SPOT CHECKING

Plains Lions Club member Marv Tanner touches up the kiddie pool at E.L. Johnson Memorial Park in preparation of its opening for the season. The park's main pool opened last Monday, but the wading pool was not ready at the time. It took two days and nearly 10 gallons of paint for Tanner, club member Rick Powers, and club president Steve Spurr to repaint the kid's pool last week. Tanner spent one day power washing the pool. The wading pool, which is about 24 inches deep in the middle, is managed by the Plains Lions Club, but the Town of Plains provides lifeguards. Entry is free. Spurr and his wife, Whitney, and children Kendall and Cooper, along with Margo Tanner, Marv's wife, decorated the concrete outside the pool with a dozen new characters. The wading pool had not been repainted in two years. They plan to paint hopscotch and tic-tac-toe games, too. Plains Mayor Dan Rowan said they'd like to replace the wading pool with a splash park, which would eliminate the need for lifeguards. The splash park would be located next to the site of the wading pool, and the wading pool would be filled with rubber-type mulch material where kids could play. Spurr said the club is looking into grants for the splash park.