Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Funding For Museum OK'd

The Arkansas State Highway Commission has approved funding through the Arkansas Transportation Enhancement Program for the Prescott Depot Museum Restoration Project, according to commissioner Mary P. 'Prissy' Hickerson of Texarkana.

"The project will provide funds for the renovation and restoration of the Missouri Pacific Depot that was built in 1912," Hickerson said. The project has been approved for federal funds in the amount of $166,000.

The project is one of 82 projects statewide, recently approved by the commission for funding. The Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) of 1998 included funding for projects such as bicycle and pedestrian facilities, landscaping, scenic highway development and historic preservation. These funds, which require a 20% local match, cannot be used for traditional highway improvement projects.

"The Arkansas Transportation Enhancement Program enables the department to make federal enhancement funding available to city, county and other government entities for projects of their choosing," Hickerson said. "This time, the commission received requests totaling $26 million in federal funds for enhancement projects, but we only had about $13 million in funding available. It was a difficult decision," she said.