Bowbells pool might close permanantly
By ANDREA JOHNSON, Staff Writer, ajohnson@minotdailynews.comArticle Photos
BOWBELLS Tami Chrest's three children are in and out of the city pool on a daily basis during the hot summer months.
"Every day it's not open, they're devastated," said Chrest, a member of the Bowbells city recreation commission. "They say, 'What are we going to do now?'"
But without a healthy infusion of cash, the Bowbells city pool might end up being closed permanently. The pool, which closed Sunday, has pipes leaking in at least three places under the crumbling cement and cement work crumbling underneath the pool liner.
Chrest said the recreation commission hired a consultant about three years ago to see what it would cost to fix the pool. At the time, the estimate was about $150,000 to fix the pool; when the bids came back, the low bid was $300,000. The recreation commission decided to look into other options.
Meanwhile, the pool conditions have only gotten worse and the price tag for fixing it is probably greater than it was three years ago. The recreation commission was waiting until the pool closed to take a closer look at the leaky pipes and learn how much it will actually cost to fix.
"We've kind of limped along as long as we could," said Chrest.
Chrest said the recreation commission is seeking donations to pay for the needed repairs. They've put up signs at SunPrairie Grain in Lignite and Bowbells and at General Mills in Northgate, asking farmers to donate some of the proceeds of their grain sales to fix up the Bowbells pool. They'll also need large donations from somewhere else. Chrest said she's not sure if the farmers' donations are tax deductible; the recreation commission is researching that. Other donations would be.
"I hope someone out there has a heart," said Chrest.
The Bowbells city pool, which is located in the city park and is painted red, white and blue, is also the only pool in Burke County. It offers swimming lessons during the summer and, in past years, has also offered aquatic classes for adults and a place for people to swim laps.
"We'd hate to see it ever close," said Chrest.
Other recreation commission members are Lee Anderson, Marsha Knutson, Joe Kremer and Kyle Melby. Donations can be sent to Bowbells Rec Commission, P.O. Box 14, Bowbells, N.D. 58721.
