Seven Arkansas Cities And Counties Receive CDBG Grants

Several cities and counties around the state will receive a total of $1,380,000 to help with infrastructure projects, officials said Monday.

Governor Asa Hutchinson presented grants to seven Arkansas cities and counties at a ceremony Monday at the State Capitol.

The funds originate from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

The grants will be administered by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Grants Division.

“Building healthy, strong communities is the first step we can take toward creating a better Arkansas,” Governor Hutchinson said. “CDBG funds do more than provide basic community needs. They improve quality of life for our citizens, which makes communities more attractive to new and expanding companies.”

To be eligible for CDBG funds, communities must have a population of less than 50,000 and a majority of households earning low to moderate incomes.

The seven projects include the following cities/county:

• Amagon, safe room, $220,000.
• Danville, drainage improvements, $210,000.
• Eureka Springs, storm water channel rehabilitation, $220,000.
• McCrory, drainage improvements, $121,000.
• Paragould, homeless shelter, $187,000.
• Waldron, youth center, $202,000.
• Monroe County, drainage improvements, $220,000.

“CDBG funds go a long way to help improve the quality of life for many of Arkansas’s most economically challenged citizens,” Jean Noble, director of AEDC’s Grants Division, said. “We are fortunate that we are able to make these improvements that benefit our fellow Arkansans.”