The Community Sustainability Team at Communities Unlimited is actively supporting the residents of Lewisville, Arkansas, in their pursuit of a vibrant community. Despite common negative perceptions about rural areas, we believe in opportunity. We firmly believe community-led engagement is what leads to prosperity. Lewisville is eagerly embracing opportunities for growth and improvement. Through community-led engagement, they are tackling challenges together and envisioning a future with a high quality of life.

With guidance from the Community Sustainability team, residents are organizing town hall meetings and forming committees to address shared obstacles. They are strategically planning to leverage existing assets and opportunities, rather than dwelling on limitations. While visible signs of progress, like new businesses and infrastructure improvements, often grab attention, these achievements are the result of months of planning and hard work behind the scenes.

In a three-part series, we aim to bring the unnoticed efforts of the Lewisville community into focus. We will tell their story as it unfolds, capturing their journey from where they are now to where they aspire to be. This series will showcase the power of community-led initiatives, honoring Lewisville’s past while shaping its future.

Read Part 3

As Chantell Dunbar gazed upon the familiar sights and sounds of Lewisville, Arkansas, her mind painted a picture of a revitalized downtown area. This vision is not just a passing thought. It’s a cherished dream reflected on her vision board at her Lewisville home.

“I would like to see these buildings restored, maybe a grocery store in them, maybe a coffee shop, maybe some loft apartments,” said Dunbar, who works in Community Development for the City of Lewisville. “I still want to keep our small-town charm. I don’t want it to grow so big that nobody knows anyone. I want us to be able to have support and familiarity to know each other and to care about each other.”

With deep roots in the community spanning 58 years alongside her husband, a local farmer, Jana Crank stands as a stalwart figure in Lewisville. As the owner of Spruce Street Art Gallery downtown, she holds a profound commitment to witnessing Lewisville’s resurgence and prosperity.

Crank has advocated with city officials about adding a cozy coffee shop where locals could gather in the mornings. She suggested an all-around pharmacy featuring a soda fountain, drawing inspiration from fond memories of a bygone era when she first wed her husband five decades ago, reminiscing about a downtown drugstore adorned with a fountain.

“You could go have a cherry limeade soda,” Crank said. “It was great.”

“Hardware was one of the last things we lost here, and that was good for us,” Crank said. “We need a feed store. There are lots of farmers around here, and my husband was born and raised here. His family, for three generations, farmed the land. He still does, and so we’re tied to the land. Our kids stayed here because we had the land.

“We’ve raised cattle and chickens to stay in this area. So, we’ll never leave it. Hopefully, we’ll never have to leave it other than to go to heaven. It’s a nice little place.”

Venesha Sasser serves as the Chief Development Officer at Townes Communications in Lewisville. She stressed the importance of community investment in infrastructure, emphasizing the need to recognize the substantial effort and collaboration from various stakeholders that is necessary for development.

She said the community needs to acknowledge that long-term investments are essential for reaping the benefits of progress and growth. Sasser noted the importance of diverting traffic from the busy Hwy 82 to revitalize downtown Lewisville and attract more visitors to the area.

“If we were able to find ways to utilize some of the spaces on the highway, including the fact that our downtown is right off the highway, it’s a prime location for us to utilize that,” Sasser said. “It’s only going to grow, especially with all the new business that we’re getting here, all the infrastructure bill money that is coming to our area.”

Lewisville is located on the Smackover Formation, which spans three states and is home to the highest-grade lithium in North America. With the recent announcements from ExxonMobile and other firms gearing up to start lithium production by 2027, there’s a surge of renewed interest in the Lewisville community. This burgeoning industry is expected to inject hundreds of new employment opportunities into the town.

Danny Ormand, Assistant to the County Judge at the Lafayette County Judge’s Office, anticipates that construction development will begin within the next year or two, signaling a promising outlook for the county.

“Our county has always had oil, gas, timber, and farming,” Ormand said. “The lithium could be a boom. The whole concept of lithium and the effects that it will bring, because not only will it be just the lithium business, but there will also be other businesses that will have to support that. Whether it’s the food trade, the materials trade, and all those transportation needs, all of that will add into one and make one big project overall, not just the lithium part.”

“There’s a great quality of life for people here,” Ormand said. “You can hunt and fish. There are things for kids to do. We have great education and places to go and see. Our county offers a lot of great things to do. We haven’t showcased it enough for people to see. This is a great opportunity with new people coming into the county, and new prospects of jobs to showcase what we have here. We’re excited about the future in Lewisville.”

Mayor Ethan Dunbar highlighted housing as his foremost priority going forward. He said that the last subdivision constructed in Lewisville dates to 1971. Anticipating a rise in population due to the incoming lithium companies, Dunbar reiterated that his long-standing focus has been on providing homeownership opportunities.

“That’s been my main goal and it’s going to continue to be,” Dunbar said. “We’ve got to build houses. We can grow if we start by providing a decent quality of life. The more families we bring in, the more after-school activities we provide. The more groceries need to be bought and consumed. The more trash needs to be picked up. All those things that go along with growth. If I can build 60 to 80 homes, I would consider that a huge success.”

Deanna O’Malley serves as a Community Facilitator on the Community Sustainability (CS) team at Communities Unlimited (CU). O’Malley envisions a future where the town of Lewisville shines brightly once again.

With each vision board, such as the one crafted by Chantell Dunbar, progress is made one step at a time.