|
Friends,
Sometimes, the smallest actions can make the largest impacts. For example, if every Little Rock resident picked up just one piece of trash today, there would be 203,000 less pieces of litter in our City. Any action you take to make Little Rock better can have an impact, so I encourage you to focus on how best you can improve our City as we observe Global Volunteer Month in April.
We're offering multiple opportunities during April for residents to impact Little Rock and make the kind of difference that grows Little Rock forward.
We'll kick off Global Volunteer Month on Saturday, April 1, at Butler Park, 9800 Rodney Parham Road. We're asking volunteers to help paint, plant flowers and clean up the park.
Then, on Saturday, April 15, join us for "Impact the Rock: A Day of Unity and Service" as we take on essential service projects at Interstate Park, along Seventh Street, at Birchwood Park, along Rock Creek Trail, at Union Park and at the Little Rock Animal Village.
On Tuesday, April 18, volunteers will assist the Arkansas Food Bank. We'll observe Earth Day on April 22 at Riverfront Park and then we'll close out the month with a volunteer project at Boyle Park on April 29.
Learn more about all our Global Volunteer Month events on the City's website.
I'm grateful for the hundreds of volunteers whose efforts improve the quality of life and place in Little Rock. Please help us in April and throughout the year to make our City the best place in America to live, work and play!
|
|
|
|
Impact the Rock 2023
|
|
LRPD Promotions
Congratulations to four veteran Little Rock Police Department officers who recently received promotions. The officers were recognized at a special pinning ceremony last week.
Majs. Andre Dyer and Troy Ellison were each promoted to Assistant Chief, and Lts. Zachary Farley and Eric Hinsley were promoted to major.
Assistant Chiefs Dyer and Ellison are only the sixth and seventh African American assistant chiefs in LRPD history, and the first to be simultaneously promoted. Assistant Chief Dyer will oversee field services, or patrol, while Assistant Chief Ellison will operate LRPD's executive bureau, which includes Internal Affairs and records.
The four men who were promoted have more than 80 years of service, combined, to the City of Little Rock. I thank them for their many years of dedicated service and look forward to working with them to help make Little Rock safer.
|
|
|
|
From left: Maj. Eric Hinsley, Assistant Chief Andre Dyer, Assistant Chief Troy Ellison, Maj. Zachary Farley
|
|
Museum of Discovery Facelift
One of our anchor institutions in the River Market, the Museum of Discovery, is coming back stronger than ever after being closed for part of 2021. During the unprecedented winter storm of February 2021, a boiler broke and flooded two galleries and the museum's administrative offices. As it recovers from that disaster, the Museum is investing in an exciting renovation process, as it refreshes some of its exhibits and replaces the destroyed galleries.
I joined members of the Board of Directors last week for a tour of the Museum. We were fortunate to be able to see the progress at the same time as Spring Break, when hundreds of kids and kids-at-heart took in all the wonders the Museum of Discovery has to offer. It was amazing to see the exhibit spaces bustling with so much activity. I'm proud of this important attraction in downtown, which has been named one of the top 10 best children's museums in the U.S.
I appreciate Museum of Discovery Director Kelley Bass and his team for sharing their plans for the new exhibits in the two galleries destroyed in the flooding, as well as providing a sneak peek into the updates planned to existing gallery spaces.
The Museum of Discovery draws more than 160,000 visitors to the River Market every year. Those guests are from all 50 states and more than a dozen other countries. With its facelift, we can expect even more interest in the museum and a related positive impact on Little Rock's overall economy.
|
|
Reminder: Transportation Survey
The City's Planning Department is in the process of revising Little Rock's transportation plans, and we're seeking the public's input.
It's been more than 30 years since the last time we updated the Master Street Plan, which sets out our long-term transportation priorities. As we go through the process, we'd like to know about how you get from place to place in Little Rock. We're also interested in hearing how you think we can improve transportation. Please complete a short survey to help guide our Planning Department's development of what we are calling the Master Transportation Plan.
We're renaming the document the Master Transportation Plan because we know our residents get around the City by car, public transit, bicycle lanes, sidewalks and other means. The Master Transportation Plan will show the general location of major roadways and the design standards for those roads within the City of Little Rock. The plan is designed to ensure we have a transportation system that effectively moves people and goods within the City. It serves as a guideline for development. It will likely set design standards for all forms of transportation, like bicycles, motorcycles, scooters and pedestrian traffic.
The deadline to complete the survey is Friday. Click here to take the survey.
|
|
The Week Ahead
- The Little Rock Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, March 28, at 4 p.m. to consider the agenda for its April 4 meeting. The Board meets at the Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St. All board meetings are livestreamed on the City of Little Rock Facebook and YouTube pages. To view the agenda, click here.
- Ward-by-ward meetings continue this week for the public to provide input on how the City plans to spend $40.5 million in bond funding for streets and drainage. All meetings begin at 6 p.m. Locations and dates are:
- Today, March 27: Ward 4, Unitarian Universalist Church, 1818 Reservoir Road
- Wednesday, March 29: Ward 5, 4501 Rahling Road
- Thursday, March 30: Ward 7, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 5300 Stagecoach Road.
|
|
As always, stay up to date with what's happening in the City on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram via @citylittlerock. You can also email me at mayorscott@littlerock.gov or call my office at 501.371.4744.
I appreciate you!
|
|
|
|
