Plains man hosts study to help guide town growth

Only 11 people showed up for a focus group study for the Town of Plains that could help guide town residents in the way they would like to see the community grow.

Charles Bickenheuser, who recently formed the Plains Community Council to gather data that could be used by the Plains Planning Board, hosted the event at the Paradise Center on Saturday afternoon, but only about half of the expected number of people showed up. Bickenheuser created the volunteer board with the intention of getting an idea of how residents of the town and the immediate surrounding area would like to see the town grow. The Plains resident personally invited nearly 30 people to the focus study, including the Plains Town Council and mayor. However, only Garrett Boon, the council's newest member, took part. Council member Connie Foust had planned to attend, but had a family emergency and couldn't attend.

The session included six women and four men, including Sanders County Commissioner Dan Rowan and two people from Hot Springs. Bickenheuser paid for rental of the center's auditorium as well as the stationary needed for the study and finger foods.

The group spent three hours on four questions that Bickenheuser came up with - What do you like about the Town of Plains and the local area? What would you like to see in the Town of Plains and the local area in the next 5, 10, and 15 years? Describe your relationship to the local valleys, mountains, rivers, streams, and skies throughout the seasons. What do you not like about the Town of Plains and the local area? He also had 26 additional questions that the participants could look over at home.

Participants broke into three groups. John Thorson, Cricket Owens, Destiny Owens, and Julie Christensen formed one group. Boon, Otto Otnes, along with Hot Springs residents Heather Kaufman and Jason Moore, formed another group, and Donna Maughlin and Diane Bickenheuser formed the third.

Each group wrote down their thoughts one question at a time, then discussed them as a whole. The likes of the first question varied, but centered around local events, town parks, schools, active clubs and churches, the fairgrounds, and the sports complex. Safe streets were noted by two groups. All three groups liked that there was a hospital at Plains. One group mentioned that the town was remote, but services were readily accessible. They liked the absence of heavy traffic and enjoyed the small community size. The beauty of the surrounding area, wildlife, mountains, and public land accessibility were positive common threads.

The groups said they disliked the railroad going through town, newcomers often not being accepted, narrow-minded politics, loose aggressive dogs, and a decreased community involvement. Areas of improvement included such things as more drug abuse awareness, better streets, additional physical fitness facilities, and a need for more community events.

It was agreed by all that affordable housing is a must. Cricket Owens said she'd like to continue to see the small town feeling. She said that new businesses might bring more jobs, but that could also lead to more expensive housing, which could mean too much for those already living here. "This is the place I'd like to live because it's serene. If you're having a bad day, you can just go down to the river or drive to the mountains," said Owens.

Bickenheuser said the answers and discussions help define the community's shape and growth, including the statements participants made about the surrounding wilderness. "Nature defines us as rural people and communities. When rural people lose immediate contact with nature, they lose the base, the ground swell of what makes them rural," he said. "We all have a relationship to the land and it's essential to us. The land defines us as a rural community," he said.

Bickenheuser felt the session went well, but because so few people participated in the survey, he plans to hold another on March 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Paradise Center. He hopes to have more participation, but also would like to see the same people again. The follow-up meetings will form goals and actions based on the focus group responses. Those interested can either call him at ‪(406) 242-0454 or contact him via email at ‪[email protected].

Although he plans to stick with this particular project, he's already informed the town leadership that the Community Council is folding. Bickenheuser has been trying to work with the town council for over two years, but he feels that he has not been well received by members of the town council. The vote for the Community Council almost didn't take place and the town resisted paying for anything connected with it, including postal costs.

"The town council has shown no interest in planning for our future, and neither has the planning board," said Bickenheuser, who doesn't understand why he's been getting so much discord from the council, especially since what he's been doing is on a volunteer basis. He said that Boon has been the only member that has been receptive. "I'm done working with the town council. They're just a stumbling block and they're a pain to work with," said the retired teacher. "If new council members and a new mayor are elected in November, then I'll work with that new town council."

Bickenheuser said that it might take months to complete his growth study, depending on the number of participants. Still, he is confident that he'll be able to come up with something that will be passed on to the town. "The reason we're building a growth policy is to have a solid platform to stand on to determine how the town will grow," said Bickenheuser, who plans to follow the Montana Department of Commerce guidelines for building the Plains growth policy. He stated that a municipality is supposed to have an updated policy every five years, but believes the town's present growth policy is nearly 20 years old. He has yet to determine what the town will do with his final survey report, but he plans to make sure it's somehow published for the Plains community to see.

He said that having a valid growth policy is essential. "If we don't have a growth policy the state will think we don't care about our growth. We can keep our small town character if we get involved in the process and a well done growth policy will help us keep the character of the rural community. A well done growth policy gives the community their only real voice."