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Success Stories
The Post Office
Part of keeping downtown the heart of the community is making sure that vital businesses and services are located there. This not only ensures patronage downtown, but also makes it conducive for other businesses to be located downtown.
A prime example of one of these vital services is the post office. When the Main Street Ozark Executive Director and Board heard rumors of their post office relocating outside of the downtown area, they went straight to work at convincing them to stay downtown. It helped to have the community in support of their efforts. In a survey sent out to postal clients, the response was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the post office downtown.
Committee members scouted several properties and presented the post office with four different proposals. The proposals were met with interest, but the details needed to be worked out.
Main Street Ozark obtained options to purchase on four properties and was able to get two properties donated, all in the area adjacent to the courthouse square. The committee hit a snag, however, when they learned the bidding procedures for the post office did not allow for donated sites.
Through a combination of finesse, wisdom, cooperation and basic pleading, Main Street Ozark was able to work through this barrier. The Post Office restructured their bidding process and after much sweat and many tears, the Post Office began construction on their new facility in downtown Ozark.
Before
The final site for the post office was along River Street facing the Arkansas River. The depot, housing the history museum and a proposed community center building rehabilitation project, is nearby.
After
The new postal facility keeps community traffic downtown and adds to the development of the east end of downtown as a destination.
The Pocket Park
Before
After
Now after many, many hours of volunteer work, citizens can enjoy the beauty of a "Pocket Park". Thanks to Main Street's continuing efforts to bring out the best for the citizens of Ozark.
Ozark Sidewalks
Before
After
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