40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic-Scene Vol. 12 No. 24 Wednesday, June 15, 1977

Plans for renovating the old Pea Ridge school assembly hall were scrapped the school board at a special meeting Monday morning. Instead of remodeling the old gymnasium structure, the board voted to erect a new metal building for use as a band room. Board members decided to scrap the remodeling when an inspection revealed extensive structural weaknesses caused by termites. The renovation would be too costly, dangerous and a bad investment since the end product would still be a 45- year-old building. The metal building will measure 40 ft. by 80 ft. and the total cost would be $30,000 to $35,000, according to school superintendent Roy Roe.

The annual Pea Ridge Community Fair will be held Aug. 3-6 this year, according to Beta Alpha sorority, sponsor of the event. The fair dates back to the 1950s when the town celebrated its centennial. Deadline for entering the Miss Pea Ridge contest is June 15. Last year’s queen was Geneva Morgan.

The oxidation ponds located north of Pea Ridge are presently used to treat waste water from the town’s sewage system. The city was ordered by the EPA to do something about pollution problems. The only apparent solution is construction of a new treatment facility. City officials retained the Fayetteville consulting engineering firm of McGoodwin, Williams and Yates to draw up a plan. The total cost of the proposed new treatment plant is about $730,000, including about 17 acres of land.