Filling in the empty spaces

WALLACE — Outside the Sixth Street Melodrama and Theatre now exists a small quiet sitting area, but it hasn’t been that way.

Just a few months ago, the small area that sits between the theater and Albi’s Steakhouse was a catch-all for all kinds of junk, including trash and even a mattress.

Now, the small section of property is home to a small sitting park that only adds to the beauty of the Silver Valley’s most historic town.

Through the efforts of several locals, including much of the theater’s board, as well as with the generous donations from various entities, the small area has come together nicely.

Mike Feiler, one of Wallace’s volunteer extraordinaires, also sits on the Board of Directors for the Sixth Street Theatre and he had grown tired of seeing that side of the building continuously accumulating junk and becoming a “pig pen” of sorts.

“The back half of that piece of gravel, for sometime had people just throwing junk back there and it was driving a few of us crazy,” Feiler said. “We got to talking about how there should be something done to make that property look nice and make some use of it. As luck would have it, there were several people who thought the same way and wanted to get involved and help.”

The Wallace Flower Project, Zanetti’s, and several other donors made sure that money, time, and materials were all readily available, as well as the city of Wallace, who supplied equipment to be used for cleaning the area up.

Feiler described the cleanup of the property and ensuing setup as “an effort of love,” but hopes that people who use it take care of it and appreciate having another nice public place.

Despite some concerns that the area might be abused by passerby vagrants, no issues have thus far arisen and the small area has served as a nice stop for people using the nearby Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes to park their bikes and take a quiet respite from the trail.

“We want it to be available for other stuff too,” Feiler mentioned. “You know, someone might want to get married there or maybe when there is something going on under the freeway — maybe a business will want to come and set up a bar out there for people to grab a drink. All of those kinds of things. It’s already gotten quite a bit of use.”

Feiler would like to extend a thanks to everyone who donated to the project.