Nine Group Living Inc. clients gathered last week at the Honeycomb Restaurant to sign the papers to purchase their own condominiums. Lucas Gardens on S. 7th Street includes nine units for clients and one for a Group Living employee, who will coordinate maintenance and provide services for the condominium owners.

On Tuesday, the Southern Good Faith Fund (SGFF) hosted an event for families enrolled in the SEED program.

This 60-ton, 80-foot span bridge crane has been put in place on the loading and unloading the terminal at the slack water harbor. Souter Construction Co. is in charge of construction. They also are cutting a road that will accommodate loaded 18-wheelers. Other construction plans include scales and a scale house.

Several properties were condemned at Thursday night’s Helena City Council meeting. The 10 properties were declared a nuisance to the city of Helena. The owners have been mailed over 100 letters concerning the properties and they have either failed or refused to comply.

Phillip N. Baldwin, President and CEO of Southern Bancorp (Southern), announced today an award of $50,000 to the City of Helena’s Property Standards Board for the demolition of abandoned and deteriorating buildings and the elimination of debris within the city. Funds will be used for the further implementation of housing and redevelopment goals as set out in the Phillips County Strategic Plan. The product of a 10-month planning process that involved hundreds of hours of input from over 300 Phillips County residents, the strategic plan was completed in December, 2004 and unanimously adopted in January, 2005.

First Bank, N.A.’s student advisory board, along with all of the students in Phillips County, recently granted a wish for Madelyn, a six-year-old first grader from Stutgart, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Martin Chaffin, executive director of the Philips County Port Authority, told members at their meeting Monday night that he had advertised for bids for insurance to cover the crane and equipment being erected at the slack water harbor.

Dan Robinson, of Dan Robinson and Associates Inc., who are planning the marketing strategy for the harbor were guests at the meeting and presented a purchase agreement between the Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. and the Port Authority, which they signed.

What began as a small partnership between Southeast Arkansas College at Pine Bluff and the Southern Good Fatih Fund may soon spread throughout the state of Arkansas, according to Dr. Phil Shirley, president of SEARK College.

One of the Delta Bridge Project’s plans is to tear down abandoned residential properties to help Helena’s beautification program. So far, 31 properties have been torn down, which exceeded the initial goal of 25, according to Southern Development Bancorp Community Development representative Michael Boone.

Phillips County native Paula Oliver is the new Main Street Helena director. She took over the post on Feb. 21. Oliver previously served as tourism coordinator for the Delta Rivers Regional Tourism Council.