2010 Arkansas Rural Development Conference

A Success:

Thanks to our conference sponsors and the over 500 attendees

who made our 2010 conference a huge success!

See you next year in Hot Springs!

Rural Community Grant Applications and

County Fair Building Grant Applications Available

Rural Community Grant and County Fair Grant applications are now available from the

Department of Rural Services. You may download an application by clicking

on DRS Grants to the left of this page or request one by calling 1.888.787.2527.

The deadline for Fiscal Year 2011 Cycle I is August 20, 2010. 

Randy Young Receives Rural Advocate of the Year Award

Pictured left to right: DRS Director Butch Calhoun (right) presents the Rural Advocate

of the Year Award to ANRC Director Randy Young (left)

              EUREKA SPRINGS, AR—Arkansas Natural Resources Commission

Director Randy Young received the Rural Advocate of the Year award at the

Arkansas Rural Development Conference held May 25-27, in Eureka Springs.

              Young was appointed as the executive director of the ANRC in 1985. 

He is also the Executive Secretary of the Arkansas Water Well Construction

Commission, Chairman of the Governor’s Water Resources and Wetlands Task

Force, and Chairman of the District Capacity Building Program Cooperative

Management Team.   Young has been serving the people of rural Arkansas with

his dedication to the ANRC and their programs for over 30 years.

              The Rural Advocate of the Year award recognizes Arkansans who provide

exemplary service to rural areas. The Rural Development Commission selects

an honoree each year, and past recipients of the award include Senators David

Pryor and Dale Bumpers, former state legislators James Scott and Phil Jacobs,

and former members of the ARDC, Bruce Leggitt and Senator Larry Teague. 

The Department of Rural Services helps preserve the rural

values and way of life through a variety of grants.

Two such grants are the Rural Community Development Grant

Program and the Rural Community Fire Protection Grant Program.

Under these programs, the Department of Rural Services with assistance

from the Arkansas Rural Development Commission fund projects

such as baseball/softball fields, community parks, walking trails,

community centers, fire stations, fire trucks and other fire protection

related equipment. DRS accepts and funds applications three times

each fiscal year. Our next deadline for the Rural Community Grants

is August 20, 2010.

In July 1999, DRS added two additional programs to assist rural

communities. The first is the County Fair Building Grant Program.

As we all know, the county fair is an integral part of life in rural

Arkansas, but they need money to stay viable. The County Fair

Building Grant Program has been established to help meet some

of these monetary needs. Fair associations located in counties

with a population of 55,000 or less are eligible to apply for up to

$4,000 per year under the program. Communities must provide

50% of the cost of the project as match to qualify for the grant.

The next deadline for this grant is August 20, 2010. We strongly

encourage all counties/county fair associations to apply.

The second is the Rural Services Block Grant Program. The

Rural Services Block Grant Program was established through

a partnership with the Arkansas Economic Development

Commission. Unlike the other DRS grant programs, the source

of funding is federal dollars from Housing and Urban Development.

Under the Block Grant, communities with a population of 3,000 or

less and whose population is 51% low to moderate income are

eligible to apply for grants. Applications for this grant program

are currently available. This fiscal year's deadline is December 10 ,2010.