Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Chamber Holds Annual Meeting; New Board Members Named

It's been a busy year for the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce.

At the annual Chamber meeting, President Chad Cornelius told the board of the activities the Chamber has been involved with since last year.

He first pointed out the Chamber's community coffees were brought back two years ago after the event lay dormant for several years. The return, he said, was to get people involved with one another again.

The coffees, he continued, are held by different businesses each month, with the public encouraged to visit and participate.

Cornelius said there have also been several ribbon cuttings for new businesses in the past year.

The Chamber hosted a seminar on financial planning, but the attendance was poor. This, Cornelius said, must change if these seminars are to continue.

Some of the other events the Chamber was involved in or sponsored included the Halloween costume contest, the Christmas parade, Christmas on the Square, the Easter Egg Hunt, a fashion show, the Chicken and Egg Festival, Christmas tree at the Capital, and the annual Chamber banquet.

Prescott, he said, is on the Arkansas Trail of Lights, through the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. The Chamber is a member of the State Chamber Association and the Arkansas Great Southwest, among others.

The monthly business spotlight, Cornelius said, helps provide information about different businesses.

The Chamber helped sponsor the second annual Farmer's Market with the Nevada County Extension Office.

He continued with his list, telling the board the Chamber worked to get a grant for the Nevada County Fairgrounds with the help of Rep. Sandra Rodgers, and is part of the Arkansas Scholar Program, as well the Honor Card program.

The Arkansas Scholar Program, he said, helps students in the eighth grade prepare for their high school careers, making sure they understand the core curriculum they will need to take to graduate.

Those students who meet the criteria of this program will have the Arkansas Scholar emblem on their diploma when they graduate along with it being on their transcript. This, he said, can help the student get a job or get into a good college.

The honor card program, he said, helps provide incentive for all students, as it rewards those with good grades and good behavior with discounts at about 42 different businesses in Prescott.

However, he said, one of the biggest accomplishments is the increase in membership. Two years ago there were 62 members and now there are 116.

"We've had a big increase in membership," he said, "and we'll hit it hard again this year."

Cornelius challenged the membership committee to get the number to 200 by the end of the Chamber's fiscal year.

Executive Director Mary Godwin went through the financial statement, telling the board the Chamber's income was $65,000, while its expenses were $55,000 last year. At this time, she said, the Chamber has $29,786 in the bank.

However, she pointed out, this does not include the cost of the bricks ordered. These will be paid for when they arrive at a cost of $6,495.

The board made a change in its by-laws at the meeting. Because of a problem with absences of members of the board, the change now has any board member missing three consecutive meetings will be removed from office and replaced.

"It takes a lot of time and hard work for the board of directors," Cornelius said. "We need people who are willing to help and will come to meetings."

Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor said there is a lot going on in the city. He told of the grant to help build a new senior citizen's center, saying construction could start in January.

The site selection committee for the new library has looked at three possible locations for the facility. Its members have been talking with owners of the properties involved to see about the cost of the land.

Taylor said it is hoped an announcement can be made on the library's location around the first of the year.

He told of the rural water project being funded mostly through grants instead of loans. The $2,633,000 project will be built with more than 50 percent of the cost picked up through grants.

At this time, he said, bids are out for the industrial park entrance project, but the Arkansas Highway Department has to approve everything first before the money to do the project will be released.

"Prescott is known for two things," Taylor said, "its devotion to economic development and a good school system."

The work underway on the school buildings, he added, will be an asset to the community and is something Prescott residents can be proud of.

Nevada County Judge James Roy Brown told of activities in the county.

"We don't have as much money as the city," he joked, "so we're not doing as much."

Still, he told of a $102,000 grant for road construction on Highway 67 North for the Gifford-Hill gravel plant.

But, he said, this money is being held up because of a law suit at this time. However, Brown added, there should be no problems in getting it once the suit is settled.

The county also obtained a $103,000 grant to help with the Rip Griffin Truck and Travel Center.

Bids will be led for the Bodcaw-Waterloo water project soon, he said, and construction can begin two or three weeks afterwards. It will take about two years to complete the project.

Upcoming projects the Chamber has, Cornelius said, include the Halloween costume contest this Friday. The top three winners will get a cash prize.

From there it will be the Christmas parade with Christmas on the Square. These events will be held Thursday, Nov. 9, starting at 6 p.m.

Cornelius said the theme for this year's Christmas parade is "Christmas Memories Into The Millennium."

All parade entries must be lined up by 4:45 p.m. this year, with the judging to be held at 5 o'clock.

The parade will begin at 6 p.m., following the route from NAPA to the courthouse.

At the conclusion of the parade, Christmas on the Square will begin. The parade winners will be announced at this time, along with the winners of the best decorated homes in the city and county and the window decorating contest.

The snowball avalanche will be held again this year, discounts participating businesses are giving being placed on ping pong balls. Cornelius said this event will be handled differently this year than it was last year.

Plans are in the works for a "Breakfast with Santa" for children. Preliminary plans call for a continental-type breakfast, costing $1 or $2, different activities for children and the chance to visit with Santa and get a picture taken with the jolly old elf.

This idea, though, is not firm and could be modified.