Mike Bachman and his wife, Shannon (Schellinger) Bachman have a special attachment to the landscaping outside their 13th Street West home in Columbia Falls.

Not only was it put in by Shannon’s late parents, Dan and Faith Schellinger, it was put in by a special person at that: A member of the von Trapp family. The von Trapps, a singing family originally from Austria, are best known for inspiring the classic film “The Sound of Music.”

After the Stephan von Trapp put in the landscape, he gave Faith Schellinger a copy of the family’s songs on a CD.

That was some 45 years ago.

Over the years the landscape has matured into neighborhood icon, featuring age-old rose bushes, cinquefoil and tulips that came from Shannon’s brother, Shawn, who spent a year living in Europe in college and had the bulbs sent back home.

Faith and Dan were both well-known and respected community leaders. Dan and his brother Cliff found Schellinger Construction. In the early days, Shannon recalled, they lived in a trailer and would move across the state from job to job.

They settled in Columbia Falls in the late 1960s. The landscape is a nod to the Schellinger’s history. It includes a 1915 Buck Scraper, a vintage mining car and a 1931 Caterpillar Dozer, complete with the original logo.

Shannon has spent hours on end working in the flower gardens since the Bachman’s returned home to live in her parent’s house in 2018.

Mike is a decorated retired Army sergeant first class, serving 23 years as a paratrooper, drill sergeant and trainer. He met Shannon on a blind date while stationed in Hawaii, but he said he’s always loved the mountains and even hiked 1,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail with his son until an injury forced an end to the arduous journey.

So when they look out their door and the landscaping, it’s more than just rocks and bushes, it’s history and memories and, more importantly, what makes their house a home.

The landscaping could be greatly altered in the next year, however, as the city begins construction next year on the Gateway to Glacier Safety and Mobility Improvement Project, which will put in a sidewalk on the north side of 13th Street West and a shared bike/pedestrian path on the south side of the street.

The Bachmans are not against the sidewalk. But they hope the city can move it just a few feet, because right now, it will take out at least half, perhaps more, of the 45-year-old landscape as it’s on the city-owned right of way.

“We just wish they’d take a smaller footprint,” Mike Bachman said last week.

City Manager Eric Hanks has met with the Bachman’s on the project and while the Bachmans said they didn’t see much of a compromise from the city, Hanks said Friday that he had just spoken to engineers working on the project and that there have been changes to the plan.

“There will be adjustments based on citizen input,” Hanks said.

Hanks also said the city will continue to evaluate the project until it goes out to bid, which should happen this fall.

Construction is slated for 2026.

Overall, the project is seen as a positive for the city. The $10 million in federal funds, plus about $500,000 in city match consists of reconstructing 1.3 miles of roadway, installing 1.7 miles of sidewalks and adding 1 mile of multi-use pathways along Fourth Avenue West, 13th Street West and Seventh Street West. Multiple intersections will be improved, as well as parking improvements and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility in the downtown area. The project also includes installing new water mains under the roads to improve efficiency and reduce water loss.

Those three streets are main routes to downtown and, more importantly, the high school and Glacier Gateway Elementary. The new sidewalks and paths should make the streets safer for pedestrians.

“We just hope the city can also recognize Dan and Faith’s legacy,” the Bachmans said.

Hanks said that landscaping on the city’s right of way will be moved to private property during construction. Landscaping on private property will be restored to as good or better condition, he said.

Fences on the city right of way will be replaced or be re-installed at no cost to the homeowner and irrigation will be re-installed as well. They are also planning on putting stubs in for homes that don’t have irrigation so they can hook up in the future.

As far as trees go, the city is hoping to save as many trees as it can, Hanks said.