The Callaway Village Board held a special meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 17, and invited the entire community to join them. There was only one item on the special meeting agenda - a resolution to put a bond for a new swimming pool on the November election ballot.

About 60 Callaway residents took advantage of the opportunity to ask questions and make comments to the board prior to the special meeting held in the Community Center. Village board member Lawrence Paulsen is chair of the Pool Committee, and led the hour-long community discussion. He was joined at the meeting by the other members of the Pool Committee: Lori Pandorf, Abe Hinman, Carla Kimball, Henry Moore, Brenner Beavers and Kendra Meyer.

Paulsen explained that this committee has put in lots of hours coming up with a plan and design concept for the proposed new pool. A grant paid for the study and design phase of the project.

Following introduction of the Pool Committee, the floor was opened up to questions, and Jim Phelps was the first to respond. “It is my understanding the you have already set aside some money for this, is that correct?” he asked. Paulsen explained that the Village Board has been setting aside excess funds from the LB-840 program for the past decade, and at the end of this fiscal year they will have accumulated $440,000.

“We have made some design changes to the project, which is now just a hair over $4 million. To clarify what Jim is saying, that $440,000 would immediately come off the bond,” said Paulsen. “The bond has to be issued for the total cost of the pool. That is a state law and must be complied with if we want to receive any grants.”

Christy Pitkin added that she is a member of the Callaway Community Foundation which has had a pool account for quite some time, and has collected $45,000 in that account to date. That will also go toward the bond

The question was raised asking just what type of grants the Village would be looking at applying for to help offset the cost of the project. Carla Kimball explained that there are two grants they would be looking at; a Civic Community Center Foundation Financing Fund which is through the Department of Economic Development. She said that fund is generated through taxes that are collected from arenas in Lincoln and Omaha, and the amount that is available in that fund will not be known until October. It is a 1-to-1 grant, meaning the Village will have to match the grant contribution. This is the fund that also provided the $15,000 grant for the planning of the pool.

The other grant is through Nebraska Game & Parks, but that grant application is due in September and Kimball said the Village will have to wait until next year to apply for that one.

Village Board Chairman Mark Kimball reminded those in attendance that it was a community effort that built the Community Center and it is his hope that the residents will pull together again for a new pool. “Please understand that the weight of this bond is on the citizens of this community. No one outside of the city limits will be imposed any kind of tax or levy, so we would ask that those living outside of this community would donate,” said Kimball. “We can do this together. But I’m like many people that are here tonight. I’m not wild about a $3 million grant or about taxes going up. But the pool that is down there is 50-years-old and is on its last go-around. It is going to take a community effort to get this done.”

One person commented that the requested bond is a lot of money for a town the size of Callaway, and that the Community Center gets more use than the pool and therefore more residents were willing to contribute. Paulsen explained that with the zero entry of the new pool it will be accessible to handicapped and elderly individuals, which the current pool is not.

“The new pool looks awfully extravagant, but actually is not much bigger than the one we have. Without the zero entry level it is the same capacity as the current pool,” said Paulsen.

The Village Board acknowledged the fact that the pool is not a money making proposition, but is just the opposite. “This building, the park, the ballpark, the cemetery - we lose money on all public services,” Village Board member Ken Pitkin added.

Pool manager Brenner Beavers said that the Callaway pool averages about 50 patrons per day, and includes swimming lessons and water aerobics activities. The hope is with the zero entry allowing more accessibility that attendance numbers will increase in the new pool.

“We know the bond is going to be written for less than $4 million because we already have nearly a half million dollars for the project,” said Pitkin. “Let’s get more donations - let’s raise $4 million and tell them we don’t need a bond! It’s in the community’s hands. Maybe when we get to it we only write a bond for $1.5 million, but the law requires that we pass a bond for the total amount of the project.”

Callaway resident and school board member Mike Reiff reminded the people that while the pool may not make money for the Village, it also keeps some money within the community. “It’s an investment. Nobody is going to Lexington or to Broken Bow to swim. It is tough for a tax burden, I understand that. But look at it as an investment in the longevity of the village,” said Reiff. “It’s tough up front but it will pay off in another 50 years - that’s two generations.”

Superintendent Bryon Hanson thanked the Village Board and Pool Committee for keeping the community so informed on the project and commended them for their efforts. “My wife and I did our research on communities before we ever seriously looked at this job. And the one thing that stood out to me looking through my lens was the amazing park and a swimming pool right here for the people to enjoy,” said Hanson. “I see that as being such a plus as we are looking to grow.”

At the conclusion of the hour-long community discussion the Village board called their special meeting to order and unanimously approved a resolution to bring the bond before the voters on the November election ballot. Passing that resolution, however, does not mean the end to community discussion. See next week’s Courier for more questions, answers and comments from the Aug. 17 meeting.