LITTLE ROCK — Officials hope Little Rock’s Main Street will be transformed into a leading example of environmentally friendly water-quality management in the coming months.
Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola announced Monday that the city received a $900,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency through the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission to install porous pavers, tree wells, rain gardens and other water-filtration methods along portions of Main Street.
The goal of the project is to enhance water quality, but Stodola said he hopes that when the work is finished, Main Street will serve as a how-to guide for future projects in the city and in the state.
“There are water issues with all of the concrete, especially along Main Street and in this community, and this is a chance to both make our community a much more attractive place and to serve as a demonstration for ‘green’ practices in water-quality management for future projects,” he said.
“This is also a tremendous step forward as a collaboration between federal, local and state government to move our community forward.”
The city will contribute about $679,000 in matching funds to raise the total project funding to $1,578,959. The work is to begin later this month and last through June 2015.
The improvements will take place in the 100, 200 and 500 blocks of Main Street, Stodola said. Depending on how far the funds stretch, work could also be done in the 300 block.
Little Rock was one of five state capital cities to receive the EPA funding out of 38 that applied for the Greening America’s Capitals program, Stodola said.
There will be a public hearing Aug. 29 in the Downtown Little Rock Partnership’s Main Street office to gather input into what projects residents would like to see included.
For now, the city has plans to build rain gardens at the parking garage between Second and Third streets on the east side of Main Street. Rain gardens are specifically designed depressions with plants that help soak up storm water and other runoff.
The grant funding will likely also include tree wells, which are bare dirt or mulch around the base of trees to help soak up water, and sections of pavement made from porous material such as paving stones or pervious concrete that allow storm water to soak through the surface and into the ground.
The city employed the help of architects and urban planners at local universities to help design some of the prospective changes.
The city also aims to complement work planned through a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant received last year to redevelop the area with a focus on the arts between the 500 and 600 blocks of Main Street, including the buildings around the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.
Stodola said the city also included an educational component in its grant application. Students at the eStem Public Charter Schools just a few blocks from the project area will use the work to learn about water quality.
“Our students’ lives will be impacted by improving the educational opportunities in the community,” eStem Chief Executive Officer John Bacon said.
“Our kids come from all over central Arkansas, and we stress that it’s important for them to give back to the community and to be connected to the community around where they go to school.”
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 07/10/2012