Eric Letho, known to many as Ric Ko, introduces himself is a musician and community advocate born and raised in Plumtree.

“I’m passionate about using my platform to inspire positive change and create opportunities for young people in my community.”

It is a quiet introduction for a man who has spent the last several months doing very loud work, work that does not happen on a stage but in overgrown grass, chipped tiles, and community meetings.

The work is the restoration of Plumtree’s only public swimming pool at Plumtree Recreation Club.
For Erick, the pool has never been just a facility.

“The swimming pool is more than just a facility it represents memories, opportunity, and community,” he says.

“I believe restoring it will give young people and families a place they can once again enjoy and be proud of.

” It is where generations learned to swim, where families spent weekends, and where young people found a safe place to gather. When that space fell into disrepair, something in the town went quiet with it.

Erick decided it was time to bring the sound back.

When he and his team first walked through the gates to assess the pool, the picture was difficult to face.

“There was overgrown grass, peeling paint, and damaged surroundings,” he recalls.

“It was heartbreaking, but we also saw the potential to bring it back to life.”

In that same moment, he and the others saw what could be. They saw a structure that could once again hold laughter, lessons, and pride.

The road to restoration has not been easy.

“The biggest challenge has been resources and getting people to believe in the vision,” Erick explains.

“We’ve overcome that by staying consistent, being transparent, and building support from volunteers, businesses, and the community.”

Convincing a town that a broken pool matters again requires more than blueprints. It requires showing up. Slowly, belief has followed action.

Volunteers have arrived with tools. Local businesses have contributed materials. Artists have lent their voices. The project has grown because the town has decided to grow it together.

Erick is clear that this is not a solo effort.

“This is a community effort,” he says.

“I’m grateful to the volunteers, Plumtree Musicians United, local artists, businesses, and everyone who has contributed their time, skills, donations, and encouragement.”

Each person has played a role in bringing the pool back to life, and that collective ownership is exactly what he hoped for.
A public space, after all, should be built by the public.

His vision for Plumtree does not stop at the edge of the pool.

“I’d love to see more investment in sports, arts, recreation, and youth development so that young people have more opportunities to grow, create, and succeed,” he says.

The town has the talent. Plumtree has produced outstanding rugby players year after year, and Erick believes the infrastructure should match the ability. On the question of a national facility, he is direct.
“Yes. Plumtree has produced outstanding talent, and better sports facilities would help develop future athletes, attract events, create jobs, and boost the local economy.”

The logic is the same as with the pool: when you build places for people to gather and compete and create, you build a stronger town.

As a musician and public figure, Erick understands the responsibility that comes with visibility.

“I use my music and social media to tell the story, inspire people to get involved, celebrate supporters, and encourage businesses and individuals to become part of positive community change,” he says.

He celebrates donors by name, documents progress, and turns small milestones into moments of momentum. The goal is to make people feel that they are part of something, because they are.

Once the renovations are complete, he sees the pool becoming much more than a place to swim.

“It can become a destination for families, schools, sporting events, and visitors, helping local businesses while giving Plumtree a recreational facility it can proudly showcase,” he says.

In a town often defined by its location on the border, a vibrant public pool would be a statement of identity and care.

To the young people of Plumtree who are watching this unfold, Erick offers direct advice.

“Don’t wait for someone else to change your community. Start where you are, use what you have, and inspire others to join you. Real change begins with one person taking the first step.”

It is advice he is living himself, trading rehearsals for site visits, performances for planning sessions, and lyrics for lists of materials.

The pool is not finished yet, but the atmosphere around it has already changed. Where there was silence there is now conversation. Where there was abandonment there is now activity.
For Eric Letho, that is the point. Restoration is not only about concrete and water. It is about restoring belief that Plumtree can take care of its own, that young people deserve spaces to thrive, and that one person, with a community behind him, can take the first step toward something bigger.

In Plumtree, that first step is being taken at the Recreation Club. And when the water returns, so too will a piece of the town’s heart.