School Plans One Green Seat For New Gym

Courtesy photo Prairie Grove late athletic director, Mike Green, passed in August and the school plans to install one green seat in his memory in the new competitive basketball arena now under construction.
Courtesy photo Prairie Grove late athletic director, Mike Green, passed in August and the school plans to install one green seat in his memory in the new competitive basketball arena now under construction.

PRAIRIE GROVE -- During their Jan. 19 meeting, the Prairie Grove School Board discussed positioning of a solitary green-colored chair in the new competitive basketball gym currently under construction.

School colors are yellow and black and plans are to honor late Prairie Grove athletic director and former coach Mike Green with a single chair bearing the color of his last name in the arena.

The board was told during the meeting bleacher chairs haven't been ordered yet and informed by a representative of the contractor, "We need to know where you want the put the one green seat."

The green chair will undoubtedly generate questions from younger generations and visitors with curious inquiries and present opportunities for Tiger coaches, players and fans to relate Coach Green's enduring impact upon the school, basketball programs and community thus granting a wish expressed by one of his former boys basketball players, Jay Harper, Farmington head baseball coach, during a December interview.

"I don't want people to forget about him. It's easy to forget about people when they die. He did a lot of great things over there [at Prairie Grove] and touched people's lives," Harper said. "I think he'll be missed by everybody."

Green passed away Aug. 31 shortly after the school year began, concluding a 22-year tenure beginning in 1983 when he became head girls basketball coach. In 1986-1987, Green took over the boys program and another one of his protege's from that team, Steve Edmiston, is now head boys coach.

The board received an update on construction progress of the new basketball gym during their January meeting with superintendent of schools Allen Williams advising an addendum to the contract has reduced the bid by $500,000 with another potential $151,00 in savings.

"The new price we are working with is $14,107,432," Williams said, explaining the total includes work at the football stadium, new elementary school wing and new gym.

The Board was informed the project as a whole is tracking well according to representatives from C.R. Crawford Construction and Height-Jackson Associates, present at the meeting. Construction is substantially under-roof on both the gym and elementary wing. Laborers have been framing walls and drywall is coming in with windows expected to go in by end of the month. Concrete steps were anticipated to be poured on Jan. 20 and there were no issues or busts reported by either the architect or contractor.

General News on 01/28/2015