City history focus of library session
Was there once an arch on Little Rock's Arch Street? A spring on Spring Street? Who was Cantrell?
Those questions and more will be answered today during a 2:30 p.m. session on Little Rock's historical firsts at the Central Arkansas Library System's Darragh Center in the Main Library downtown at 100 S. Rock St.
Michael Hood, the civil engineering manager for the city, will highlight firsts in Little Rock and Pulaski County, including the first road, first bridge, first residents and the first town site.
Little Rock's original town map and the original street names will be discussed. There will be an interactive history quiz and door prizes.
The event is put on by the Pulaski County Historical Society.
Water project set to begin Phase II
Design will soon begin on Phase II of a water quality project on Main Street.
Phase I was a $1.6 million transformation of blocks 100 to 500, where trees, plants and porous concrete serve as environmentally friendly design elements. The 500 block also includes a rain garden, additional lighting and pedestrian walkways.
Phase II will revamp the 600 and 700 blocks at a cost estimated at $936,000. The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission awarded a $536,000 grant for the project. The remaining funds will be covered by revenue from the city's 2011 sales tax increase.
McClelland Consulting Engineers Inc. will be paid up to $112,750 for the engineering design work and surveying for the project.
"It will continue to implement sustainable low impact development concepts for non-source point [storm] water management and streetscapes," a project summary sheet said. "The project will include rain gardens, porous pavement and other sustainable development infrastructure to capture, detain and improve water quality."
Caran Curry, the city's grants coordinator, said patrons for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre at 601 Main St. have expressed a desire to have more lighting on the 600 block, like what was added to the 500 block, and that that will be included in the project.
Youth Master Plan topic of meetings
Little Rock has set its first meeting for Thursday to introduce its new Youth Master Plan to the public.
Residents are invited to the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center at 3805 W. 12th St. from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday.
"Several public meetings will be held to explain the goals and tactics as well as the priorities to be addressed through various city-funded programs and/or city partnerships developed specifically to meet them," said Vontia Mitchell, the city's Youth Master Plan specialist.
Thursday's meeting is for Ward 2. The other meetings will be:
• Ward 1 -- Oct. 10 at the Dunbar Community Center.
• Ward 3 -- Sept. 29 at Hall High School.
• Wards 4 and 5 -- Oct. 17 at St. Mark Episcopal church.
• Ward 6 -- Nov. 14 at the West Central Sports Complex.
• Ward 7 -- Nov. 17 at the Southwest Community Center.
• City at-large meeting -- Oct. 29 at the Southwest Community Center.
City officials hope the public sessions will allow them to get input from the law enforcement community, parents and guardians, youths, faith-based and neighborhood groups, the Hispanic community, businesses, the education community and the re-entry community.
Professor to give architecture talk
A Rice University School of Architecture professor will give a free lecture called "Reflections and Some Recent Works" on Tuesday.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the Arkansas Arts Center lecture hall at 501 E. Ninth St. A 5:30 p.m. reception will precede the talk.
Carlos Jimenez graduated from the University of Houston School of Architecture and received awards for best thesis project and best portfolio.
"As a practicing architect, his principal built works include the Richard E. Peeler Art Center, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana; Hotel Saint George and Crowley House, Marfa,Texas; and Cummins Engine Child Development Center, Columbus, Ohio," according to a news release.
He recently completed his 10th year as a jury member of the Pritzker Prize, known as the Nobel of architecture.
The event is hosted by the Architecture and Design Network.
City inventorying storms-lost trees
The city will soon work with neighborhoods to inventory trees lost during recent wind storms.
City officials will then develop a program to replace those trees that are in the public right of way, spokesman Jennifer Godwin said.
The city's urban forestry division and Public Works Department will be working on the project.
"The details of the program are still being put together," Godwin said.
Metro on 09/11/2016