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Grassroots group gives Memorial Pool hope for the future

A grassroots organization hopes to be the key ingredient in a community effort to raise $50,000 to help with costs of the repair, improvement and expansion of the Memorial Park Pool complex.

If effort and heart can be matched by results, the organization has a chance to succeed. Fundraising ideas on the table are truly grassroots – bake sales, hot dog and hamburger sales and picnics.

If you are interested in the future of the pool, you should support The Friends of Memorial Pool in everything they do. The future of the pool, after the improvements, may depend on this sort of community “ownership” of the community pool.

Operations costs in the future may not be obtainable in the city’s General Fund. They may be dependent on community fundraising. Establishing the fundraising network now will also pay off later.

As for the pool and the parking complex, there are plans for waterpark-like features at the pool and other improvements both to the pool complex and in terms of access.

And the city is investing $700,000 in the project, borrowing $200,000, seeking a $250,000 state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant and using $250,000 in community block grant funds to go toward building a new version of the pool.

That’s all well and good.

But, as good as the improvements look on paper, community support will be needed to sustain the pool long-term.

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