WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OCPA is happy to announce, construction will begin this summer on the new “Beaver Dam Park and Trail Head”, located at the old Beaver Dam School in Opportunity. Engineers from WWC engineering out of Helena, have held 2 meetings to announce plans of designing a Park in Opportunity and trails in the area. There was a public meeting at the Opportunity Community Club to discuss with the citizens of Opportunity, idea’s for the new park. Lots of ideas came up like a new baseball field, a large mound of dirt for kids to play on and sled down, picnic tables, gazebo’s, a skate board park, walking trails, playground equipment, including equipment that will be handicap accessible for children who might be handicapped. Also suggested, was a duck pond and lots of trees and shrubs. We (OCPA) thinks it will be a very nice park, projected to be complete by the fall of 2009. 2 short years ago, the Anaconda School Board, was ready to sell Beaver Dam School and property to the highest bidder. OCPA seen the park slipping out of the communities hands and thought something needed to be done right now or face losing the last place for kids to play in our community. We started negotiations with the School board to try to buy the property from them. OCPA even went as far as to put in a $1,000.00 bid on the property. At that time, Connie Daniels and Dan Villa, came to OCPA and informed us of a large grant through the dept of Transportation that we where eligible for. We where told, that it was a matching funds type of grant, and for every dollar we sent the DOT, we would get 7 in return. The total amount of the grant was $5 mil dollars but it was to be divided between Milltown and Opportunity, to develop parks and trails in the area and we each where eligible for 2.1 mil.. We could get the grant as long as we put in a trail head that would meet up with the “Greenway trail” coming from Butte. Well, needless to say, the negotiations where on. Finding a use for the old building has sort of set us back but there are some great idea’s out there to put it to use and save the historical values that the old part of the building posses. An Interpretive center is just one idea for the building. There could be tons of exhibits in that old building that really need to be on display. It could also be a museum to store all the historical items around Anaconda that the county has no room to store and there are several other idea’s floating around that sound real good as well. If at all possible, the people of Opportunity would really like to see the building stay. If you can think of a reason to keep the building to where it would be self sustaining or would like to take part in planning this great park, then call Shawn Higley at 406-443-3962 or send him an email at shigley@wwcengineering.com and give him your thoughts of what you would like to see in YOUR park. Right now is the designing phase and if you don’t get in on it, you will lose your chance of being part of this great project.