The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

PRESCOTT - Spectators may not have heard the familiar Ty Pennington shout, "MOVE THAT BUS!" but the transformation that took place at Prescott's "vacant lot" over four days last week most certainly qualifies as an Extreme Makeover.

Spectators clapped enthusiastically as Pomegranate Center Director Milenko Matanovic spoke at Sunday afternoon's ribbon cutting ceremony. "They said it was not possible to complete in four days and yet here we are! It is like the cycle of the fish etched on this dance floor. The first seeds were those first conversations of possibilities in this burned out lot. That has come to an end and now we will plant new seeds of life, right here on this stage."

A $25,000 grant from Pomegranate Center - administered by the Blue Mountain Action Council - was received by the Rural Library District in April. A community steering committee met in March and Pomegranate Center Director Matanovic and a team of designers met with the community to create a design plan in April.

Matt Tunell and Len Conlee spent much of May working with a few other local volunteers to level the lot, plumb the bathroom, set posts, set up power, and pour the cement stage and platform in preparation for June's transformation.

The "build" portion of the project began Thursday, June 19, when the Pomegranate team joined scores of local volunteers to bring the design to life - creating a mini oasis right in the heart of Prescott. In a mere four days, the rectangle of bare dirt and aging brick was filled with plants, a watering system, seating, artwork, and a full performance stage. A bathroom is plumbed and roughed in at the back of the lot.

A Times reporter visited Friday morning and was greeted by Joan Tatum who was stationed under a tarp at the entrance of the site. The self described "shoe Nazi" welcomed volunteers, checked for open-toed shoes (not allowed), handed out duct tape nametags and doled out supplies from a box from filled with kneepads, eye and ear protection, etc. A large poster taped to the wall listed the days' goals.

Volunteers worked in groups, completing a variety of projects down the length of the lot: engineering the watering system, drilling holes in metal posts and arranging rusted pipe planters. At the back end of the lot several more groups worked erecting the stage and constructing the stage roof. Workers streamed in an antlike trail from the back of the lot, across Highway 12 and down the block to Chuck Carruther's shop where the metal cut. More volunteers worked in the kitchen, preparing lunch for the hungry workers. When asked how the project was going, Matanovic swept his arm broadly across the scene and grinned as he said, "You tell me!"

In a return visit for the Sunday afternoon ribbon cutting, welders put the finishing touches on the entrance gates as volunteers milled throughout the space. The "vacant lot" had been transformed to a park-like setting filled with greenery, tables, rock benches, a covered and elevated stage and a dance floor etched with circling fish. "It's in the heart of Prescott, but it also shows the heart of the people who live here and worked to create it," said volunteer and organizer Matt Tunell, who hopes the space will eventually be named Heart Park.

Steering Committee Member Patsy Walsh said that 53 Prescott residents volunteered time or donated food, tools, use of their shops, resources or funds to the project. A total of 66 workers -- ranging in age from 6 years to 78 years old registered during the build and included a team of architect and landscape students from WSU. Volunteers came from Seattle, Bellevue, Renton, Issaquah, Redmond, Camino Island, Dayton, Waitsburg, Dixie, Prescott, Walla Walla, Vancouver, Pullman, Milton-Freewater and Pendleton, Oregon, and Redondo Beach and La Habra Heights, California.

BMAC representative Mari Prieto told of a "man in a white truck who lives out by Asotin" who was passing through town and stopped to see what was going on. When she explained what they were doing, he asked for a shovel and went to work. "That's what it's all about," she said.

During the ribbon cutting ceremony Pomegranate board member Joe Barrett said that within minutes of arriving at the site he was struck by the incredible focus and work ethic of the volunteers. "It was amazingly quiet, efficient and safe. And these volunteers have an amazing level of technical ability, which is what really made this possible."

A group of volunteers poses on the new stage following the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Matanovic recognized Tunell as the "Saint of Function" and thanked him for his dedication to the project. Tunell explained to The Times that he had recently left his job of 18 years to start his own construction business when this project came along. "I knew this was something that felt good and would mean something in the years to come. It's important to be involved in the community and do something for others."

Tunell, in turn, recognized Len Conlee, Rick Elson, Brett Cox, Chuck Carruthers, Debi Tiedemann and Kit Lane for their service. He also expressed great thanks to pat Barker for his generous donation of columnar basalt which provides much of the seating in the space. The kitchen helpers got an extra cheer from the crowd.

As Matanovic cut the ribbon, he threw up his hands saying, "May this be a space that Prescott will enjoy forever and ever!" Matanovic encouraged the community to use the space. "The more it gets used, the better and safer it will be." Matanovic said he and his team will return July 8hellip; to see how we will carry on the life of this place of joy, celebration and safety."