Washington County Enterprise-Leader
LOOKING BACK IN 2015
NEW SCHOOL FACILITIES HIGHLIGHT YEAR
Looking back in 2015 shows life was busy in Farmington, Prairie Grove and Lincoln. Many people spent time helping others. Schools opened new million-dollar facilities. New businesses opened in all three communities.
The year ended with big news for Prairie Grove Tigers. The Tigers punched their ticket to the 4A state championship football game in Little Rock by defeating Arkadelphia 61-42 in a semi-final game in Prairie Grove. With the win, Prairie Grove advanced for the first time to the state game, playing the Nashville Scrappers. The Tigers lost a hardfought game to Nashville and ended the season 13-2. Head Coach Danny Abshier was named 4A State Coach of the Year for leading his team to a history-making year.
The communities of Farmington and Prairie Grove rallied in 2015 behind two students dealing with major health issues. A year ago, Addison Alford, a third-grader then at Williams Elementary School in Farmington, was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Jarren Sorters, a freshman at Prairie Grove High School, was diagnosed with cancer in the fall and had his leg amputated below the knee. T-shirts, fundraisers and other events have been sponsored to help the families and raise awareness of childhood cancer.
Documented problems with Washington County Property Owners Improvement District #5 continued throughout 2015. The district is a private sanitary waste treatment and disposal system that serves Valley View subdivision.
ADEQ field inspectors conducted inspections on the site for at least nine days in March and found untreated wastewater overflowing onto Valley View golf course from the system’s holding aeration cell. ADEQ director Becky Keogh issued an emergency order April 1 telling the facility to “immediately cease and desist” all unpermitted discharges and remediate the area impacted by the untreated wastewater discharges.
In August, ADEQ filed a 16-page lawsuit against the Property Owners Improvement District seeking $420,000 in civil penalties. The complaint claimed that the district had committed 42 violations. The District filed a response to the suit, denying the allegations.
Following are highlights from some stories in 2015.
School Facilities
Both Farmington and Prairie Grove high schools opened new facilities in 2015. Farmington High School kicked off 2015 with its first basketball game in the new Cardinal Arena on Jan. 16. The boys defeated Greenbrier 62-54 for their first 5A West victory of the season.
Four months later, the district dedicated its new state-of-the-art fine arts center as the Tonya McCuistion Performing Arts Center in honor of the long-time Farmington High School teacher.
The excitement of starting a new year was evident in August as kindergartners, first-graders, second-graders and parents were able to see their new classrooms at Prairie Grove Elementary School for the first time. Prairie Grove School District constructed a new 49,000- square- foot wing to its Intermediate School, closed its Primary School and moved those students to the new building.
Prairie Grove also opened a new competitive basketball facility, Tiger Arena, and fans rallied behind their teams for the first game in the gym in November. The arena has a solitary green-colored chair in the stands in memory of the late PG athletic director and former coach Mike Green, who passed away Aug. 31, 2014.
Lincoln Middle School remodeled its cafeteria and students came to school in September, seeing a lunchroom with new floors, painted walls, tables and chairs and all new kitchen equipment.
Lincoln Middle School also celebrated its new Live Positively fitness center, made possible through a $ 100,000 grant from the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils. Arkansas was one of four states to receive a grant. The fitness center has 46 pieces of equipment from Tuff Stuff Fitness International.
School News
Lincoln Consolidated School District performed well on the annual 2015 report card. Lincoln elementary and middle schools both received As and the high school earned a B, based on information and test scores from the 2013- 14 school year. For the first time, report cards assigned a letter grade to each school, similar to grades given to students on their own individual report cards.
Farmington High School opened as a public conversion charter high school in fall 2015. A public conversion charter school allows more freedom and flexibility to help guide students in career paths.
Lincoln High School also implemented a new focus for the 2015-16 school year to encourage students to choose a general career path to follow throughout their high school years.
Lincoln kicked off Bright Futures to help its students succeed in school. The first year was a great success. The school with the help of many in the community was able to meet a total of 332 needs, including new backpacks, shoes and socks, jeans and underwear.
Farmington High School had a visit from Gov. Asa Hutchinson. He spoke in the Cardinal Arena, promoting computer science as part of the Arkansas high school curriculum.
Lincoln and Prairie Grove school districts both decided in 2015 to use a third-party source to manage their food service programs.
After extensive work, as required by the Arkansas Department of Education, both districts decided to go with Aramark.
After 18 years, Farmington High School returned home to a packed house to honor its graduating seniors and send them off in style. Farmington’s new Cardinal Arena was the site for the 2015 Commencement ceremony.
Plans to build the second phase of a new Farmington High School began taking shape in 2015 after the school district received official notice it would receive $7.1 million in state partnership money to help with the costs.
Local school boards had newcomers elected to serve in 2015. Wade Cash defeated incumbent Tony Parsley to serve on Farmington School Board. Casie Ruland is a new member of Prairie Grove School Board and Lisa Reed is new to Lincoln School Board.
News In General PRAIRIE GROVE
The PG Telco phone booth in Prairie Grove was named to National Register of Historic Places, becoming the first structure of its kind to be listed on the National Registry.
