, financial and technical assistance— what state programs are already being used and what would be the most important ways the state could help with historical preservation.
Mary Beck, who works with the city’s Historic District Board of Commissioners, identified wooden structures—mostly residential homes between 60 years and 100 years old—as a key area needing attention.
Ina McDowell, executive director of Main Street Texarkana said any structures directly connected to Arkansas’ history as a state.
As for those structures currently being preserved, Greg Gallagher, a member of city’s Quality Hill Historic Residential District, said both homes and some downtown business buildings as well as government buildings, like City Hall and the Miller County Courthouse are actively being preserved.
Regarding buildings that are being neglected when it comes to historic preservation, the group identified some homes in the area of the East 16th Street and Beech Street intersection.
As to what represents the biggest threat to historical preservation, Beck said the main roadway entries into the downtown area don’t exactly lead to the historically attractive areas in downtown. Former Arkansas-side Historic District Commissioner Jimmy “Smitty” Smith said there appears to be the general negative attitude that some people regarding the rebuilding of downtown. Many believe it’s not worth it and that downtown needs to be bulldozed down rather then rebuilt since new development is moving northward. Others said that business property owners, in downtown also tend to overprice their property when it comes to selling to interested buyers.
Beck added that education programs would help with informing citizens on the importance of historical preservation as well as let them know how to make it happen.