Group working to build memorials at Sliter Park

A group of community members is working to revitalize the Sliter Park area in Bigfork.

The group, which right now is comprised of about 10 people and calling itself the Sliter Park Improvement Committee, began forming in late spring to do some clean-up work around the landscaping bed at the front of the park.

They were brought together partially by resident Jerry Murphy, who is also involved with the History is Posh group. Murphy said he was struck by how the appearance of the area and park entrance had devolved while he was working with HIP's Lower Valley Driving Tour. He noticed it was difficult to even tell what was there because of the amount of brush that had built up.

The group has held work days to clear away dead and dying foliage, complete tree trimming and clear ground areas, but now the committee has developed other plans for the site — memorials for both military veterans and community founders.

"We're going to be proud of this," Murphy said.

Both memorials would be stone or brick structures about 5-feet tall. The memorial plans also call for replacing the current rotting wooden posts around the entrance area with a rock wall and installing a new Sliter Park sign, a lighted flag pole, native plants and interpretive signs about the history of the area.

The plans also include stones or bricks for the flooring of the memorials, which people will be able to purchase and have engraved to honor a person, similar to what was done in front of the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts.

Veterans of Foreign Wars in Bigfork had already been considering a memorial project for awhile, along with a renovation and rebuild of its facility and site located on Montana Highway 35 at the north end of Bigfork. However, economic constraints had pushed new building plans to the sidelines when Murphy approached them with the idea.

"It worked out pretty good," said Delaney Carlson, commander of the Bigfork VFW. "It was kind of serendipitous actually. We already had the basics."

The plans for the memorial include a list of those from Bigfork who were killed in action or who are missing in action.

"This is the only community I know of (in Montana) that doesn't have one," Carlson said. "It's something that needs to be remedied. Bigfork was one of the first communities in Montana to have a causality in the current war."

Carlson said he was excited about the prospect of helping to build up this area of the Village.

"This area has really been an eyesore for a long time," Carlson said.

The total cost of the project, if it had to be paid for outright, is estimated at roughly $30,000, though with discounts as well as donated labor and supplies, it may end up being less. George Gibson, a member of the committee, has drawn up preliminary site plans. (View those plans online at www.bigforkeagle.com.)

"We can do a lot through donations," Murphy said. "I'm not that concerned (about raising the money)."

An artist has already been lined up to do the bronze work for the veterans' memorial, but one is still needed for the pioneers' and founders' memorial. Organizers hope a local artist will be interested in working on the project.

In addition to monetary donations, the group is also looking for input from the community on the historical aspects of the plan including who should be on the pioneers' or founding families' memorial and what history should be included on the interpretive signs.

Permissions have already been garnered from PacifiCorp, which owns the property, and Flathead County, which leases it for the public park, to do this memorial project, Murphy said.

In light of the work planned and already being done at the park, neighboring properties are cleaning up as well. PacifiCorp is going to clean up some of the brush along the river. CenturyTel also plans to do some clean up, Murphy said.

Before work gets underway on building the memorials, more plants still need to be removed. Help is also needed to trim the top of a birch tree. After that work is done, Murphy hopes to see the rock wall started this fall.

"We still need help," Murphy said. "It's a lot of work. We need physical assistance."

If finances and labor line up right, the goal is to have work completed by Memorial Day, so a dedication can be held that day.

Murphy envisions an event, perhaps at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, with local and state government officials and military families, followed by a marching band leading the way down to the park.

There are two different points of collection for this project — the VFW and the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork.

Checks can be mailed to the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork, P.O. Box 486, Bigfork, MT 59911 and should be specified for the Sliter Park project. To make a donation through the VFW, call 837-0666.

To get involved, residents can contact Carlson at 837-6881 and 253-5420 or Murphy at 837-2459.