The Conway city council discussed road projects, infrastructure grants and Conway Corp at its April 14 meeting. 

The meeting began with Shawanna Rodgers, director of the Department of Community Development, giving an overview presentation of the department’s activities in the last year. 

Rodgers thanked Mayor Bart Castleberry for his help in allowing the department to make an impact and shape different aspects of the Conway community. 

“We’re excited about the Robinson Cemetery Board, because they have received a grant to fully survey the cemetery,” Rodgers said. 

Rodgers said the board received the Curtis H. Sykes memorial grant, along with other funding from the Black History Commission of Arkansas. 

The survey helped the board get different views of various plots across the property to assess the longevity of the cemetery as a whole. 

“That was nice to work with. They put in the hard work and they were able to get that done. And they were excited about that grant they received,” Rodgers said. 

Rodgers moved on to the Public Art Advisory committee, who she said has new board members that “have been working great together.”

The Department of Community Development has been aiding the committee in implementing their public art master plan in Conway. 

“So they can utilize some of the ideas they have in this plan, so we can see that manifest and bring it to fruition,” Rodgers said. 

Rodgers said the committee has been dedicated to creating a wider public presence throughout the city. 

The committee organizes community events such as Art Walk, which occurs on the first Friday of every month. 

The committee Rodgers discussed was the Community Engagement Council, who is hosting a panel discussion in the city council chambers on April 23. 

The panel will discuss encouraging community engagement in young people and increase one’s role in local activities and organizations. 

The council also organizes and runs the Culture in the Park event, which will take place on Sept. 26. 

Rodgers also highlighted various events run by city government – including employee appreciation, ribbon cuttings and Christmas toy drives. 

She also discussed city projects such as park improvements, infrastructure changes and public feedback sessions. 

One of the key focuses of Rodgers’ presentation was about the Conway Emergency Shelter, which is seeing improvements in its third year. 

“In 2024, we had 324 participants served,” Rodgers said. “With that, almost 10,000 nights of shelter were provided. They were able to provide 17 individuals with permanent housing.”

Rodgers said milestones the shelter reached in its first year include extensive case management, a 30-day stay limit and an electronic tracking system.

In 2025, Rodgers said the shelter helped 474 individuals, with 29 being placed in permanent housing. 

The shelter also provided over 30,000 nights of shelter in its second year. 

The maximum occupancy for the shelter is 36 people, Rodgers said, but they “do have room for overflow.”

Rodgers said the shelter hopes to continue improving its case management system going into 2026. 

Other community development projects include small business grants, the Conway Housing Rehabilitation program and the Conway Airport Park improvement project. 

Meetings discussing small business grants will occur on June 23 and throughout the month of July. 

The first meeting discussing the housing rehabilitation program will be on June 25. 

Outside of Rodger’s presentation, the council navigated a routine set of ordinances and resolutions. 

Conway Corp’s outside counsel, attorney Jason Carter, explained the organization’s buy-in to replace the Independence Steam Electric plant with a new gas plant. 

Carter said Conway Corp has a 4% buy-in with the project. 

The resolution was approved unanimously. 

The council also improved Fureigh Construction’s bid of $1,690,042.27 for the Court Street Alley improvement project. 

Conway Transportation Department director, Kurt Jones, said, “this is a project we’re pretty excited about.”

“It’s the alleyway that runs between Main and Oak Street,” Jones said. “We’ve got some plans to improve that area.”

Jones said the project would create some “park-like amenities in the area” and create more pedestrian access between Court and Chestnut streets. 

The only council member not present at the meeting was Mark Ledbetter. The next city council meeting is scheduled for April 28.