Washington County Enterprise-Leader
New Library Celebration
NEW LIBRARY HIGHLIGHTS 2019 NEWS
One of the top stories in Prairie Grove for 2019 was the opening of a new library in the former Walmart Express building. The city celebrated the new facility in April with a ribbon cutting sponsored by Prairie Grove Area Chamber of Commerce and a dedication ceremony. See “2019: A Look Back in Prairie Grove”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Lots of news happened in Lincoln, Farmington and Prairie Grove in 2019. The Enterprise-Leader is highlighting some of the top stories from each community over a three-week period.
New Businesses
The following businesses opened in 2019: Coyles Restaurant, Primary Health Clinic, Cutting Up Quilt Shop, Sweetwater Creek Antique Shop, Honed In Knife Sharpening, Dr. Alan Clark dentist office.
Holmes Named School Superintendent
Prairie Grove School Board decided in January to remove the word “interim” from Reba Holmes’ title and in March approved a one-year contract to name her school superintendent for the 2019-20 school year. The board approved a salary of $105,131 for Holmes for the 19-20 school year. Her contract also required her to achieve her superintendent’s license by June 20, 2020.
Chamber Announces Awards
A record crowd attended the annual Prairie Grove Area Chamber of Commerce banquet held in the commons area in February at Prairie Grove High School.
The Chamber awarded former City Council member Murph Pair with one of the Chamber’s most distinguished awards: a Lifetime Achievement Award for long-time commitment and contributions to the Chamber, community and city of Prairie Grove.
Brea Bartholomew Gragg was named the 2018 Citizen of the Year. Gragg is a member of Prairie Grove City Council and Planning Commission and is youth and children’s director at Prairie Grove United Methodist Church.
What My Eyes Have Seen was named the 2018 Business of the Year. The commercial photography business, owned by Brian Stark, has been in Prairie Grove for more than 11 years.
Weapons Stolen From Ace Hardware
Prairie Grove police arrested four teens on Feb. 20, 2019, accused of stealing 77 guns from the Prairie Grove Ace Hardware store, according to Capt. Jeff O’Brien.
The juveniles, ranging in age from 14 to 16, were arrested at their homes in connection with commercial burglary, theft of a firearm and criminal mischief.
The break-in occurred Feb. 15 after at least four suspects broke into the hardware store, stealing multiple firearms that included pistols, revolvers and long rifles, according to the police report.
Video surveillance in the store showed the suspects first broke into the store at 116 W. Buchanan St., around 3:08 a.m. and then returned before 5 a.m.
Local Man Accused Of Murder
A Prairie Grove man was arrested March 29, 2019, in connection with the death of his 2-week-old son. Mark Weldon Lewis, 40, of 203 S. Baggett St., was arrested by Prairie Grove police on a first-degree murder charge. He is accused of murder in the death of Jessie Kenneth Lewis, found deceased at Lewis’ residence in Prairie Grove.
According to a police report signed by Capt. Jeff
O’Brien, Prairie Grove police officers responded to a call about a deceased 2-week-old baby at 203 S. Baggett St., Apt. 6. Upon arrival, Central EMS, first responders and officers found the body of a baby boy face-up on a living room couch.
The report said it appeared the baby had been in that position for a “lengthy time” and that the body was showing signs of decomposition. The baby’s body temperature was reported to be 72.5 degrees. A coroner’s report also noted possible injury to the baby’s skull.
New Library Opens
The new 15,000-squarefoot Prairie Grove Public Library opened with a dedication ceremony in April that included a flag ceremony, singing of the National Anthem and an opportunity to thank the many people involved with the project.
The library is located in a former Walmart Express building. Prairie Grove purchased the building in February 2018 for $650,000 and spent about $150,000 on renovations. Money for the project came from city funds, as well as money donated specifically for a new library or library expansion.
New Subdivision Approved
Prairie Grove City Council began the process in 2019 to approve a new subdivision located between Mock Street and Rieff Park. The development called Snyder Grove Subdivision will have larger homes along Mock Street, 96 higher density homes west of Mock Street and an R-2 zone near the aquatic park with about 29 multi-family lots. The council rezoned the land in April and approved preliminary plats for three phases in December. The first phase of larger homes along Mock Street is almost finished.
State Approves School Funding
Prairie Grove School District received good news in April that the state had approved its request for funding for a new junior high school. The district will receive $4.7 million, as approved by the Arkansas Commission for Public Academic Facilities and Transportation.
The School Board has yet to decide the location of a new school. It is looking at the site of the former Prairie Grove Primary School and at undeveloped land owned by the district across from the high school.
The district is proposing to build a new school with around 49,000 square feet that would cost from $8 million to $10 million. School officials have said they hope to break ground in the fall and have the school ready for the 2021-22 school year.
The Night The Lights Went Out
Prairie Grove High School’s 2019 graduation ceremony is not one graduates will forget. The ceremony opened in darkness at Tiger gym, with only two generators running, one for sound and one for a spotlight. Lights came back on 40 minutes later, just in time for guests to see seniors walk across the stage and accept their high school diplomas.
