Children who hung from the rafters of the old picnic shelter at the Willow Bay Recreation Area may be the only people who won’t like the new shelter.
The American Falls Chapter of Rotary International replaced the shelter after debating whether to repair the old picnic shelter. The old shelter’s wood frame was decaying, and the structure was no longer safe. After seeing what it would take to repair the shelter, the club opted to go with replacing it instead.
Funds were raised from the general membership dues of the local chapter, with some help from the regional organization. The ribbon cutting took place on June 24.
Contractors erected the metal frame in the midst of a snow storm last December, said Kay Jones, chapter president. Since then, RJay Hawkes of RJay’s Mobile Welding and Custom Fabrication has strengthened the facility by adding tubing around the outside of the structure. American Falls parks Superintendant Jeremy Piersol said the additional tubing also helps keep the picnic tables inside of the structure. Sometimes the parks and recreation personnel would have to fish the tables from