Rotary Club raises funds for new bathrooms at Smith Fields

The Rotary Club of Whitefish has been quietly contributing to the amenities at Whitefish parks and recreation areas for years, in addition to its other community support projects.

The club this year has set its sights on fundraising for the construction of new bathrooms at Smith Fields. Through its foundation, the club is using the Whitefish Community Foundation’s Great Fish Community Challenge to raise funds towards its goal of $85,000 for the bathroom project.

Termed the “Gotta Go Bathrooms,” Rotary Club members say the bathrooms that will be located near the playground at the sports complex have become increasingly necessary.

About 40,000 athletes, coaches, parents and visitors use the facilities annually there and existing bathrooms located in the concession stand building often face long lines. The current bathrooms are also too far from the playground and baseball diamonds, and must be accessed from the south side of the complex by crossing a busy road that splits the park.

“With one bathroom now the line can get ridiculous,” said club member Michael Moffitt. “There is a need for more bathrooms and ones that are centrally located.”

The park and playground also see use from residents in adjacent homes, visitors and from families who are visiting the nearby North Valley Hospital and The Springs at Whitefish.

The new bathrooms are planned to have electronic locks so they could be open longer hours and heated so they would be open more months of the year than the current bathroom facilities.

Throughout its tenure, the Rotary Club has supported several parks and recreation projects in the community through donations and labor. Work has included the learning pavilion on the Whitefish Trail, playground equipment and bathrooms at the Kiddie Park, construction of the Gary Elliott Memorial Field at Smith Fields, the gazebo at Depot Park, assistance at the WAG dog park, work on Les Mason State Park, cleanup and construction of picnic tables for the James R. Bakke Nature Reserve.

Moffitt has been a member of Rotary for more than 20 years and is past president of the Whitefish club. He says the focus on supporting parks has come with the intention to do work that provides for children and families in the community.

“We’re one of the longest running service clubs,” Moffitt said. “Our members are business leaders in the community. We’re kind of a stealth organization and so most people don’t know what we’ve done. We support the community both through money donations and sweat equity.”

Bruce Aronson is one of the club members directly involved with organizing the bathroom project. He said seeing Rotary’s contributions to the parks show the work that’s been accomplished in the community, in particular he says the Gary Elliott soccer field means a lot.

“It lifts my heart to see that,” he said.

The Rotary Club also has a long list of projects it’s been involved with in the community beyond parks.

For more than 40 years the club has provided clothing and toys to children and families in-need through the Magic of Christmas. Last year alone it assisted 268 children and 87 families.

The club also provides scholarships for students to attend Flathead Valley Community College, supports the Whitefish Thunder Special Olympics team, and hosts the Whitefish Winter Carnival Breakfast annually. A.J. Spear serves as the current president of the Whitefish club, which has about 45 active members.

“It’s an amazing way to be part of the community,” he said of Rotary. “It’s an organization that is about serving the community. Rotary has amazing camaraderie because everybody who is part of it wants to give back.”

For more information on the club’s bathroom project, visit https://www.facebook.com/Whitefish-Rotary-184005498304113/. To donate to the Great Fish Community Challenge, visit whitefishcommunityfoundation.org