The El Dorado Historic District Commission is officially the number one historic district commission in the nation.
The EHDC has been named the 2022 "Commission of the Year" by the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions.
The win was announced July 15 during an awards ceremony at the 2022 NAPC Forum. The biennial forum was held July 13 - 17 in Cincinnati.
Commissioners learned in the spring that the EHDC had been nominated as the "Commission of the Year," one of several categories in the NAPC's Commission Excellence Awards program.
The Lakota Group -- an Illinois-based urban planning and design firm which drafted the city's comprehensive historic preservation plan, a first for the city of El Dorado, in 2020 -- submitted the nomination to the NAPC.
Iain Montgomery, certified local government coordinator for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, accepted the award on behalf of the EHDC.
The EHDC also serves as the city's Certified Local Government.
El Dorado is one of approximately 20 CLG communities in the state. CLGs partner with the state and federal governments to preserve local, historic resources.
While presenting an overview of the citywide historic preservation plan to the El Dorado Kiwanis Club in September of 2020, Elizabeth Eggleston, executive director of the EHDC, and Douglas Kaarre, of The Lakota Group, explained that the year-long planning and preparation process included site visits and driving/windshield tours of the city with Lakota team members.
"We've really enjoyed working in this community," Kaarre said at the time, adding that The Lakota Group was impressed with local historic preservation strides that had already been made and those that were underway to preserve the city's history and heritage.
To submit the nomination for the NAPC award, Lakota compiled letters of support from Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer; Steve Biernecki, executive director of the South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society and a member of the EHDC; Beth Brumley, executive director of Main Street El Dorado; and Catherine Barrier, director of the Capitol Zoning District Commission and former state certified local government coordinator.
The EHDC later took and submitted photos of local, historic points of interest to be included in the presentation for the nomination.
Upon learning about the NAPC nomination in April, EHDC members noted that they would be competing with other historic district commissions across the country, including those in larger cities, for the "Commission of the Year" award.
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