ROGERS -- Arkansas Sen. Cecile Bledsoe announced a $100,000 grant for the Rogers Farmers Market on Friday and said the market will help bring vibrancy downtown.
"I remember when my kids used to ride their bikes downtown," said Bledsoe, R-Rogers. "There was a lot going on downtown back then. I want this downtown to be that way again."
Main Street Rogers announced plans for a market downtown in October. The City Council approved design work in December for renovation of a former auto repair shop at 101 Cherry St. to house the market.
Mayor Greg Hines said the grant will be used to renovate the building, which features garage doors that can be opened in warmer months and closed during the winter. The building will allow the city to lead the way for year-round markets in the region, he said.
"This is the vision of the community," Hines said. "This conversation started about a year ago when we started talking about revitalizing downtown. I took a year to listen to what the people of Rogers had to say about it."
The city committed money to Main Street Rogers for the start of the market by increasing the organization's annual money from $60,000 to $85,000.
The city also approved an additional $20,000 for design work to the auto-repair shop. The city purchased the building sits on for $365,000 last year.
"We purchased this property not knowing what we would do with it but knew it was a central downtown location, and today we know why we have it. It gives us the opportunity to provide a yearlong market," Hines said.
The total cost for renovation isn't yet known, Hines said. It's estimated to be about $150,000 for the initial renovation to get it open, he said.
Any additional renovation money would most likely come from the city, Hines said. The City Council will need to approve the expenditure, he said.
The market is set to open April 30. Ryan Neal was hired by Main Street Rogers to run the market last month. A marketing campaign for the market is likely to start next month.
The Arkansas General Improvement Fund grant Bledsoe announced was approved by the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District in partnership with Bledsoe.
Jeremy Ragland, the district's assistant executive director, said the market will not only enhance Rogers, but the region.
"We hope to continue to work with the city in other ways to enhance downtown in the near future," Ragland said.
NW News on 02/13/2016