A $175,000 grant will help restore and maintain the physical appearance of the Lockesburg gymnasium -- a project that will trigger memories of community chili suppers, student plays and basketball games.
The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council awarded a $175,000 grant to the Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas in De Queen to help finance the restoration of the old Lockesburg gymnasium, built in 1951 in Sevier County in southwest Arkansas.
The Legislature in 2014 approved a law allowing public school districts to donate their closed and consolidated schools to community and technical colleges. The De Queen School District donated the old gym, high school and middle school on the Lockesburg campus to the community college. Lockesburg is southeast of De Queen.
"We can't thank the [Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council] enough for supporting the restoration project of the gym," Cossatot Chancellor Steve Cole said. "Of course, we appreciate state Sen. Larry Teague [D-Nashville] and state Rep. DeAnn Vaught [R-Horatio] and the citizens of Lockesburg for their support as well. We are excited about working with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and restoring this beautiful structure to its original luster."
Cole said the college wants to invest in all the communities it serves.
"Serving our communities is the heart of our mission statement. This grant will allow us to expedite offering educational opportunities and a facility for community events to the city of Lockesburg and surrounding areas," he said.
Cole noted that Lockesburg residents had approved a one-fourth percent sales tax to support the campus.
"We owe the community a vibrant campus. ... The college will provide educational opportunities and equally as important to the community is to restore the buildings to the original luster," Cole said.
The gym was constructed with pine wood, and the carpenters used tongue and grove for the walls. Cole said the project will restore the gym while maintaining its historic integrity, citing the original wood found throughout the building.
"I'm not sure what type of wood was used for the floor, but the floor is still pristine after 64 years," Cole said.
Cole has personal memories of the Lockesburg gym. He graduated from Lockesburg High School in 1982.
"It was easier for me to jump in and help write the grant. I had knowledge about the school district," he said.
Cole was a member of the Lockesburg basketball team and scored 40 points against Foreman High School in neighboring Little River County. He was all-district, all-region and all-state in Class A basketball. In his senior year, Cole averaged 27 points a game.
"We never played defense. We had one play -- dribble down the court and shoot. I was like the black hole of basketball. Once the basketball came to me, it never left. We had some pretty good teams," Cole said.
"A gym was the fabric of the community. It was a gathering place. We went to the basketball games, chili supper, donkey basketball. The gym was never locked. We could go and practice shooting. We were gym rats who played all the time with pickup games and practice shooting. We didn't have much crime then," he said.
The grant is a victory for education and for the Lockesburg community, Cole said.
A stage is located at one end of the gym and will be revitalized with the project. It was used for senior class plays. Cole, in his senior year, performed there as the character Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun.
The gym was last used in 2009 when retiring Sevier County Judge Dick Tallman was honored at a dinner and roast.
Restoration is expected to start this summer and conclude in the spring of 2017.
State Desk on 05/28/2016