Rector now officially part of ADN program

It's official. Rector is one of eight Arkansas cities which have joined the Arkansas Downtown Network (ADN) of communities dedicated to revitalizing historic commercial areas, Main Street Arkansas director Cary Tyson announced Friday.

Main Street Arkansas is a program area of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

"Rector impressed us with its commitment to keeping its downtown area as an important component of community life," Tyson said. "We are excited about this opportunity to work with these cities as they seek to preserve their historic commercial cores. ADN membership will provide these cities with an opportunity for downtown professionals to share solutions to common downtown issues."

Other towns joining the Arkansas Downtown Network are Sheridan, Morrilton, Walnut Ridge, Siloam Springs, Crawfordsville, Jonesboro and DeWitt.

"By affiliating with Main Street Arkansas's Arkansas Downtown Network, these eight communities are making a commitment to their historic commercial roots," Tyson said.

Among the services and benefits ADN cities receive are access to Main Street Arkansas's quarterly trainings, organizational assistance, limited technical assistance from Main Street staff members and access to the Main Street resource center.

Main Street Arkansas provides technical assistance and design services to help create economic development in the state's downtown areas. The Main Street approach to downtown revitalization focuses on four areas: design, economic restructuring, organization and promotion.

Cities currently involved in Main Street Arkansas are Batesville, Blytheville, Dumas, El Dorado, Hardy, Harrison, Helena-West Helena, Little Rock's South Main Street (SoMa), North Little Rock (Argenta), Osceola, Ozark, Paragould, Rogers, Russellville, Searcy, Texarkana and West Memphis.

Other members of Main Street's Arkansas Downtown Network are Pine Bluff, Heber Springs, Fort Smith and Eureka Springs. Other sponsors of the Main Street Arkansas program are the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is the agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage responsible for the identification, evaluation, registration and preservation of the state's cultural resources. Other agencies in the department are the Arkansas Arts Council, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Historic Arkansas Museum.