SCHEDULED FOR DEMOLITION - This photo taken from a broken window at the front of the former Cash AG grocery store building in the 200 block of Main Street of downtown Rison shows the current condition of the structure that is scheduled for demolition. The building now belongs to the City of Rison, and Mayor Charles Roberts told the Rison City Council earlier this month that the building is now on waiting list to be inspected for hazardous material. Once that inspection is made, Roberts said it will dictate the city’s next step in taking it down. Addressing vacant structures in Rison will be one of the topics discussed during Monday night’s Rison Shine meeting.
REVIVING MAIN STREET - This aerial shot of down taken this spring by the Rison High School EAST Lab program shows some of the roof damage to vacant buildings that occurred after a wind storm hit downtown Rison earlier this year. Six of the 16 store fronts within the 200 block of Main Street in downtown Rison are currently being used but only three are open on a regular basis during the business day. One of goals of Monday night’s meeting is to identify possible uses for those empty buildings downtown. (Photo courtesy of Rison High School EAST Lab)
RISON - Reviving the downtown area and coming up with a vision of what people would like to see in Rison will be the focus of a special community meeting set for 6 p.m. this Monday, June 30, at the Hall-Morgan Veterans Building, 404 Sycamore Street across from the courthouse in Rison.
The meeting is being organized by Rison Shine Community Development, and is open to anyone, including people who live outside of Rison. Refreshments will be served.
“This will essentially be a brainstorming session to come up with ideas on ways to improve Rison,” said Herald publisher Britt Talent, one of the founders of Rison Shine who will serve as co-moderater of the meeting. Les Walz, the former staff chair for the Cleveland County Cooperative Extension Office who was instrumental in the formation of the Kickstart Cleveland County community development effort, will also serve as a moderator.
Talent said the meeting will follow a similar format to that conducted by Dr. Mark Peterson about 10 years that led to the creation of Kickstart Cleveland County. Peterson has since retired as a professor of community and economic development with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service.
“We will be looking at both our strengths and weaknesses as a community, and then begin brainstorming specific ideas as to how we can improve our community,” Talent said.
Those attending will have an opportunity to sit in on one of three focus groups to brainstorm ideas:
• Public Spaces and Beautification will focus on public spaces like parks, trails, sidewalks, etc. as well as ways to make Rison more attractive through beautification projects. Walz will moderate this focus group.
• Entertainment and Recreation will focus on things to do in Rison, whether its an idea for entertainment, an event or some form of recreation. Douglas Boultinghouse, organizer of the Rison in the Fall Festival and secretary for Rison Shine, will moderate this focus group.
• Business Development will focus on what businesses are needed in Rison and ways to attract them. Part of this discussion will center around ways to utilize the available commercial space in the downtown area. Talent will moderate this focus group.
In advance of the meeting, Rison Shine is conducting an online community survey to get a general idea about what people think of the community. To access the survey, go the posts on the Rison Shine and Cleveland County Herald Facebook pages. It can also be accessed here.
Talent said he is really interested in getting feedback about developing the downtown area. While the 100 and 300 blocks are “holding their own” as far as business activity is concerned, he said the 200 block is another story.
With the closing of the Main Street Cafe and Rison Hardware over the past year, only five of 16 store fronts in the 200 block (about 30 percent) are occupied. Of those that do have tenants, only three - Access Medical Clinic, the Cleveland County Herald office and the Central Delta Community Action Agency - are open on a regular basis during the day.
The roof of one of those vacant store fronts, the former Cash AG grocery store, has completely collapsed, and is scheduled for demolition. The city acquired that property over the past year, and Rison Mayor Charles Roberts said the city must complete a hazardous waste study on the property before beginning the demolition.
Roberts, who plans to be at the meeting, said one goal he would like to achieve Monday is getting more people to be engaged with the revitalization effort. “Ideally, I would like to see some new faces… We need fresh blood,” he said.
Roberts said the volunteers who have been spearheading the revitalization effort have been doing so for several years. By having more people involved, he said it will help prevent burnout plus bring new energy and ideas to the initiative.
“With more volunteers, it makes it more realistic (to achieve the goals),” he said.
Talent said he hopes they are able to come up with a basic framework to begin putting an overall plan together that will address the ideas brought up at the meeting. He said the next step will be finding ways to implement those ideas.