Congratulations, First Community Bank, on the groundbreaking of your new facility on Hwy. 65 North.
A Special Agent from Homeland Security taught a class on Friday morning about human smuggling and illegal aliens. In attendance were representatives from the Arkansas State Police, the National Park Service, the Newton County Sheriff's Department, the Boone County Sheriff's Department, and the Harrison Police Department.
Harrison Chief of Police Chris Graddy said, "I appreciate the State Police for setting up this training. It was very informative. I'm glad the city had the facility at Creekside to accommodate the class."
The new Fire Station at Creekside is almost ready for the firefighters to move in! Thank you Butch May Construction! Great job.
The bridge progress looks great! Now, it's obvious why the lanes needed to be narrowed at the Central Ave and Main Street intersection !!!
GOOD NEWS! Thanks to Loren's Pools and Spa, the outdoor pool is a step closer to opening. Look at these amazing before-and-after photos taken by Daniel. Thanks!
Sweet Honey hosted a ribbon-cutting today with the Harrison Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Jackson congratulated the Akers Family on their business's success and asked them to consider opening a location in downtown Harrison.
Loren's Pool and Spa tackled the difficult job of cleaning the outdoor pool after it was closed for the winter. They said it would take the whole day, but it will be clean and ready to open in the next few weeks.
Roberson represents Harrison in DC
North Arkansas Regional Medical Center’s President/CEO, Sammie Cribbs Roberson, was invited to participate in a trip with the Arkansas Hospital Association to meet with state leaders and plead the case for local hospitals.
Roberson said, “I had the opportunity to have a wonderful trip to our nation’s Capital earlier this week! During the trip, I had a chance to visit with colleagues from across the US at the annual American Hospital Association meeting. The meeting was very informative, offering valuable discussion on current topics in healthcare. The discussions were focused on regulatory and legislative concerns, emerging technology, and the changing workforce. After the conference concluded, an incredible group of healthcare executives from across our state had the opportunity to share in discussions with our federal legislators. There is a tremendous amount of concern at a federal level about the impact on healthcare during the budget reconciliation process, specifically regarding the impact that any reductions in Medicaid might have on our communities. CEOs from Baptist Health, St. Bernard’s, Conway Regional, Washington Regional, and North Arkansas Regional shared their concerns and advocacy with our dedicated legislative officials and their staff. It is exciting to see the activity in Washington, DC, and to know that our voices from rural Arkansas are being heard. We know that the legislative officials have a very difficult task ahead of them, and we are grateful for the time and energy they have shared with our hospitals, which are caring for our communities.”
Seniors can receive coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables if they qualify based on monthly income limits. There will be a booth at the Farmers Market this weekend for seniors to sign up. More info is on the Central Ozarks Farmers and Artisans Market Facebook Page.
Mayor Jerry Jackson (left) swears in the newest officer for the Harrison Police Department. Welcome, Auxiliary Police Officer, Trey Powell.
Mayor Jackson and Judge Hathaway proclaimed May 11-17 National Hospital Week and National Nurses Week. Thank you, NARMC, for all that you do for this community!
Update on Central Ave.
Traffic has been narrowed down to two lanes going East and West on Central Ave.
Traffic comes to a stop on Main Street before turning east or west. Signal lights and pedestrian crossing signals are not operational during this phase of the bridge construction.
The signal lights at Cottonwood Road and Highway. 43 are working again thanks to the use of a rented Knock-Down trailer.
Here's the proposed agenda for the City Council meeting scheduled for May 8, 2025, at City Hall.
Tickets are on sale now. Don't miss out.
Changes coming at Main St & Central Ave.
As construction of the new Main Street bridge progresses, Central Ave. will be closed starting as early as this week.
Central Ave. will be reduced to two lanes of traffic (one lane each direction), and traffic will be shifted to the north side of Central to allow the southern half of Central to be closed.
During these closures, the traffic signals will be removed and a stop sign installed on Main St. The two lanes on Central Ave. will not have stop signs and will be free-flowing traffic. This also affects the signs for pedestrians. They will not be working.
Traffic turning onto Central Ave. from Main St. will be required to stop or yield to traffic on Central Ave. These changes will remain in place until the bridge construction is completed.
While we recognize that this may cause traffic delays, it is necessary for the safety of construction crews and the traveling public.
The Splash Pad is now open! The Splash Pad hours are 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The Park's Public Bathroom hours are open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Mayor Jackson (right) and Mike Nabors, president of the HHBA, enjoy broccoli cheese soup and a Cuban bowl at Nenos Place in downtown Harrison. Nabors and some members of the Downtown Strategy Committee will travel to Little Rock to make a presentation to the Main Street organization to present the case for Harrison becoming a Main Street Community. This status would bring many benefits to Downtown Harrison.
The Historic District Commissioners will meet on May 5 at 1 p.m.
This meeting will be conducted in the administrative conference room at City Hall at 1 p.m. (the meeting is still open to the public).
Creekside members continue to grow
At the City Council meeting, Thursday, April 24, the Department Heads presented reports to the council members.
Parks and Rec Director Chuck Eddington said membership at Creekside was up to 3,990 members. He reported 41 baseball teams and 117 basketball teams were in town April 12-13. “Hotels were full. We are hoping to break records.”
The pickleball courts should be surfaced next week, and they take four days to cure. So, we should be able to open in May.
May will also be a big month for Parks, with baseball and softball, soccer and regional and state tournaments.
Then we want to invite you to Libby Salmon’s Retirement celebration at 11:30 on Friday, April 25. We hate to see her go, but she’s worked hard for 30 years, and we are excited to see what she gets to do next. She’s built a lot of relationships in our community and is going to be missed.
Councilman Magness said, “You had giants in the form of Jerry Farmer and Libby Salmon who have retired this year.”
Magness said he asked several guests in the community about their time here, and he was very impressed by their opinions. “They were amazed by Harrison, and one lady from Jonesboro said she was embarrassed that their community didn’t have anything like Creekside. Every comment was positive, except for the fact that they said Harrison doesn’t have enough lodging. The tournaments maxed out the hotels, and we are definitely getting our money back on our investment into our facilities.”
