Police on look out for bilingual recruits
The Little Rock Police Department will host a recruitment session Tuesday in search for bilingual, Spanish-speaking employees.
The department has immediate openings for a bilingual radio operator and police officer, according to a flier for the session.
Police Department representatives will meet with interested people at 6 p.m. Tuesday at 10901 Arch St. to talk about how the recruitment process works.
In speaking before the Little Rock Board of Directors earlier this month, Police Chief Kenton Buckner said it was clear when he arrived in Little Rock last year that there was a "strained or nonexistent relationship" between police and the Hispanic community.
"There was a lot of mistrust there, and some of that still exists today," Buckner said. "The Hispanic community is a very under-reported community. They don't report because of undocumented status or the language barrier. We want to bridge that trust with them so they will come forward."
City requests help on setting rent rates
The city is taking proposals from commercial real estate agents to help officials determine the market-rate rent that future tenants of the mixed-use space in the 12th Street Police Station should pay.
There is more than 7,000 square feet of available space along a side of the station at 3917 W. 12th St. that will soon be open for private businesses or nonprofits to locate.
The city first must determine the rent it should charge. City Manager Bruce Moore has said that it's likely the city initially will charge less than market rate to draw in tenants from the area and get the venture started.
Several businesses, community groups and local nonprofits have expressed interest in the space, he said.
Commercial real estate agents interested in responding to the city's request for proposals should contact Frederick Gentry at fgentry@littlerock.org or 501-371-4480.
Junior park ranger program ready to go
The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department will start a new junior park ranger program Monday.
The week-long program aims to educate children about the natural environment in the city park system. Children ages 9 to 17 are eligible. The program is full for this year, with 54 participants set to start their first day at 9 a.m. Monday at the Allsopp Park Pavilion at Allsopp Park.
Participants will go through daily training courses focusing on outdoor safety, park history and environmental stewardship. Staff will lead the children in hiking, gardening and picking up litter.
Zoo invites public to planning session
The Little Rock Zoo wants residents to come to a planning session Thursday to provide input on the zoo's recreation needs and priorities for next year.
Zoo officials will meet with the public at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Centre at University Park, located at 6401 West 12th St. There will be refreshments.
The meeting is meant to collect ideas from the community for potential outdoor recreation needs and other priorities for the zoo in 2016. City officials will select which priorities it wants to pursue and include those in an application for an Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism matching grant.
A news release said members of ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities and the elderly are encouraged to participate in Thursday's meeting.
Anyone wishing to submit comments by phone or email can call 501-661-7230 or email JJ Muehlhausen at jmuehlhausen@littlerock.org.
Family Fair to take place on Saturday
The first Familias Seguras, or Family Fair, will take place Saturday at the Covenant Keepers Charter School at 5615 Geyer Springs Road in southwest Little Rock.
The Fundacion Centro De Apoyo Hispano hopes to make the fair an annual event.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be children activities and adults will have access to information about various services available to them in Central Arkansas.
More than 100 attendees are expected, according to a news release.
Register for design event by Thursday
Thursday is the registration deadline for a design competition centered on the Main Street Creative Corridor.
Designers and artists are being asked to submit entries into a contest sponsored by studioMAIN and the city that will result in two designs being chosen to be hung as full-color banners at the top of the parking deck in the 200 block of Main Street.
Each winner will receive $1,000.
"Designs do not have to contain words or logos. We are looking for original, large-scale art pieces," a news release said.
Individuals or teams can submit up to three entries for review. Details of the requirements can be found at creativecorridorlittlerock.wordpress.com under the Banner Art Competition tab.
Registration ends Thursday, but the submissions aren't due until July 1.
Metro on 06/21/2015