Two city organizations to receive grant funding

LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced this week that the El Dorado Historic District Commission and Main Street El Dorado are among organizations across 44 Arkansas counties to receive more than $2.4 million in grants from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

During an EHDC meeting last week, Executive Director Elizabeth Eggleston announced that the city had received a $9,200 Certified Local Government grant in the AHPP’s 2015 — 2016 grant cycle.

The grant is to be used for administrative support for the EHDC and to nominate properties to the National Register of Historic Places.

The commission is surveying 12 properties to be nominated listed on the National Register, including Several of the properties are located in the area North West Avenue and Fifth – Memorial Stadium, Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado, the TAC House, the South Arkansas Arts Center and Barton Library – and will create a new historic district in the city if they are approved for the NRHP.

The other properties include two houses on Calion Road that were designed by late architect and El Dorado native E. Fay Jones, the Boy Scouts of America building on Peach, Rumph Funeral Home building on West Oak, AT&T/Southwestern Bell building at North West Avenue and Main, and the Hillsboro house in the area of Junction City Road and Center.

The EHDC serves as the CLG for El Dorado, which is one of 19 cities in the state to have a CLG program.

Main Street El Dorado was awarded a $15,000 Downtown Revitalization Grant, which is available for building rehabilitation, parks, streetscape improvements and other design-related projects that will have major, long-term impacts in the local Main Street area.

Main Street El Dorado has used DTR grant money to purchase benches, ashtrays, banners, etc., for the city’s historic downtown.

DTR funds have also been used for Main Street’s minigrant program to help business/property with improvement projects, such as new awnings and roof repairs, within the Main Street district.