Plains man shares vision for community

Charles W. Bickenheuser hasn’t lived in Plains long, but that hasn’t stopped him from jumping right into issues he feels should be important to anyone who lives here. With only 2.5 years as a resident under his belt, he decided two weeks ago to address the town council at its September meeting and “shake things up a bit,” as he said.

“This is a great place to live, but I think it can be better for everyone here,” said the 74-year-old Bickenheuser, a retired teacher and a former Special Forces veteran of the Vietnam War. Bickenheuser moved to Plains from Washington after retiring as a teacher for 32 years in Washington, but he has lived in Montana on and off since age 14. He has family in six towns in Montana and said he feels right at home in Plains.

Bickenheuser’s primary mission was to give a presentation to the council of his newly formed group, the Plains Pioneers, part of “myPlains 2030 Visioning Study,” although he’s still working on getting his organization a nonprofit status.

One of the main points of his presentation was telling council members they should be meeting more than once a month. He said that when he attends council meetings, he hears about the issues of the town, such as the sewer system, road work and the budget. He believes Mayor Dan Rowan puts in a lot of hours and keeps the town informed, but he said the town has other needs, like affordable housing, businesses competing with larger markets and the need for higher wages, issues he said he has not heard at any council meetings. “The Plains Town Council and the planning board need to meet twice a month to address these and other future issues. Additionally, the community needs a way to develop the town’s future, visualize the future, set goals and plan to enact those goals,” he said.

He also told council members they needed to be “more transparent and involved in the community.” The council members didn’t respond, but Rowan said that he’d make himself available if the council wanted to meet twice a month. Bickenheuser spoke for only about 15 minutes and in that time he gave only an abbreviated outline of the vision study, which he created about a year ago. Bickenheuser has a doctorate in education from Walden University in Minnesota and has nine members in the Plains Pioneers, but he said the group is growing.

“This is our home and we’re happy here,” said Bickenheuser, who lives in Plains with his wife, Diane. “I just wanted to let them know what we’ve come up with,” added Bickenheuser. He might be relatively new to Plains, but not Montana. He and Diane both received their bachelor degrees from the University of Montana in Missoula. “This is our last home; we’re not going anywhere.”

One of the topics in his 10 points he brought before the council is what he believes is the need to start planning for water conservation in 2022. He said that one of the ways to do that would be growing Montana pollinator plants, which requires only one-third of the water to maintain a traditional lawn. He said the majority of the native pollinated plants are more drought resistant than lawns and would help save water. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service Montana, an estimated 40 agricultural crops in Montana rely on pollination from insects, birds and small animals — honey bees being the most common.

“Montana pollinator plants and flowers conserve water because they have adapted to be drought resistant with deep roots and water holding stems, which require one-half to one-third the water of non-native plants and flowers,” said Bickenheuser. Pollinator plants can replace part or all of the lawn, which would mean reduced watering. He also recommends rye grass for lawns because it is more drought resistant and has a deeper root system.

He is also a big supporter of planting more trees, as the 74-year-old Bickenheuser has done on his own property, along with countless pollinator plants. In addition, he has pledged to pay for another mature tree to be planted at the E.L. Johnson Memorial Park, where the town had five trees planted earlier this year. “Trees could be selectively watered with half-inch drip irrigation in one or two loops around the tree's base and other select areas outward from the tree base depending on the size and age of the tree,” said Bickenheuser. The Eastern Sanders Conservation District, located on Highway 200 just east of Plains, has rye grass seed and other blends that have deeper roots, which would mean reduced watering and it helps prevent erosion, particularly if a person has a steep hillside, said Bickenheuser. Pollinators carry pollen from the male part of a plant to the female part, which helps in the reproduction of the plants. He also noted that people can get free seeds from the Eastern Sanders Conservation District.

One of his group’s first projects is the “pool park,” where he has volunteered his time to make sure the recently planted trees were watered. He and the Plains Pioneers have been looking at other ways to improve the park, including putting in a play gym and ADA picnic tables. “I'm also interested in turning the wading pool into a splash pool because of our lack of summer lifeguards. They can’t have a wading pool open without a certified lifeguard,” said Bickenheuser. He volunteered to be a member of the town’s Parks and Recreation Committee, which presently has no one on it, including no council members. However, he said has no plans to run for council when the next opening occurs in his ward.

He told the council that the town needs a chamber of commerce and said it should be Plains alone, instead of Plains-Paradise, which is what it had been. Deb Warren, a former chamber officer, immediately spoke up saying that the chamber folded because of a lack of participation. “It was the same five people doing all the work over and over,” said Warren. Rowan said it’s the same problem with local clubs, which are dwindling in membership because of a lack of interest. Bickenheuser believes the council should be involved in a leadership role in the pursuit of re-establishing a chamber. “Your active, personal support is necessary,” he told them.

“Downtown Plains is not attractive to customers. Local customers often wait for days to purchase supplies. Main Street is ugly with cumbersome parking, narrow sidewalks and minor street information about the stores, except for the name,” he said. A chamber can take a leading role to address Main Street issues, according to Bickenheuser. “I am aware of no conversation in Plains about how other rural towns are adapting to trends in marketing, product delivery and future business prospects/growth,” he said. He told the council that between Plains and Paradise, more than 2.4 million vehicles pass through town each year. “Suppose Plains could motivate two percent of the drivers, not including any passengers, to stop and make a purchase at a local store. That would be 48,000 local sales a year. Two percent is well within the range of probability, given the motivation to act,” he said.

Bickenheuser said the use of tools, “like artificial intelligence, would certainly help local businesses,” which could increase productivity and operational efficiencies, improve marketing and advertising, increase revenue by identifying and maximizing sales opportunities, and provide new business opportunities. “By deploying the right AI technology, your business may gain the ability to save time and money by automating and optimizing routine processes and tasks,” he said.

He felt the reception by most council members was promising and feels confident their minds are open. “If you plan and work for the future together, then the community has a better chance of having the community they want,” said Bickenheuser. He and his Plains Pioneers plan to conduct a town cleanup day in the spring, followed by a street dance with live music.

Bickenheuser also created a mock website for Plains to show town officials what a website should offer and offered his services to build one if the town pays for the annual hosting costs, which said is between $150 to $200. He added that he could have one done in a week’s time. Bickenheuser encouraged the council and others to visit his website, myplains2030.com, for more information on the organization. He also said he’s willing to host an “visioning” session for council members.