Friends, 

As we observe Earth Day today, we remind ourselves of the need to be good stewards of our environment and to manage our scarce natural resources in order to protect our planet for future generations. 

In the City of Little Rock, we have prioritized a set of ambitious, yet achievable, sustainability goals that incorporate both environmental and financial stewardship. Just last week, the City took the biggest step yet toward reaching one of those goals when the Little Rock Board of Directors approved financing for a solar array expected to supply 70 percent the electricity needed for city operations with clean, renewable power.

We appreciate the Board for authorizing $12 million in short-term financing to pay for construction and installation of a 4.9 megawatt solar array. We are working to identify city-owned land suitable for the array. Once installed, the array should generate enough electricity to save the City approximately $1 million each year in electricity costs.

Thanks to the Biden Administration's Infrastructure Reduction Act, we expect a 40 percent rebate to help offset the cost of the project after the first year of operation. We are also moving forward to complete the project soon so that the City can take advantage of favorable net-metering rules that will credit the electricity the City produces at the same value of the electricity the City uses.

While the solar array is a significant advancement toward a sustainable, clean-energy future, we are simultaneously working to achieve other goals including:

• City operations powered by 100 percent clean energy by 2030
• Electric vehicles making up 50 percent of the City's fleet by 2030
• A 20 percent increase in recycling rates by the end of this year
• Replacing the tree canopy lost to the 2023 tornado

We know that when we take the time to make sure small businesses in the community succeed, then our overall economy grows and prospers. The Minority Business Enterprise Map helps to make sure residents know about products and services they may otherwise be unaware of, so we hope it is beneficial to residents, businesses and entities in our City as we work together to uplift all of Little Rock.

Minority-owned businesses not yet included on the map can click the "Update Information" tab in the top right corner of the map to add themselves.

• There is no Little Rock Board of Directors meeting this week. The next meeting is an agenda session on Tuesday, April 30, at 4 p.m. At that time, the Board will set the agenda for its next regular meeting.
• The City of Little Rock Public Works Department will host public meetings this week in Ward 4 and Ward 5 to discuss planned infrastructure projects. The Ward 4 meeting is today (Monday) at 5:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1818 Reservoir Road. At that meeting, Public Works team members will discuss and hear public input on the Bridgeport Road and Reservoir Road drainage projects. On Thursday, April 25, at 5:30 p.m., a meeting will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 4501 Rahling Road, to discuss traffic signals at Gamble Road and on Chenal Club Boulevard along Chenal Parkway in Ward 5. 
• The Little Rock Police Department hosts its regular quarterly meeting at LRPD's Southwest Station, 6401 Baseline Road, on Thursday, April 25, at 6 p.m. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting to learn more about crime statistics and trends, and offer feedback to LRPD officials.
• The City Beautiful Commission meets on Thursday, April 25, at 4 p.m. at the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 W. 12th St. The commission's responsibility is to hear requests for variances from the Little Rock Landscape Ordinance and consider beautification and landscape issues in the City.
• Join us as we close out National Volunteer Week and our Impact The Rock events with a clean-up at Union Park on Saturday, April 27, at 9 a.m. Union Park is at the intersection of 38th and Walker streets in Ward 6.