A $175,000 grant will help restore and maintain the physical appearance of the Lockesburg, Ark., gymnasium, but the project will trigger memories of community chili suppers, student plays and how the basketball skills of the gym rats were developed.
Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council awarded a $175,000 grant to the University of Arkansas-Cossatot College in De Queen to help finance the restoration of the old Lockesburg gymnasium.
ACT 318 of the 89th General Assembly allows public school districts to donate their closed and consolidated schools to community and technical colleges. UA Cossatot received the old gym, high school and middle school on the Lockesburg campus from the De Queen School District. Lockesburg is a town southeast of De Queen.
"We can't thank the ANCRC enough for supporting the restoration project of the gym," said UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole. "Of course we appreciate State Senator Larry Teague and State Rep. DeAnn Vaught 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."
"The project will restore the gym while maintaining the historical integrity of the structure. There is still much of the original wood throughout the building," Cole said.
"We want to continue to make investments in all of the communities we serve. 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.
"We owe the community a vibrant campus. The Lockesburg citizens approved a 1/4 sales tax to be collected for the Lockesburg campus," Cole said.
"The college will provide educational opportunities and equally as important to the community is to restore the buildings to the original luster," he said.
The gym was constructed in 1951 with pine wood and the carpenters used tongue and grove for the walls.
"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 since 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.
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 winner 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.
The stage was used for the senior class play and Cole, in his senior year, performed as the character Frank Butler in "Annie Get Your Gun."
The last time the gym was used was in 2009 when retiring Sevier County Judge Dick Tallman was honored at a dinner and "roast." After the renovation, more events such as these are expected to be in the gym. Restoration is expected to start this summer and conclude in the spring of 2017.