Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles featuring information about each room at the Creekside Community Center and Creekside Aquatics.
Signature Bank is sponsoring the historic gymnasium at Creekside Community Center. It is the original court built in the 1950s for what was then Harrison High School. For decades, it served as a high school, junior high, and then middle school gym for thousands of Harrison students. Today, as part of Creekside, it stands renewed and ready to serve our region for many more years.
The old, worn gym floor with its signature Goblin in the center has been sanded and fully refinished. (The project revealed that this would be the final renewal of the original wood boards; when this coat of finish wears away, new hardwood will be necessary.) The old wooden bleachers were likewise at the end of their lives. Wabash Wood Products most generously replaced old wooden bleachers (and their gum adornments and carved declarations of love). Beautiful, brand-new solid-wood bleachers now grace the facility.
Wabash Plant Manager Jason Patience told the story. “Mayor Jerry Jackson approached me in February of 2023 about utilizing some of our laminated oak flooring to replace the old bleacher benches in the old Jr. High, which was soon to become the gym for Creekside Community Center. Mayor Jackson and Butch May Construction asked Wabash to quote the replacement of the original wood benches. I asked some general questions and then took the opportunity to talk to my team.
"We devised dimensions for the benches that could utilize material from our process that would otherwise be scrapped," he explained proudly. "We donated the materials and labor to rework the boards into usable seating for the gym."
His pride in his employees' ingenuity is evident. "Our employees take a lot of pride in the quality of their work. Each Wabash teammate sitting in the newly renovated gym at Creekside Community Center can take great pride in knowing our product is beautifully displayed.”
The Signature Bank Gymnasium will have space for basketball, volleyball, and pickleball games. A new sound system, new LED lighting, and two 90-inch TVs act as scoreboards to complete the space. A special floor covering has been purchased to protect the floor when large banquets, indoor concerts, or meetings are held on the historic court. Best of all, the space is now fully heated and air-conditioned for the first time.
Signature Bank's Harrison Market President, Karlea Newberry, said, “Signature Bank of Arkansas wanted to sponsor the Creekside Community Center for the same reason we brought our bank to Harrison: to invest fully in this community. Our bankers are from the Boone County area, so giving back to the community we were raised in and live in is important to us.
"We believe the Community Center will be a great addition for our residents and downtown," she continued, "and we’re happy to be able to participate in this way. And sponsoring the old school gym with the history and memories it has for Harrison was icing on the cake.”
Harrison's Parks and Recreation Department will schedule rentals for this facility. If you, your business, or non-profit wants to host an event, email parks@harrisonar.gov or call 870-741-2346.
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