"We also hosted a number of meetings with our teachers as they head back to school.  As I listened to their concerns over federal education funding, boosting student achievement and accountability, and other issues they face in preparing our children to become successful adults, I was struck once again with a deep sense of gratitude for what they do. 

"My parents are public school educators, so I have always had a unique respect for our teachers.  But today’s educators face new challenges and new obstacles.  From pre-school to high school and beyond, standards are set higher and higher and our teachers must ensure that our children are right on track.  But they do so under strained budgets and under funded mandates like the No Child Left Behind Act.  That takes creativity, dedication, and a true love for teaching.

"We hear a lot about our struggling economy – the unemployment figures are discouraging.  But improving our state and our economy starts in the classroom.  By educating our students, our teachers are ensuring that Arkansas’s most qualified workers will come from our own schools. 

"I wish our teachers the best as they begin another year of excellence and achievement."

The 15-month contract has been awarded to LARICH Inc. of Texarkana, Texas, with a completion date of November 27, 2004.  Work under the stabilization contract includes the installation of heating and cooling to prevent further deterioration, structural repairs to the buildings and foundations, and measures to make the buildings ADA accessible. 

“This is wonderful news for Hot Springs and for our state,” Ross said.  “We were contacted today by Hot Springs National Park Director Roger Giddings, who told us that LARICH Inc. will begin work immediately – after three years of hard work to revive our national treasure, that was good to hear.  Restoring these bathhouses has been one of my top priorities since day one in office.  They are more than a local attraction; they are a unique, significant part of our nation’s history.  The improvement of Bathhouse Row will bring Hot Springs national recognition, and that means jobs and economic opportunities for the area.”