RECOLLECTIONS
50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 3 No. 2 Thursday, Jan. 11, 1968
The hats were flying into the political arena this past week, as candidates for county, state and circuit posts announced their intentions. Ralph Bolain of Pea Ridge, the first Republican ever believed to have served as Benton County Assessor, filed on Tuesday for re-election. Bolain, a resident here the past 15 years, operated a service station here for 13 years, giving it up a year ago this month to assume his newly elected position as county assessor.
In a three-hour session Thursday night, the Pea Ridge City Council wrestled with fire department problems, made preliminary steps to get city zoning started, decided to throw more light on city streets, looked over departmental financial reports, reviewed the audit report and paid city bills. Perhaps the most momentous decision made at Friday night’s meeting was the approved motion to begin investigating the possibility of purchasing a second fire truck in the immediate future.
40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic-Scene Vol. 13 No. 2 Wednesday, Jan. 11, 1978
Area residents will not be able to pay all utility bills at Pea Ridge City Hall after March 31, it was decided at a special meeting of the Pea Ridge City Council Thursday. Mayor Carl J. “Cotton” Carter, aldermen Daryle Greene, Dean Messer and Lee Hall and city administrator Charles Hardy met with representatives of the telephone, gas and electric companies to work out details of the change. The council had decided at its regular meeting in December to end the bill collection service because of the time involved in handling the collections by City Hall employees. Dwight Taylor, who graduated in December from the University of Arkansas School of Law, announced this week that he plans to open a practice in Pea Ridge in March. He said he plans to take the state bar examination in February and will open his practice after he is certified as a full-fledged attorney. Taylor earned his bachelors degree at Fayetteville in 1970 and entered the army after graduation with a ROTC commission as a second lieutenant. He served five years in the army in Germany and North Carolina before returning to Fayetteville to enter law school. His office will be at 510 South Curtis in the same building with the Pea Ridge Insurance Agency.
30 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 23 No. 2 Wednesday, Jan. 13, 1988
Members of the Pea Ridge Board of Education told superintendent Bill Alvarez Monday to begin steps to develop a master plan for the school district. Alvarez presented the board with a six-step program to achieve the plan. The initial step of the plan would involve restructuring the district’s debt service, said Alvarez. “It makes good economic sense right now,” the superintendent said. Alvarez said that T.J. Raney & Sons of Little Rock has agreed to prepare a financial review for the system at no charge. Alvarez said that the state Board of Education would have to approve the financial restructure. He and the board agreed to hold a special meeting, tentatively set for next Tuesday night, to consider approval of the restructuring plan soon in order to get the matter on the state board’s February agenda.
The superintendent of the Pea Ridge School District said this week that students will have to make up the classroom time lost as a result of last week’s snowfall. Last week’s snowfall forced schools to close Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday. Superintendent Bill Alvarez said students will have to make up three of the five days that school was not in session. The winter storm, said to be unusual in its intensity for this area, proved to be mostly an inconvenience for others. The storm dumped more than a foot of snow on some parts of Arkansas on its way eastward. One Pea Ridger measured a depth of seven inches. It was much deeper in drifts.
20 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 33 No. 2 Thursday, Jan. 15, 1998
The need for an Elementary gym/assembly room and a Middle School library dominated discussion at the Pea Ridge School Board meeting Monday night. Because school population in the Middle School has exceeded 300 students — it is at 322 at this writing — the state of Arkansas requires the Middle School have its own library. Earlier this school year, the Elementary/Middle School Parent/ Teacher Organization asked the board to consider building a mini-gym for elementary students. The PTO has money to go toward the project and the board agreed to hear ideas on designs and costs for the building. Since this time the needed size and requirements for the building have come into questions because of the requested used for the building.
The Pea Ridge Little League sincerely thanks the Wood-Hall Post 8109 VFW of Pea Ridge for their $200 donation. VFW commented “that they wanted to make a contribution that would help the greatest number of children here in Pea Ridge and felt the Little League served that criteria well.” The Little League program last year served 330 youth in the community ranging in ages 5 to 12 years old.
10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 43 No. 2 Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008
Storms roared from west to east through the north side of Pea Ridge about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday leaving destruction in their wake from Givens Subdivision west of Arkansas Highway 94, across Easterling Road, out Roland David Road northeast of town, to London Road, then to Bill Billings Road. Two trailer homes were demolished, both trapping the residents inside. Other homes throughout the area sustained varying degrees of damage.
The contract of school superintendent Mike Van Dyke will be considered at the regular January meeting of the Pea Ridge School Board at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14, in the Pea Ridge High School media center. Also on the agenda re some personnel issues, an update on curriculum and instructions and advertising for sealed bids on used equipment. Updates on several projects, including the new elementary school, the high school classroom addition and the athletic facilities is on the agenda to be discussed.