By Kat Bryant
The Daily World
Will and Anne Foster of Montesano were honored Tuesday with the Margaret Downey Memorial Community Service Award.
“It came as a great surprise to receive this award. It means a great deal to us,” said Will. “We have so much respect for those who have received it prior to us, so we’re very appreciative of that recognition.”
“It is very exciting. I’m totally honored,” said Anne.
The award is bestowed annually by the Friends of the W.H. Abel Memorial Timberland Library. It was created in 1996 to memorialize Margaret Downey, who operated the Cornucopia Deli in Monte and was an active library and community supporter. The award recognizes Monte residents who reflect her “love of learning, strength in faith and respect for nature.”
“I am always amazed at the breadth of Will and Anne’s support and love of their community and the beautiful ways they find to show their support,” said Megan Valentine, president of the library support group. “Will and Anne Foster are a wonderful embodiment of the love and spirit that Margaret Downey had for Montesano, and I can’t think of two better recipients.”
Will is an architect and principal at Street Lundgren & Foster Architects in Monte, and he has served for many years on the city planning commission. During his past tenure as commission chairman, he launched the effort to develop a comprehensive downtown plan and design standards. Later, under his successor, those plans were finalized and approved by the city council.
Over the years, his firm has designed the Fleet Park Pavilion, the Monte fire station and transit center, and several other local structures.
Last year, however, came the project that led to the Fosters’ nomination for this award. After being approached in 2014 by members of FOSLS (the Friends of Schafer and Lake Sylvia State Parks), Will agreed to donate his time and expertise to design an all-weather pavilion for public use at Lake Sylvia. Construction on the Legacy Pavilion began around Memorial Day in 2019 and was completed in January 2020, with Rognlin’s Inc. acting as general contractor.
“One of their goals was to make a structure that blended in with the nature and was in and of the landscape,” Will said. “It sits very close to the lake, and our effort was to capture the lake view and make that an integral part of the experience for users of the pavilion.”
He said the tall support columns in the front and back are the trunks of cedars that were cleared from the construction site, and some of the other trees were milled to create the doors and window frames. “We made as much use as possible of the wood that was logged at the site,” he said.
The result is a natural wood structure with a massive stone fireplace and plenty of natural lighting, even in the winter months. The walls were designed like barn doors that can slide open easily during the warmer, drier seasons.
“The Legacy Pavilion is a work of art that celebrates wood as a building material and as a symbol of how this resource profoundly and positively shaped the lives of so many that call Montesano home,” reads the award nomination letter submitted by Michael Hankinson, a regional planner with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
Although Will noted that his architectural firm did charge Washington State Parks a fee for the final construction drawings, he and his wife also were instrumental in raising (and donating) money for the overall project.
“They are such kind and generous people,” Stet Palmer, former president of FOSLS, said in his nomination letter. “I’m glad this project gave me the opportunity to meet and know them.”
Anne is a well-known local philanthropist in her own right, donating time and funds to causes close to her heart — most notably, the Grays Harbor YMCA’s youth swim classes.
“I grew up in Aberdeen, and everybody swam,” she said. “The schools always had swimming programs, and they went all the way through high school when I was young.”
But when those programs fell under the budget axe many years ago, Anne decided to take matters into her own hands.
“I thought: We’ve got to put this beautiful YMCA building and beautiful pool to use,” she said. “We’ve got to teach everybody how to swim, because we live in an area with so much water!”
So, for the past decade or so, she has been sponsoring the YMCA’s youth swimming classes, including instruction as well as transportation costs. “Of course, right now they’re not open as much — but hopefully soon,” she added.
“Anne gives and gives and gives,” Timberland Regional Libraries board member Corby Varness said in her nomination letter. In addition to the YMCA and multiple sclerosis research, “she donates very generously to theater programs here on the Harbor as well as in Seattle and Ashland, Oregon. She supports animal rescue programs as well.”
“Will and Anne have con-tributed tirelessly through their efforts and resources,” Montesano Mayor Vini Samuel said in her award nomination letter. “Their work is not splashy, but rather constant and consistent in their dedication to moving Montesano further.”
Even the little things they do resonate with the community, noted the mayor, who was last year’s award recipient.
“One of my favorite memories of Will is his regular attendance at the Saturday Morning Market,” she wrote. “I would see him regularly, buying a small thing from a local youth or vendor. He took the time to stop and talk to each, to encourage them.”
Varness, who won the award in 2013, summed it up in her letter: “They are quiet people who do immeasurable good.”
COURTESY PHOTO Will Foster checks his architectural plans in September 2019 during construction of the Legacy Pavilion at Lake Sylvia State Park.
KAT BRYANT | THE DAILY WORLD Will and Anne Foster donated time, expertise and funds to make the Legacy Pavilion a reality at Lake Sylvia State Park.
KAT BRYANT | THE DAILY WORLD The walls protect visitors from the cold, wind and rain, but they were designed to slide open easily for the warmer months.
KAT BRYANT | THE DAILY WORLD This massive stone fireplace helps keep the pavilion’s interior warm during the stormy months.
KAT BRYANT | THE DAILY WORLD The walls protect visitors from the cold, wind and rain, but they were designed to slide open easily for the warmer months.