Strong storms came through Prairie Grove in the early afternoon before graduation, and around 2:15 p.m. the power went off in Tiger gym and most of Prairie Grove, as many were finishing up preparations for the 4 p.m. ceremony.
Funnel Cloud Reported
The National Weather Service did not show a possible tornado developed in Prairie Grove from a May 18, 2019, storm but some in the community had no doubt a small tornado hit parts of the community.
Joe Hall, who works for the city’s wastewater plant, had gone to check the plant Saturday and was returning home about 2 p.m., headed west on Ditmar Road. About a mile outside town, the sky looked “gnarly,” with a very low cloud coming down.
“It was just forming in the field as I saw it,” Hall said, adding he’s “100 percent” sure it was a funnel cloud. The tornado was about 45-50 yards wide and Hall said he could see debris from the field going up in the air.
Other parts of town had significant damage with trees blown down, uprooted or blocking city streets. At Rieff Park, the concession stand was damaged and a set of bleachers, weighing 600 to 700 pounds, had been twisted and tossed about 30 feet. At the aquatic center, chairs were all pushed to the west side, debris was in the pool, and one chair was up in a tree.
Buddy Lyle Award
Rick and Kara Ault of Prairie Grove were the recipients of the 2019 Buddy Lyle Citizenship Award, given annually to recognize someone who has volunteered time and service to make the community a better place.
Mayor Sonny Hudson described the Aults as a “local power couple.” They’ve lived in Prairie Grove for more than 14 years and have adopted Prairie Grove as their own, Hudson said.
Assistant Superintendent Suspended, Resigns
In a special meeting
Friday, Sept. 27, Prairie Grove School Board accepted the resignation of Assistant Superintendent Allen Williams and agreed to pay him $87,192 as a consideration for signing an employment separation agreement.
The board’s decision was the culmination of actions that took place starting in early August. Williams, assistant superintendent of finance, received a letter in August from Superintendent Reba Holmes stating she was suspending him and planned to recommend the School Board terminate his contract, Williams’ attorney, Jerry Lovelace, confirmed at the time.
Lovelace said then that problems started in 2018 when a personality conflict with some School Board members caused Williams to be demoted from superintendent to assistant superintendent.
Williams filed an appeal of Holmes’ decision to the school board and said he wanted a public hearing on his appeal. A separation agreement was reached prior to a public hearing.
School officials and board members have declined to comment on any actions involving Williams, citing their decisions were personnel-related.
68th Clothesline Fair
Officials with Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park estimated more than 52,500 people attended the 68th annual Clothesline Fair held over the three-day Labor Day weekend in 2019.
The 2019 Clothesline Fair had 134 vendors, with 15-20 of these new vendors for the year.
For 2019, 600 kids participated in the square dancing portion of the Clothesline Fair. Of these kids, 60 exhibition groups performed over the weekend and another 15 groups participated in competitive square dancing. Representatives with the Prairie Grove Lions Club estimated a record crowd of 4,000 people attended the last night of competitive square dancing. Hoot-NHoller won the 2019 Peggy Parks Memorial Square Dance Competition.
‘The Village’ Cat Clinic
Friends of Prairie Grove Pound celebrated the opening of a new low-cost spay/ neuter cat clinic with a grand opening and open house on Sept. 21. The Friends organization named the clinic The Village because of all the people involved in making the facility a reality, according to Sharon Glover, vice president of the board of directors.
The clinic, located at 11114 Little Elm Road in Prairie Grove, is in a section of the building that once housed the city’s fitness center. The other half of the building serves as a fire substation.
School Brainstorming Sessions
More than 50 members of the public attended two long-term planning meetings to help Prairie Grove School District create a “road map” for the future. The district held a luncheon meeting Oct. 29 at the downtown central office and then held a second meeting that evening. After presenting the Annual Report to the
Public, Superintendent Reba Holmes asked participants to answer questions placed on five sheets of paper posted on the wall.
The purpose of the questions, Holmes said, was to gather information to create a plan for the future. After compiling everyone’s responses, results showed the top five topics that came out of the long-term planning meetings were career technical trades/ pathways, life skills, communication, strategic planning and mental health.
City Accepts Walking Trail Bid
Prairie Grove City Council accepted a low bid of $191,154 from Boulder Construction of Fayetteville for a new one-half mile walking trail at Muddy Fork Park. The bid includes two bridges for the trail. The city first opened bids in July but the bids were too high and then decided to make some changes and rebid the project. City officials hope the new trail will be ready by late spring 2020.
City Decides To Go Solar
Prairie Grove City Council agreed to move to solar energy in December when it approved a 25-year contract with Entegrity Energy Partners. The company will build two solar facilities, one at the city’s wastewater plant and the other off-site. Entegrity will lease the city’s land and will purchase about five acres for the second site. A company official said the two solar fields should be able to provide about 80% of the city’s power and save the city $38,000 in electric costs each year.