Officials with Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park were not happy when the Bentonville Bomb Squad picked up an unexploded Civil War artillery shell from the park and later had it destroyed due to safety reasons. The shell was uncovered near Prairie Grove Christian Church and a photo of it was posted on Facebook. From that post, the Bentonville Bomb Squad contacted the city about the artillery shell and then showed up to confiscate it from the state park.
Prairie Grove City Council spent some time naming the stretch of U.S. 62 that goes from the eastern side of the city to its western boundary. Some still call it the Prairie Grove Bypass. However, its official name is Heritage Parkway. Eventually, all businesses and residents along the sevenmile stretch will have to change their addresses using the new name.
It’s been 4 ½ years since spring floods in 2011 damaged the Parks Street bridge and after dealing with multiple agencies to gain multiple approvals, construction to replace the bridge finally started in 2015.
Prairie Grove Ci ty Council approved a new $2.5 million bond issue to completely rehab the city’s 40- year- old water treatment plant.
FARMINGTON
On Jan. 1, 2015, Farmington’s local sales tax dropped from 3 to 2 percent, after the city paid off its debt to build a new sports complex. City voters approved a special 1- cent sales tax to pay off a $ 1.75 million bond issue for the ball park.
The City Council approved requests for new positions. The police and fire departments will each have a new position in 2016.
Creekside Park in Farmington grew by 32 acres with the donation of undeveloped land from the P.R. Green Family Trust. The park now has 61.54 acres. A new master site plan for the city park was developed by a Bentonville firm.
Farmington Pub l ic Library celebrated 10 years of service in February 2015.
Farmington City Council approved a new ordinance that requires all parking to be paved and free of dust in an effort to help beautify the city.
LINCOLN
Lincoln, with help from community and school groups, completed the first year of a new community garden. Many fresh vegetables were provided to clients of GRACE Place throughout the growing season.
Lincoln Ci ty Council raised sewer rates for Lincoln customers, following a public hearing where many people expressed that they were not happy about the increase. Rates increased 143 percent for the first 1,000 gallons of water and 12.5 percent for subsequent 1,000 gallons. The increase was needed, city officials said, so that revenue would cover expenses.
Lincoln continued its tradition of community events that attract visitors from miles around. The 62nd Lincoln Rodeo, fourth Chicken Rod Nationals car show, 40th Arkansas Apple Festival and the annual Christmas on the Square were considered successful events by sponsors and organizers and brought in thousands of people into Lincoln. The Apple Festival, in particular, had perfect fall weather, one of the longest parades and what some considered record crowds.
After hearing about more than 100 college students partying, swimming and diving off the cliff at Lincoln Lake, City Council members unanimously approved an ordinance to prohibit diving and swimming at the lake.
With the use of a grant, the city purchased body cameras for all Lincoln police officers.
CANE HILL
The new Historic Cane Hill Museum opened in a new location, March 14. It is located in the original building for the Shaker Yates Grocery Store. Built in the 1940s, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can see exhibits that tell about life in Cane Hill. It is open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting.
Community and School Honors
John Harvey of Lincoln received the 15th annual Bud Cox award, presented each year by Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce.
Farmington Chamber recognized Judy Horne as the Citizen of the Year for 2015 and Farmington Veterinary Clinic as the Business of the Year during its annual spring banquet in April.
Prairie Grove Area Chamber of Commerce handed out its annual awards during its December banquet. Dale Reed was named Citizen of the Year; Daisies & Olives was named Business of the Year.
It was more than appropriate that the first recipients of a new award to recognize volunteerism in Prairie Grove, the Buddy Lyle Citizenship Award, were Lyle’s widow, Pat Lyle, and his daughter, Lesa Lyle Bement. The City Council created the new award a year ago in memory of Buddy Lyle, who passed away June 3, 2014.
The Weaver family of Hogeye was named the Washington County Farm Family of the Year for 2015. Michael and Kristi Weaver, and son Levi, 10, have Weaver Dairy, a farm with 100 acres.
Lincoln High agriculture teacher Steve Berenberg was one of only six individuals nationwide to receive the Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher Award this year.
Angie Gill, Prairie Grove Middle School counselor, was named Arkansas Middle School Counselor of the Year this summer by the Arkansas School Counselors Association. She has been in education 27 years, 15 of those as a counselor.
New Businesses
Dr. Terri Miller, optometrist, opened a new eye center, called Eyes of the Tiger, at 13 E. Buchanan St., in Prairie Grove.
Kum & Go, 90 E. Main St., opened March 5 in Farmington.
Shorty’s Deli & Meat Market opened at 112 Southwinds Drive, Suite 1, in Farmington.
Farmers Co- Op True Value opened in Lincoln at 216 S. Main St.
Revive Massage and Wellness opened at 140 E. Buchanan, suite 3. Owner Misty Vaughn is a certified master massage therapist.
New Lincoln business, Andrade Tire, Lube & Muffler, opened at 800 W. Pridemore Drive.
A new Dollar General Store is under construction in Prairie Grove and should open in spring 2016.