Little Bitterroot reopens gym facility in Plains

THE NEW gym located in downtown Plains, that was reopened by the Little Bitterroot Services. (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)

THE INSIDE of the reopened gyn, now called “Slim Gym.” (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)

by John Dowd Valley
| October 29, 2019 9:22 PM

THE INSIDE of the reopened gyn, now called Slim Gym. (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)

The gym in Plains has recently reopened under new and interesting management.

The gym closed its doors back in May 2019 and changed hands to the Little Bitterroot company, which have since refurbished it for the community. The doors were officially unlocked Oct. 10. This is a figure of speech because now the gym is open 24 hours a day seven days a week, with access by key card required to enter it.

The new system is only one of several ways the Little Bitterroot has improved upon the old gym.

Now called “Slim Gym,” a name selected by the maintenance man, George Bursell, during a contest the company held. His name was selected as the best and he was given a gift card from Harbor Freight.

The Little Bitterroot was looking to purchase the building for the space next to the gym, but all of it came in the same package. Looking at the needs of the community and, after considering any overhead cost of reopening the facility, they decided that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to diversify their company even more.

Being that the Little Bitterroot is the only business of its kind in Montana to own not only a series of thrift stores but also a grocery in town, it wasn’t much of a stretch to open a gym.

Shannon Benson, the Little Bitterroot Executive Director, explained that it “was a new adventure.”

The Little Bitterroot is a state-funded residential and assisted-employment company that was started in the 1970s to give adults with developmental disabilities a chance at living a normal life. The company provides some housing and employment as well as supervision, transportation and guidance on normal life.

Clients are given planning assistance throughout the year and have yearly meetings called personal support plans to gauge goals for the year. The company now owns three thrift stores; one in Thompson Falls and two in Plains. They also have 36 clients, including one in Thompson Falls and one in Trout Creek, all of which live with various levels of independence.

Clients apply though the state and often come from far out of town to live in Plains and have to go through a rather large waiting list.

As Amy Ross, the retail manager, explained “we teach normality and try to make them as independent as they can possibly be.”

Much of the funding for the organization comes through Medicaid. Clients who work for the company earn their own paycheck and are assisted on the planning process of using that check for housing, food and other aspects of life.

“We would like to thank the community for embracing them so warmly,” said both Amy and Shannon. They refer to the warm and accepting nature of which the community has treated their clients.

The new thrift store will open Nov. 1 and will be slightly different than the Little Bitterroot’s other thrift stores. The new gym has 12 machines, free weight dumbbells, two shower rooms, yoga equipment, one changing room, sweat towels provided and washed by the facility and lockers for item storage.

They also have a new “Mirror” tool which gives the user a live instructor displayed on a mirror device to walk customers through yoga, stretches and other exercises.

The Little Bitterroot also updated the security system, serviced much of the original equipment and purchased several new exercise machines including the new “Mirror,” the two Peloton Bikes and the Air Runner treadmill.