Volunteers needed for playground installation
PLAINS - As the warm weather becomes more and more common, Fairgrounds Park on the edge of the Clark Fork River in Plains is becoming an ever more popular place for families in the area to enjoy the sunshine.
With this in mind, the Sanders County Park Board is planning to install new playground equipment.
The equipment will be installed on Saturday, May 24, starting at 9 a.m. and the park board is looking for volunteers to assist in the set-up of the new recreation equipment.
The project is expected to be completed by early afternoon and lunch will be provided.
Volunteers should bring gloves and tools, including hex and socket wrenches, posthole diggers, shovels, levels, hammers, stepladders and drills.
Chair of the Sanders County Park Board, Jack Stamm noted the plan to add the playground equipment to the Fairgrounds Park had been in the works for about six months, as the park board started to look into the possibility of constructing the equipment last fall.
The playground will be built behind the picnic tables that overlook the river.
“With all the families who use the area during the summer, the playground equipment should be a useful addition,” Stamm said.
Stamm stated the popularity of the beach and the riverbank area in the warmer months has prompted the park board to make several additions to the waterfront park including the upcoming playground area.
The park board has worked to increase the usefulness of the park by adding the picnic pavilion, new barbeque grills, the signed walking trail which runs along the bank of the river and sunshades for the picnic tables.
The playground should be open a few days after May 24th once a few touch ups are done, in order to ensure it is ready for use by members of the community.
“Hopefully we get all the installation done on Saturday, and can open a few days after,” Stamm said.
According to Stamm, the concrete needs to set, and woodchips need to be spread around the play area as cushioning material before the playground officially opens.
With Plains Day just around the corner, the community market on each Saturday and the Sanders County Fair at the end of the summer, the fairgrounds are definitely going to see an increase in traffic over the coming weeks, and the new playground area should help to make the space enjoyable for the youngest residents of the community.
Moreover, the end of the school year is rapidly approaching and a new area for kids to enjoy should be a welcome sight for children and parents alike.
The playground area is slated to include slides, a swing set, climbing wall and a park bench.
Those willing to help out are encouraged to do so, and head for the fairgrounds the Saturday before Memorial Day to help in the assembly of the new equipment. Installation will begin at 9 a.m