Pavilion dedication set Nov. 1
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
October 30, 2008
Libby’s new Fred Brown Riverfront Pavilion will be dedicated with a ceremony at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1.
Primary construction of the 4,200-square-foot log pavilion was donated by Meadowlark Log Homes of Libby as repayment for an $85,000 loan guarantee obtained from the city’s economic development fund by the business owners’ father.
"The actual cost that they incurred far exceeds $85,000," said Libby Main Street Program director Trent Oelberg, who managed the project.
In addition to Meadowlark’s contribution, the project received another $80,000 in cash donations, Oelberg said, along with $11,000 from the city budget.
Oelberg estimated the value of the pavilion at around $275,000.
"If you were going to go out and build one of these today, that’s about what it would cost you," he said.
The pavilion is being named in honor of Libby’s mayor from 1973 through 1997. A 1947 graduate of Libby High School, Fred Brown graduated from the University of Montana in 1951 and then enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the Korean War.
Brown taught science at Libby High School from 1954 to 1987, and flew fire patrol for the Forest Service from 1961 to 1977. He served on the city council from 1961 until he was elected mayor in 1973.
Brown will be present at Saturday’s dedication ceremony, Oelberg said. Donors and contractors who worked on the project will also be invited and will be recognized.
More than 50 volunteers worked on the pavilion, putting in well over 500 hours, Oelberg said.
"It truly has been a community project," he said.
Oelberg credited current Mayor Tony Berget with being the driving force behind development of Riverfront Park and the construction of the pavilion.
"This is the mayor’s vision," he said. "It happened because of Tony – nobody else."
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Editor’s Note: See the October 27, 2008 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Monday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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