By Donna Hilton

The community survey part of the Clark County Strategic Plan (CCSP) has closed and the results will be announced next Tuesday evening during the next meeting of the committee.

The survey was conducted by Taimerica, a consulting firm hired to facilitate the creation of Clark County’s Strategic Development Plan.

Taimerica is being paid by grants from Southern Bancorp, the Cabe Foundation, the Olds Foundation and the Ross Foundation.
The survey included questions on topics ranging from the county’s physical appearance to the availability of housing, jobs, health care, entertainment and more. There were 1,237 responses to the survey, the largest number of participants seen by Taimerica since implementing the method, said Dr. Wesley Kluck, co-chairman of CCSP.

Of those responses, 601 were from Arkadelphia residents. The breakdown of the remaining responses was as follows: Okolona, 4; Ouachita Baptist University, 339; Henderson State University, 200; Beirne, 1; Curtis, 6; Gurdon, 28; Alpine, 3; Amity, 3; Caddo Valley, 19; and others 31.

The CCSP will be written by residents of the county, who will participate in a series of community committee meetings. The plan will focus on six principal areas: Economic development, education, health care, housing, tourism and leadership.