Woman's Club projects near completion
PLAINS – The Plains Woman’s Club has been hard at work utilizing a grant to spruce up two places in town.
According to Plains Woman’s Club member, Michelle Furry, the work started about three years ago.
The Community Transportation Enhancement Project was fueled partly by money the county received from the gas tax. The county, as well as the state and the federal government approved both projects.
The club has been working on sprucing up the area around the log school house next to the elementary school as well as the Dorothy Johnson Memorial Triangle Park on the east end of town.
“It hadn’t been taken care of too well as far as maintenance and needed a bunch of revamping so we applied for the grant,” said Furry.
The project started back in 2010 when the Plains Woman’s Club held a meeting with the county to find out what projects they wanted to spearhead. After deciding on both areas, Furry explained the year of 2011 was a year full of paperwork, applying for the grant and making sure all of the bids were processed.
Last summer in June is when the biggest part of the project was completed. The ladies got underground sprinklers installed in the parks as well as some of the landscaping work done. Landscape fabric was put in to help deter the growth of weeds, wood chips were replaced with rocks and the trees and shrubs in the areas were trimmed. Sod and curbing was also installed, which Furry explained was one of the major parts of the project.
Three weeks ago, the ladies added some signs to the Triangle Park, one depicting a map of Plains while the other one dives into the history of the town.
The final touches on both areas should be completed by either this fall or spring.
“We’re waiting to make sure we can get rid of the weeds under the fabric before we plant anything,” said Furry.
As of now, the projects are 85 to 90 percent finished.
The Woman’s Club had to put a 13.4 percent match on the grant money, which they already had in their bank.
Both of the signs to the Dorothy Johnson Memorial Park and the log school house will be freshened up and redone, picnic tables will be brought into the areas once they are refinished, a few odds and ends will be wrapped up to seal the deal on the projects - bringing the ladies hard work and dedication to a close.
The Woman’s Club will be in charge of maintaining the two areas and their work has ensured the process be a rather easy one.
The Plains Woman’s Club is in its 90th year and is always looking for new members. If anyone is interested in volunteering, they should contact Debbie Heckman at 826-3405.