Dan Hoagland a very ‘pleasant’ neighbor

Dan Hoagland is the kind of neighbor who puts the “pleasant” in Pleasant Prairie.

When Dan and Barbara Hoagland moved to the area along the northern rim of Spokane Valley, there were just three homes in their community.

“Don Hagan was the instigator for the water system up here – him and Doc Bates,” Hoagland said. “Don drilled the well there at the bottom of the hill at Wellesley and Fruithill Road.”

The group formed the Pleasant Prairie Water Users Association.

Over the years, the area grew up around them. By the time Pasadena Park took over the water system, 37 homes were being served.

“One of the great things that Dan did was the unpaid job of being secretary for our little water district,” Pauline Hagan said. “He did that for more than 30 years, and it was a big job. He kept track of bills, making sure that crews were called in whenever there was a break and ordering repair parts.

“Later on, it became an awfully involved job because the government required us to do frequent tests on our water – to the point where it was costing our water system about $1,000 for some of these tests.”

On a regular basis, Hoagland would take samples from a specified number of faucets on the system and have them tested for E. coli bacteria and other contaminants.

“I would take the samples into the courthouse for testing,” he said. “Then we’d get letters saying that we needed to test for other things as well. Sometimes there would be two sheets full of tests that we’d have to have.”

Now retired from AT&T, Hoagland still is a resource for the Pasadena Park water district.

“They were here just the other day, asking me where a water line is buried,” he said. “It took me only a few minutes. I went with them and showed them where the line ran. The property owner wanted to dig in that area, and the last thing you want to do is dig into a water line.”

The community has changed a great deal since 1970.

“In those days, Lehman Road was a dirt road,” Hoagland recalled. “In those days, I had a tractor. Every so often, someone would come along the road and get stuck. I’d have to go pull them out of a mud hole with the tractor, which was kind of fun.

“About the only thing that hasn’t changed is across the road from where I am,” Hoagland said. “There’s still an 80-acre spread, and they’re still running cattle on it. We get to watch the calves every year. The little calves will get to rocking just like a rocking horse – they’re fun to watch. One of these days, I suppose, they’ll start building over there.”

Another thing that hasn’t changed is Hoagland’s community spirit.

When a neighbor needs a helping hand, Hoagland is there to help – checking on neighbors who don’t get around as well anymore, checking on homes while neighbors are away and feeding wild birds when the snow gets too deep.

“When my husband (Don) was in the hospital and I was no longer driving, he would cart me down to the hospital,” Pauline Hagan said. “And each time, he would ask me if I wanted to go to a store or anything like that. He’s just there when he’s needed, and that’s a wonderful thing.”

When an arson fire swept along Fruithill Road, Hoagland was checking on his neighbors.

“I hadn’t heard a thing about it until Dan came by and told us – we weren’t paying attention,” Pauline Hagan said. “He was there to make sure we were OK and could evacuate if we needed to. That was an awfully scary time.

“The thing is, after he had checked on us, the police wouldn’t let Dan go back to his own house. They had a barricade set up.”

Being a good neighbor comes naturally to Dan Hoagland.

“I think that’s the spirit we all should have – to help one another,” he said. “Anytime someone needs a little help, I try to help them.”

Pauline Hagan, for one, is thankful.

“He doesn’t do any of these things for publicity,” she said. “What he does, he just goes in and does.

“It’s just wonderful to have people like this as neighbors. We feel so very, very fortunate.”