State downtowns will get $250,000

Arkansas is adding another $250,000 in grants to boost economic development and job growth in downtown business districts, and Fort Smith is one of the recipients.

Total grants available through the Main Street Arkansas program will increase to $559,000 in fiscal 2021, according to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

The department awards the grants to spark downtown revitalization efforts. They range from $3,000 to $25,000 based on a community’s level of participation and the number of businesses operating in the downtown commercial district.

“Through these grants and the patronage of their friends and neighbors, these businesses will continue to drive local economies and contribute to Arkansas’s bright future,” department Secretary Stacy Hurst said.

Main Street Arkansas communities receiving $25,000 grants are: Conway, El Dorado, Eureka Springs, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, North Little Rock, Paragould and Searcy; and $22,500 each will go to Batesville, Blytheville, Little Rock’s downtown partnership, Ozark, Pine Bluff, Russellville, Siloam Springs, Texarkana and West Memphis.

Grants of $20,000 will go to Dumas, Helena-West Helena, Paris and Little Rock’s South of Main district.

Downtown Partnership communities receiving $3,000 each include: Arkadelphia, Calico Rock, Camden, Clarksville, Forrest City, Hardy, Hope, Lonoke, Malvern, Mena, Monticello, Morrilton, Newport, Pocahontas, Prairie Grove, Rector, Warren and Wynne.