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Friends,
Mark your calendars! We are headed to every Ward in our City starting next week to listen to residents who want to have input in how we shape the future of Little Rock.
As you know, the Little Rock Board of Directors and I are considering asking voters to approve a penny sales tax to fund historical and transformational improvements to the quality of life and place in the state's capital city.
We need you, the residents of Little Rock, to be a part of this process. We would like to hear from you directly at one of our upcoming meetings. I'm convinced we can't grow forward in this City unless we do so together. That means this sales tax initiative must be a collaborative effort with input and support from across Little Rock.
Our community meetings will kickoff on Monday, August 14. By the end of the month, we will visit all seven wards. Here's the schedule:
- Monday, August 14, Unitarian Universalist Church, 1818 Reservoir Road (Ward 4)
- Wednesday, August 16, Second Baptist Church -Downtown, 222 E. Eighth St. (Ward 1)
- Monday, Aug. 21: Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 5300 Stagecoach Road (Ward 7)
- Wednesday, Aug. 23: Southwest Community Center, 6401 Baseline Road (Ward 2)
- Thursday, Aug. 24: Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St. (Ward 6)
- Monday, Aug. 28: Fellowship Bible Church, 1401 Kirk Road (Ward 5)
- Wednesday, Aug. 30: Christ Little Rock Church, 315 S. Hughes St. (Ward 3)
Each meeting begins at 6 p.m.
I'm looking forward to these town hall-style meetings and the positive input and constructive feedback that will help us make Little Rock a better place to live, work and play.
At the meetings, you'll hear straight from me about the proposal, which focuses on the "Four Ps,": Parks and Recreation, Public Infrastructure, Public Safety and the Port/Economic Development. We've identified those four pillars as where we need to focus our most investment if we truly want to unite, grow and transform Little Rock.
I hope to see you at one of our seven ward meetings this month!
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LR Cares Applications Now Open
Little Rock residents impacted by the March 31 tornado may now apply for individual disaster relief grants from the City's Little Rock Cares fund. To apply, visit heartaruw.org/recovery-grant.
About $400,000 will be distributed among affected Little Rock residents with unmet needs related to the EF-3 tornado. The individual grants will help defray costs associated with housing, food, furnishings, transportation, lost wages or other demonstrated needs.
Heart of Arkansas United Way is the third-party administrator handling grant applications and awards. Grant amounts may vary, and allocations will be prioritized by teams of volunteer resident reviewers overseen by the third-party administrator.
Little Rock Cares funds are intended to help those most in need as a result of the tornado, so I encourage affected residents to apply for disaster relief grants. The application process is simple, and Heart of Arkansas United Way is available to answer any questions.
Grant applicants with questions may email recoverygrant@heartaruw.org at any time, or call (501) 838-9482 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays during the application period.
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Heat Mapping
This time of year, the temperature outside is truly a hot topic for almost all of us. Next week, it will be top of mind for more than a hundred "citizen scientists" helping the City of Little Rock and other partners participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2023 Urban Heat Mapping campaign.
We will be sending our citizen scientists across the City on Saturday, August 19, to collect temperature data. Little Rock was selected as one of 19 cities to participate in the project, which will map where people outdoors are most at-risk or safest during heat waves in urban environments.
Citizen scientists may sign up here to volunteer.
Scientists will use the data to produce a report for us on how we can reduce health impacts of extreme summer heat, thus helping us stay cooler in the future.
We're still seeking volunteers to help collect data on August 19. I'm glad for our partnership with Metroplan, Central Arkansas Water, Hendrix College, the Little Rock Zoo, PAGIS and the Little Rock National Weather Service office to make this event a success.
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The Week Ahead
- The Little Rock Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, August 8, at 4 p.m. at The Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St., to set the agenda for its next regular meeting. All board meetings are livestreamed on the City of Little Rock Facebook and YouTube pages. To view the agenda, click here.
- The Little Rock Parks Commission meets Wednesday, August 9, at noon at The Centre at University Park. The Parks Commission reviews, consults, and advise the City on matters concerning the operation and maintenance of the Parks and Recreation Department.
- On Thursday, August 10, the Little Rock Planning Commission will meet at The Centre at University Park. The meeting starts at 4 p.m. The Planning Commission makes planning and zoning recommendations to the Board of Directors.
- Midnight Basketball continues this week (Thursday and Friday) at the Jim Dailey Fitness & Aquatic Center, West Central Community Center and Southwest Community Center. Doors open at 9 p.m. and participation is free. The Midnight Basketball program is open to residents 16 and older.
- Starting today, August 7, and continuing for four weeks, crews will be working on N. Rodney Parham Road between Buff Lane and Pleasant Valley Drive. During the road reconstruction project, the southbound lane of Rodney Parham will be closed, requiring a detour.
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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!
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