Community Development Focus

Planning and Strategic Development

Staff provides on-going assistance to cities, counties, and local development organizations such as chambers of commerce and regional consortiums in undertaking coordinated economic development initiatives. The District also puts together a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) for the twelve-county region which provides a framework for local initiatives as well as a vehicle for maintaining local eligibility for federal financial assistance. Included in this document is information on the region the District has access to as an affiliate of the Arkansas State Census Data Center. There is no charge for this data, except for the duplication of graphics and mapping, if requested. Most of the data found in this document can also be found at the US Census Bureau's web site and at the University of Arkansas's State Census Data web site. The CEDS document was last updated in 2009; a new CEDS will be available in the fall of 2014.

Project Development and Packaging

Leveraging strategic partnerships and funding resources to maximum effect can enhance a project’s competitiveness. EAPDD staff can assist in identifying these partners and resources and provide valuable insights in creating and packaging grant applications. This assistance includes the preparation of narrative justification, compilation of data and other statistics necessary to support application requirements, helping to identify eligible sources of matching and in-kind resources, and assistance with presentations, if appropriate.

Project Management

Regulations that accompany state and federal grants and loans can be beyond the management and resource capacity of local government staff. The District has many years of experience in assisting local government in administering and complying with regulations inherent to grants with numerous agencies including the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas Rural Services Department, the Economic Development Administration, USDA, and HUD.

The staff, acting as an agent of the recipient (usually on a contract basis paid out of the proceeds of the funding), will set up and maintain the required records, reports and procedures, and provide the oversight necessary to ensure proper coordination and project execution. Typical responsibilities include financial management; environmental review; procurement; construction management and labor compliance; equal employment, fair housing, ADA, and other civil rights requirements; and property acquisition.