Sidney Moncrief Talks Community Centers and Improving Harrison

Former Arkansas Razorback and five-time NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief spoke at the old junior high gymnasium; prior to that he spoke with Around The Table.

by: JonChristopher Collins

Former Arkansas Razorback and five-time NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief spoke at the old junior high gymnasium; prior to that he spoke with Around The Table.

“I’ve been to Harrison so many times,” Moncrief said. He said some of his best friends live in Harrison.

Moncrief is in town for the upcoming early voting that starts on Tuesday; the vote is regarding the Creekside Community Center and some sales taxes. “I’m not here necessarily to tell people what to do but just to consider the benefits of having just a community center,” he said. He said Harrison is a unique community.

“Now it’s time to start reinventing Harrison in a positive way.” Moncrief said a lot of good is happening, but work needs to be done to attract industry.

“The way to do that is making sure that your infrastructure has improvement and that you have places for families and kids to do things that maybe other communities don’t have,” Moncrief added.

Moncrief said community centers have always been a part of his life from the time he was in sixth grade through high school. “It was a place to gather.” He said he thinks community centers are now adult driven as much as they are youth driven.

“What it did for young people is kept us in a safe environment, number one. Number two, it allowed us to build relationships that have lasted a lifetime. I’m huge, huge fan and proponent of community centers,” Moncrief said.

Moncrief also said he wanted to commend Mayor Jerry Jackson, the City Council and Boone County government for their work to improve Harrison’s image; Moncrief is working on a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative with Harrison.

The full interview with Moncrief is available on the Around The Table Facebook Page.