Voices of the valley: Plains Pool Park

In August 2021, when Dan Rowan was mayor of Plains, Dan and I made three trips to Costco in Missoula in his Ford F-250. Using my Costco membership and credit card — the town had neither at the time — we returned with a small pergola on each trip, and the town refunded the purchase on my card.

In May 2022, the Plains outdoor crew assembled the three pergolas in the pool park.  

The block-sized pool park becomes the town's backyard each summer. Young and old learn to swim in the chilly pool water each June. On sunny days, toddlers and mothers splash and walk in the wading pool. Teenagers play team frisbee in the wide northwest field. 

The "it still needs painting" climbing gym provides older kids with a place to scramble in the summer sun, seasonal rains, and winter snow. Church choirs of teenagers and young adults practice hymns in the late afternoons near the two west-side pergolas. The rusty screech of the park's tall chain swings can be heard throughout the day, often before the family picnics under a pergola.  

Much of the appeal of Plains centers on maintaining the status quo. For decades, before pergolas, people celebrated summer picnics and outings with no shelter when it rained. There are no sidewalks around the park or sidewalks to the pergolas. People in wheelchairs, mothers with baby carriages, and families with picnic food in carts struggle over grass to reach a pergola. Each table under a pergola has no accommodation for wheelchairs.  

Four years ago, Becky and Matt Fields moved to Plains. Becky began a fitness company in a building she and Matt renovated. Inside are weights and treadmills, and Becky leads daily exercise classes. Matt continues as an electrician. At the beginning of this year, Becky asked Mayor Banham if she could volunteer for town projects. Long story short, Becky is now the chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee (PRC).  

Now, in weather that is warm, chilly, or hot, frequent family celebrations — some with fifteen or more people — crowd under a small pergola. The first two projects of the PRC will raise $100,000 for a small children's gym in the park, sidewalks to the pergolas, and metal silhouette horses for the grass field parallel to Main Street. In the park, both outdoor gyms would be located on the north side, away from the traffic on Willis Street.    

A third project under PRC's consideration is the building of a large pergola with a stone fireplace for comfort, not cooking — marshmallows excluded. "Mommy and Me" swings are also on the horizon. To support the PRC's projects, the PRC begins an annual Splash & Bash fundraiser this August. Local businesses and artists are pledging donations.

The Splash and Bash will feature an auctioneer for local gifts, and the Plains firetruck will be on hand for kids to explore. Additionally, food trucks, including Big Al's, Aloha Eats, and Aces Coffee, will be available. Next year, the Plains Pie Throwing contest and a Dunk Tank featuring our popular leaders will fill out the scheduled events.  

"We have neighbors that live next door, and we work with good hearts together. Becky is doing good work, and we need her involvement in the community," said Mayor Joel Banham. 

During our conversation, Becky repeated several times, "This is a beautiful community." 

Charles W. Bickenheuser lives in Plains.