Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

What's Happenin'

If you got 100 people in a room and asked all of them what they'd like to see done in Prescott and Nevada County you'd probably get at least 60 different answers. And most of the ideas are very good ones. The problem is that communities have a limited number of resources and just can't do everything.

However, Prescott is more fortunate than most and the resources Prescott has are often used to benefit the entire county. One of Prescott's greatest resources is the one-cent sales tax for community development. The tax was passed for community development with the initial development goal being to retain the hospital. Since the closure of the hospital many have asked, "What's happening with the money?" The answer is community development. Let's look at some things accomplished with the one-cent sales tax since the closure of the hospital.

Health Care: Money from the sales tax is used for part of the subsidy that allows the Nevada County Ambulance Service to remain in operation in the county. The subsidy has decreased since this program started, but is still necessary to protect our ambulance service. Other funds were used to purchase health care equipment used in local doctors' offices and nursing homes.

Schools: Some of the one-cent sales tax has been used to help local schools improve. Money was given to the Prescott School District to purchase computers for the children. More of the fund was used to help match a COPS grant that keeps a police officer on the school campus at all times. Through the Beautification Committee the sales tax paid for sidewalks at the Prescott High School Campus.

Police: Funds from the one-cent sales tax have been used to purchase needed equipment at the police department that otherwise would have been unattainable. Several grants received by the police department have used sales tax money as matching funds.

Senior Citizens: Money from the sales tax has been used to help accomplish some of the dirt work on the Senior Citizens Center construction. This has allowed the center to save redirect fund for other needed items.

Beautification Committee: Money from the sales tax has been used to help beautify the City of Prescott. The committee has planted flowerbeds throughout the city and planted trees along the railroad and in the cemetery. Beautification has also constructed both the "Welcome to Prescott Nevada County" sign and the "Marquee Sign" which is used to notify residents of community events. The property has been purchased and the materials are being purchased for the Prescott Square Park, which is under development. The tax also paid for the beautiful mural that was just completed.

Fairgrounds: Improvements were made at the Nevada County Fairgrounds with proceeds from the one-cent sales tax. The improvements benefitted the entire county and many visitors who enjoy the facility for the fair, rodeos and other special events.

Sidewalks: A number of new sidewalks in the city have been constructed over the past few years with a small percentage of the sales tax money.

Downtown Development: Sales tax money was used to clean up the property from a fire downtown, which is being converted into a pocket park using some of the Downtown Development portion of the money. Another pocket park, Old Mike Park, will be developed using sales tax money. The walls in both parks have been prepared for local citizens to paint murals on. The University of Arkansas students were funded with a small portion of the Downtown Development portion of funds. Their plan for the development of downtown will arrive next month. Two grants have matching funds from the sales tax, one that will be used to restore the Depot Museum and one that will be used to improve downtown streetscapes.Library: The $1,000,000 library grant, which can only be used for building a library, would not pay for the property to build the library on. So money from the one-cent sales tax has been used to purchase that property over the last few weeks. The city used the sales tax money to pay a fair price for the property so that it would not have to be condemned and purchase at appraised values.

Economic Development: Part of the funding for Economic Development comes from the one-cent sales tax. Over the last five years the office has been involved in receiving $10,500,000 in grants and creating approximately 295 jobs over 5 years. Sales tax money has been used to produce a Prescott promotional video, which was used to recruit industry. Other funds were used to match the ISTEA grant for the industrial park, which currently has two prospects looking at it. Everyone needs to drive by the industrial park on Ron Harrod Drive and see the improvements. Other funds from the sales tax were used to purchase the acreage at the industrial park several years ago. Last year 20 additional acres of land were purchased, which gives us a total of 134 acres of industrial property to develop. In addition, funds have been used to extend industrial sized utilities connections to the park so that it is ready for development. Marketing the community by advertising in magazines, attending trade shows, visiting potential industries, and other activities are funded in part by the sales tax. Attracting industry requires time, postage, phone calls and materials, all of which are available because of the sales tax money.

So what's happening with the sales tax money? Community development!!! Just what the tax says it's to be used for. And this is not an exhaustive list of everything that has been done over the last five years, just some of the highlights. There's no smoky backroom decisions, but rather individuals who work on the Beautification Committee, Economic Development Board, Police Department, School District, Health Care Industry, City Council, Chamber Board, City Department Heads, and many others have a voice in how the money is spent. Maybe you don't agree with some of the expenditures above. That's fine, we all have a right to our opinion. What can you do about it? Get involved! Get involved in the various groups and organizations that are working hard everyday, with little thanks, to make Prescott and Nevada County a better place. There is a place for you to be part of the process. It takes many volunteer hours to accomplish the goal of community development, but the reward is worth it for those who are involved. If nothing else, please come to the various public meetings advertised in the newspaper. At these meetings community leaders and organizations are begging for your input concerning which grants to seek and which ones are of no interest. So we hope to see you at the next public hearing or community meeting.

Chadwell is director of the Prescott/Nevada County Economic Development Office.