Input from almost 1,200 survey responses point to a desire for more downtown Fort Smith music and events. The results also give Main Street Fort Smith<\/span><\/strong><\/a> goals to pursue and \u201cencouragement\u201d that efforts underway are what most people want.<\/p>\n Main Street Fort Smith conducted a community survey between July 14 and Aug. 31, 2025 to \u201cbetter understand how people use and experience downtown Fort Smith, as well as what they would like to see in the future.\u201d Main Street Fort Smith Executive Director Amanda Hager said they received 1,067 digital responses and 105 paper responses.<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n She said a big part of pushing the survey is to help set organizational goals for the next 3-5 years. She said they will likely conduct the survey again in 2-3 years to track progress and changes in public perceptions about downtown Fort Smith.<\/p>\n Hager said she was encouraged that 87% of respondents said they regularly visit downtown Fort Smith, \u201cwhich means we are getting that (input) from people who see it, use it and have that experience to give us meaningful feedback.\u201d She also said the survey results gave her confidence that ongoing plans and goals are in the range of what people want.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to know that what we are doing is good, it\u2019s working, it\u2019s what the community is looking for, so we don\u2019t need to reinvent the wheel,\u201d Hager said. \u201cWe just need to be doing more of it. I don\u2019t know that I expected that or didn\u2019t expect it so much as I found it to be encouraging and interesting that that was kind of the big picture that came out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n BARRIERS AND INCENTIVES<\/strong> She also hopes the results \u201cencourages the city to maybe take a closer look at reducing any barriers\u201d to downtown development, or even provide incentives for such work. Hager said she shared the results with the Fort Smith Board of Directors, Mayor George McGill, and city staff.<\/p>\n Hager was somewhat surprised by the wide range of support for more live music downtown. Among the 18-24 and 55-64 age groups, more than 70% wanted to see more events and live performances.<\/p>\n \u201cAcross all gender and age groups, live music was the number one thing that people wanted more of,\u201d she said. \u201cEvents to attend and music performances ranked the highest among genders and all age groups.\u201d<\/p>\n Main Street Fort Smith said the survey results help guide the organization\u2019s 2026-2030 work plan. Following are the priorities in that plan, according to the organization.
She said survey results reinforce the belief that improving the look of downtown, even facade improvements of buildings that are vacant, will encourage more foot traffic in the downtown.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/talkbusiness.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/amandahagar-300x261.jpg\")
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\u2022 Expanding events, arts programming, and placemaking initiatives that activate downtown
\u2022 Supporting small business growth, including temporary and short-term activation of vacant spaces
\u2022 Continuing the Mini-Grant Program to improve building fa\u00e7ades, lighting, and exterior conditions
\u2022 Implementing strategies to improve the visibility and perception of vacant buildings
\u2022 Coordinating with public and private partners to strengthen downtown livability<\/p>\n