Keep Go Forward
Editor, The Commercial:
There are many positives that have occurred because of the efforts of Go Forward Pine Bluff. A couple that I have been involved in and want to highlight are The Generator and the Bike Trails project.
The Generator was built and opened at 435 Main St. in 2020. The building was donated by Simmons Bank and the refurbishment cost absorbed by Go Forward and some private donors. There are programs for the youth as well as adults. The youth initiatives include Youth Coding League (YCL) and The East Initiative.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
There have been summer youth entrepreneurship programs including idealization and business development. The youth make pitches for their project and winners are awarded. There are well over a hundred youth using this facility and it is amazing to watch the activities and see how they develop. You would be extremely proud.
That’s not all — Go Forward’s Builder and Backers partnership secured up to $40,000 for business owners in the community. Adult entrepreneurs can utilize the in-house computers and receive consulting help in a nine-week course designed to improve their business skills. There is a $7,000 in pitch funding through Gentrepreneurship and Remix.
With assistance from the Generator staff, business owners write their own business plan and make pitches on their business opportunities. There is office space for them to use when needed. Training is available in areas such as construction, CNC machine operation and photography.
The Generator is an incredible asset to our city.
Bike Trails: Go Forward personnel, as well as volunteers including Ken and Sandra Fisher (Novel T’s), Larry Reynolds (SE AR Planning) and Joey Gieringer (Relyance), met numerous times to identify possible bike trails in and around Pine Bluff.
It is very desirable for Pine Bluff to become known as a “Bike Trail City.” That is very important in terms of attracting new residents and it obviously ties in directly with economic development. The International Bike Trails Association (IMBA) has taken Pine Bluff on as one of its projects. You couldn’t have a better partner. There will be Go Forward investments required in completing the trails so that they are challenging, as well as safe.
Neither of the above would have happened or will continue to happen without funding from Go Forward Pine Bluff.
Finally, everyone is familiar with the King Cotton Classic, a very popular high school basketball tournament held during the Christmas holidays. This tournament died completely in the 1999’s due to lack of support and no funding but restarted in 2018.
Go Forward resurrected it and it is once again a very popular high school basketball tournament that attracts lots of people to Pine Bluff. It is very good for our economy.
Please CONTINUE TO SUPPORT Go Forward. Vote Yes on May 9.
Ron Powell,
Pine Bluff