RECOLLECTIONS

50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 4 No. 2 Thursday, Jan. 9, 1969

The oath of office was administered to members of the Pea Ridge City Council and to city Marshall Al Koenke by Justice Judge Ernest Hileman preceding the regular monthly meeting of the council Thursday night at City Hall. Serving as a witness was Mayor Jack Musteen, who was elected two years ago to a four-year term, and City Water superintendent Charles Hardy. Taking the oath in addition to Koenke was the new city recorder, Alva Lee Johnson, and four aldermen, Dow McDaniel and Joe Lasater, who were re-elected, and Jerry Wilkerson and C.R. “Bobby” Putman, who were starting their first term at the council table.

There may have been a couple of angels in Pea Ridge on Christmas Day. True, the couple who joined the family dinner at Mrs. Eva Nickerson’s had no wings, but they were strangers — and even today, she doesn’t know who they were or from whence they came. It all goes like this: For the first time since she opened the Pea Ridge Cafe last March 9, Mrs. Nickerson had decided to close the business for Christmas Day and just prepare dinner for her own family. Mrs. Nickerson decided to include several friends from Pea Ridge at the family dinner, too. The cafe had been tastefully and gaily decorated for the holidays, and the turkey was roasted and ready when the strange couple appeared at the door. “Are you open?” they asked. Told that the cafe was just being used that day for a family dinner, the couple looked disappointed. They explained that they had come from another state to accept an invitation from friends in the Rogers area, but that no one was at home when they arrived. The couple had no place to eat. “Then you just come right in here,” said Mrs. Nickerson. So went another day at the Pea Ridge Cafe.

A fire whose damage won’t all be known for some time yet raced through the insulation of a metal rabbit house at the Small Stock Industries owned by Don Guthries Monday afternoon. Fire Chief Rodger Hickman said, “We were real lucky,” as he described how the fire was running the length of the house when volunteer firemen arrived at the scene. Despite the fact that the fire was brought quickly under control, it still was not known whether the house could be utilized further or whether engineer testing planned for it would show the trusses to be in too weakened a condition for further use. The house contained about 450 breeder rabbits and 2,000 young rabbits. It was expected that it would take some time to learn the total loss.

40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Scene Vol. 14 No. 2 Wednesday, Jan. 10, 1979

The new mayor and his new council will hold their first meeting — the first of 1979. Pea Ridge Mayor Lester Hall urged Pea Ridge citizens to follow the actions of the city government closely, “we would appreciate public response to our actions and members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings,” he said. For the first couple of months, Hall noted, the Council and he would be “trying to get our feet on the ground. We’ll study the city budget on income and expense allocations before we take on any new or great projects. We’re going to try to be better prepared for our council meetings than has previous city councils.” Asked about the priority of city concerns, Hall listed the road conditions first. One of the problems facing the Council when it comes to finishing the city’s streets, he added, will be financing. Next on the list of priorities for the year is the completion with construction to start last summer, of a sewer treatment plant. Finally, Hall predicted some action will be taken on the acquisition of a new police car or repair of the one that was recently rammed from behind at Brush Creek.

A contract providing for a $1,759.74 landscaping program for the Pea Ridge City Park was approved Thursday evening by the city’s Park Commission with Bradford Nursery. Park commissioners met with two representatives of the nursery to discuss possibilities and to select a landscaping proposal. The landscaping is designed to make the playground and restroom area more attractive and to shield the park from noise and dust from Arkansas Highway 265 without taking up space needed for baseball practice and other such activities. In other business, Mayor Lester Hall gave the oath of office to Karen Taylor, a new commissioner appointed for a five-year term.

Members of the Pea Ridge JayCees will host the northwest Arkansas regional JayCee meeting at the community building Friday evening. “We feel honored to be allowed to host this meeting of JayCee representatives from all through this region,” said Rick Webb in discussing the meeting. At the last regional meeting in Fayetteville, the local chapter was awarded the trophy as the outstanding chapter of the month in the region.

30 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 24 No. 2 Thursday, Jan. 12, 1989

The Pea Ridge School Board is having to look closely at the school budget partly because of a shortfall in collection of property tax. Superintendent Marvin Higginbottom said, “We are about $15,000 below what we budgeted.” Higginbottom said, “It is common knowledge that we’re going to have to pass a boned issue. The question is how much … That millage increase referendum would be on a September ballot. The district will continue to cut expenses where they can. We would rather cut expenses now than wait until the first of May and have to either close school or come up with some money.”

The Benton County resident engineer for the Arkansas Highway Department said last week that the contractor improving Arkansas Highway 265 from Pea Ridge to the Missouri line “is essentially on schedule.” That means, said engineer Jack Briscoe, that improvements to the highway should be completed by the end of next July. The project includes widening, straightening and paving the road from Pea Ridge to the Missouri line, about three miles to the north. The Pea Ridge construction also includes storm sewers.

20 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 34 No. 2 Thursday, Jan. 14, 1999

Pea Ridge Tire and Lube will soon be in another location with a new name.

Owner Bob DuBois said that a larger building is under construction at 123 Ellis Lane facing Slack Street, also know as Arkansas Highway 72 West. DuBois said that Auto Service Center will have 7,500 square feet and contain nine bays — two lube racks, three tire bays, two mechanic bays, one front-end alignment bay. DuBois said a decision was made to build elsewhere because of a lack of space.

No major construction activity is expected a the site of the new Pea Ridge High School until April, said school superintendent Roy Norvell. The 20-acre site is at the southwest corner of Weston Street and North Pickens Street. Norvall said,, “We’re still shooting for late December 2000 moving in. The total cost of the high school is $5,160,000,” but Norvell said earlier that “part of that is refunding of two bond issues and the bond attorney.” The new high school will be paid for with a 3.8 mill increase in property taxes approved the voters last September.

The Pea Ridge Chamber of Commerce will begin 1999 with a potluck dinner. At the meeting, new members will be welcomed, officers selected and plans for the year will be discussed. After the wonderful successes of 1998, the Chamber of Commerce is ready to build on those accomplishments. It is important that every business and profession in Pea Ridge be represented in the chamber. As the community grows, it is absolutely vital that community leaders, businesses and professional leaders, join together as an integral part of that growth.

10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 44 No. 2 Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009

Moving into the new primary school appears to be more assured as work through the holidays continued on the building, according to school officials. Mike Van Dyke, school superintendent, told School Board members it appeared the building may be ready for occupancy by Aug. 1 or the first week of August. It will provide classrooms for kindergarten through second grade. In connection with that, board members approved a bid for $241,705.92 from School Specialty for furniture and equipment for the new elementary school.

Technology has improved, but so have the misuses of it, according to Pea Ridge school officials. At the first meeting of the new year, Pea Ridge School Board members approved an “IT Security Policy” as written by the Arkansas Department of Education and as recommended by Mike Van Dyke, school superintendent. Along with adoption of the policy, the board named Brent Kincaid, currently technology director for the school district, as security officer for IT, albeit with no additional pay.

Construction growth may have slowed down in town, but that doesn’t stop the work of the Planning Commission. At their first meeting of the year, planners agreed to increase their number by two and continue alternating fiveyear terms. The ordinance establishing the Planning Commission of five members; they agreed to have seven members.