Community Revitalization

Rural Community Alliance worked in cooperation with the Dermott Survey Committee, city officials, and the community to produce the following community assessment in September 2009. Click the following link to access the document.

Dermott Community Assessment

On Saturday, December 12, the Santa Train will make a stop in Dermott at 2 pm at the Gazebo downtown at the corner of Freeman and Iowa Streets.  Don’t miss the fun and excitement!

 

Dermott community members came together to hear the recommendations of focus groups.

Focus Group Leader gives recommendations.

Audience listens to presentation.

 

After each group presented their recommendations, participants voted to prioritize the suggestions.

 

 

Youth participants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Project Leader Rather Clark

 

 

 

 

Dermott Focus Group Recommendations as ranked by those in attendance on 11-10-09.

Agriculture/Natural Resources

1.  Teach youth how to garden and preserve food
2. Community Garden
3. Farmers Market
4. Develop Lake Wallace

Arts & Heritage/Youth

1.  Playhouse for performances…theater, dance, poetry readings.  Locate a building.  Utilize community members as well as UAM students and staff for performers.
2. Youth Center – that can be utilized for sports, scouts, health, computer lab, etc.
3. Craft Market
4.  Dermott Heritage Contest

City Beautification                                                 

(this was a three-way tie for first)

1. Planters with seasonal plants
2. Businesses decorate for Christmas
3. Decorate gazebo and park

Community Services

1.  Youth services – after school program
2. Community newsletter to improve communications
3. Farmers Market
4. Youth Enterprises
5. Commuter Transportation

Economic Development

1.  Increase worker skill base
2. Increase service businesses such as plumbers, repair services, etc.
3. Restore Rosenwald School
4. Increase single-family quality rental housing
5. Provide trucker parking
6. Identify entrepreneurs and craft people
7. Encourage residents to shop at Dermott

Education

1.  Promote School through publicity, advertising, etc.
2. Increase parent involvement
3. Community Partnership utilizing business owners, retired teachers, community members, etc.
4. Champion for the school
5. Job shadowing for youth

Participants write their vision of Dermott.

Sharing the vision...

  A jewel in the lower Delta

Activities and events for all

Becoming known across the Delta for Crawfish Festival and other community positives

Events from other area, our city full with all things positive

No flooding after a rain

I would like to see a clean healthy town that promotes itself

All our children attend our school.  We all work together to keep our school.  We do have a great school.

A clean city that provides enhanced educational and recreational programs for the youth and job opportunities for all

Dermott having the most successful homebased (internet) businesses in the entire state

Community Center

A thriving oasis in Southeast Arkansas

Focus groups met at City Hall at 5pm on October 20, 2009 with 26 participants present.  Rural Community Alliance staff Dorothy Singleton and Renee Carr facilitated the meeting.

The Community Services Focus Group is moving forward enthusiastically,  having met on October 1 and October 15 at the Phoenix Resource Center.  They provided minutes outlining their ideas.  Initial  members are Joseph Mays-Group Leader, Janet Breckenridge, Wilbert Easterling, Lillie Mae Parker, Rufus Thomas, James Tyler, and Julia Ware.

Members of Economic Development Focus Group discuss ideas.

Youth Development Focus Group members pose with eldest participant.

Education Focus Group engaged in discussing school and community.

Sharing ideas for Dermott

Dermott City Hall was the venue for the first Community Revitalization town meeting.   Project Leader Rather Clark welcomed the crowd of 34 people including Mayor Frank Gray and Chamber President Floyd Henry. 

Dorothy Singleton described the process by which community members are to collaborate and Rural Community Alliance will serve as a facilitator.  A Community Assessment was presented by Renee Carr, Executive Director of  RCA. 

Resource representatives from various agencies were introduced and told about their programs:  Jay Robison, Arkansas Economic Development Commission; H.L. McGill, Arkansas Arts Council; Mellie Watson, Department of Rural Services; Wanda Madera, Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District.

Community members joined focus groups in the areas of Economic Development, Education, City Beautification, Community Services, Arts & Heritage and set up meeting times.

July 29, 2009 Rural Community Alliance staff members Dorothy Singleton and Renee Carr met with Dermott Survey Committee.  The committee determined the questions to include in a community survey and how, when, where to distribute and collect the surveys.