Main Street looks to crosswalk art for next project

Now that Main Street El Dorado has secured funding to install an ambient sound system downtown, the group is hoping to complete another long-running project.

During a regular MSE board meeting Tuesday, executive director Beth Brumley said the 50% deposit has been paid for the sound system.

MSE sought assistance from the city to fund the sound system, which will play music and capture the sounds of activities on the downtown square, particularly in retail-heavy areas along Main Street between Cleveland and Hill avenues and Washington Avenue between Oak and Cedar streets.

In July, the El Dorado Works Board and the El Dorado City Council approved $37,110 from the El Dorado Works tax to purchase equipment and cover the costs of installation for the system.

The one-cent, city sales tax is earmarked for economic development, municipal infrastructure and quality-of-life projects.

Tax revenue is administered by the EWB, who vets projects that are proposed for funding and recommends the requests it approves to the city council for a final vote.

Brumley previously explained that funding from the El Dorado Works tax will cover the costs for a laptop computer, speakers, mounting equipment and labor to install the sound system.

MSE will kick in $10,000 to take care of monthly Internet and licensing fees.

Brumley noted that plans for the ambient sound system have been underway since 2018, adding that MSE had hoped to launch the project in 2020 but the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic placed the project on pause.

The group hopes to have the sound system up and running and the kinks worked out by the final quarter of the year or early 2022, she said.

With the ball rolling on the ambient sound project, MSE is now turning toward another project that has been

under discussion for the past several years.

MSE is still working to launch the city’s first crosswalk art project in downtown El Dorado.

Such projects have become a popular trend in urban landscape design and traffic/pedestrian safety in cities across the world and MSE board members have said a crosswalk project is another way to enhance the city’s award-winning downtown.

Like the ambient sound system, the public art project has also been on the group’s radar since about 2018.

MSE has worked with its Design Committee, the city of El Dorado, the El Dorado Historic District Commission and the South Arkansas Arts Center to hammer out the details of the project, including designs and finding local artists.

Securing funding and researching grants have also been a part of the planning phase for the crosswalk art.

Brumley said assistance from the El Dorado Works tax for the ambient sound project and other financial contributions has allowed MSE to free up money for public art projects, including the crosswalk art.

She said MSE hopes to complete the project in time for the group’s fall events, including MusicFest and Airstreams on the Square, both of which are set for October.

MSE is also looking to add murals downtown.

The group previously solicited ideas from local residents about public arts projects for the city’s Central Business District.

Some suggestions included crosswalk art, murals and expanding an existing downtown public art project in which fiberglass replicas of Les Paul guitars are displayed around the Union County Courthouse square.

The guitars were installed on 2007 and were designed and painted by local artists.

Mini-grants

In other business Tuesday, board members issued a reminder that the application period is open for MSE’s annual Mini-Grant program.

The program typically provides matching funds of up to $1,500 for interior and exterior — such as painting, lighting, flooring and awnings — improvement projects that are approved for businesses within the MSE footprint.

However, this year, MSE is upping the maximum grant award to $5,000 and may award fewer grants to fund larger projects, per the direction of Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism (ADPHT).

Brumley noted that one downtown business is undergoing renovation/ restoration project to replace windows and bricks and “to do some repainting,” adding that the work comes with a $130,000 price tag.

“We will match up to $5,000 this grant cycle — which makes it easier for businesses to do large projects. Fifteen hundred dollars would help with some awnings but if he decides to apply, $5,000 would make a greater impact on a project that size,” Brumley said.

The deadline for businesses to apply for mini-grants is Aug. 20.

Businesses within the MSE footprint are eligible to apply. The Main Street District covers most of downtown El Dorado anf extends south along Washington Avenue to Hillsboro/U.S. 82 B.

Applications may be submitted to the MSE office at 101 W. Main, Ste. 410.

The MSE Design Committee will sift through the applications, make its selections and forward its recommendations to Main Street Arkansas’s interior design, exterior design and small business consultants for a final determination of grant recipients and awards.

Brumley said Main Street Arkansas officials will meet with applicants on Aug. 24 to make sure the proposed projects fit within the guidelines of the grant.

Interior and exterior projects may be included in the grant application.

Grant awards will be announced later this year.

Projects that are selected for minigrants must be completed by Feb. 22 to be eligible for reimbursement. Brumley emphasized there will be no exceptions for the deadline.

For more information, call the MSE office at 870-862-4747.