Community rallies for annual day of service

Over 120 people rallied together for a work day to commemorate Sept. 11 heroes. On Sept. 14, volunteers gathered at Valley View Elementary and at Brush Lake for the LDS annual day of service.

Thirty adults and 28 youth helped weed, rake and build benches at Valley View Elementary. Volunteers weeded and cleared all the flower beds before laying down new weed fabric and bark. Fodge Pulp and Cedar generously donated the bark chips.

The playgrounds were raked and old railroad ties were removed from Valley View. Volunteers also built new benches alongside the basketball court for the kids to have a place to sit. All materials for the benches were donated by Badger Building Supply and Cal at Boundary Tractor generously brought a tractor to dig the holes for the benches.

“Thanks from Valley View to our community for a job well done,” said Debbie Pauls. 

Around 65 people turned out for Forest Service service projects. 

At Brush Lake, volunteers spruced up the group site by weeding, placing weed fabric and covering it with more gravel. Gravel was also placed at the mountain bike and wildlife viewing trailhead. Volunteers weed-whacked the wildlife viewing trail, the trails to the picnic tables and the group picnic site. 

The group site was seeded and fertilized with forty pounds of grass seed donated by General Feed and Grain.

At Copper Falls, volunteers replaced benches about a quarter to half-mile up the trail. They also installed interpretive posts.

At the Ruby Trailhead, volunteers replaced two vandalized picnic tables and cleaned up the concrete remains.

At Moyie Crossings, volunteers welded vandalized decorative fish back on the fish sculpture.

Shane Boger Concrete donated the use of a tractor and operator to help make the projects a success as did the many businesses who allowed Carl Baisden, project coordinator, to post project fliers at their businesses.