19 Jun 2023 Arkansas Historic Preservation Program announces grant recipients

Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHPP) has announced over $4.2 million in County Courthouse and Historic Preservation Restoration Grants to 41 recipients across the state. 

“The County Courthouse and Historic Preservation Restoration grants have helped extend the life of courthouse structures that hold vital links to community pride and local history as well as assisting with the continuing restoration and preservation of other important historic properties,” said Shea Lewis, interim secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

The County Courthouse Restoration Grant is an annual grant that has been in existence since 1988. It is funded primarily by an annual grant to the AHPP by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council (ANCRC) using Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) funds. The purpose of the County Courthouse Restoration Grant program is to encourage and promote the preservation and continued use of Arkansas’s historic courthouses by providing financial assistance for restoration, selected maintenance and accessibility projects.

This year $3,488,695.53 in grant funding was awarded to 22 grant applicants. The courthouse grant recipients proposed projects and award amounts are:

•    Arkansas County, DeWitt, restore second and third floor windows, $63,540.00

•    Baxter County, Mountain Home, remove existing two-pipe water system and install new HVAC unit, $50,000.00

•    Columbia County, Magnolia, master plan and condition assessment, $15,000.00

•    Craighead County, Jonesboro, repair and replace windows/doors/frames, $179,000.00

•    Desha County, Arkansas City, replace bell tower roof, $172,114.00

•    Desha County, Arkansas City, repair and stabilize roof, decking and vent attic of annex, install new flashings to asphalt shingle system, $268,790.00

•    Drew County, Monticello, assessment and preservation plan, basement water mitigation, $74,432.00

•    Greene County, Paragould, repair interior water damage to ceilings and sheetrock, $92,900.00

•    Hot Spring County, Malvern, repair and restore first and second floor windows, $510,893.53

•    Independence County, Batesville, install 64 inside mounted storm windows, $309,450.00

•    Jackson County, Newport, install 124 interior storm windows, $377,030.00

•    Lee County, Marianna, asbestos abatement, replace roof and windows, repair/replace metal flashings, $194,462.00

•    Mississippi County, Osceola, replace terra cotta at northeast corner of cornice, $109,875.00

•    Monroe County, Clarendon, clean and inspect gutter system, remove/replace plaster in second floor courtroom lobby, restore deteriorated exterior windows, $156,637.00

•    Perry County, Perryville, replace damaged sidewalks, correct outside drainage issues and add ADA-accessible ramps, $ 51,576.00

•    Pike County Courthouse, Murfreesboro, replace old/damaged electrical wiring, clean, repair and seal masonry, $253,000.00

•    Poinsett County, Harrisburg, construct new north stairs/handrails, repair east-west stairs/add new handrails, $135,206.00

•    Pope County, Russellville, rework condensate drain system and install new system/drain piping, $145,380.00

•    Prairie County, DeVall’s Bluff, add new ADA-accessible entrance doors, $27,888.00

•    Prairie County, Des Arc, replace south elevation gutters, replace rotten wood sheathing on west dormer window, $33,163.00

•    Searcy County, Marshall, replace landing, main electrical service and north façade door, $203,000.00

•    Woodruff County, Augusta, repair and replace gutters and downspout, $65,359.00