The people of Callaway gathered together on Saturday, June 1, to celebrate a major accomplishment for their little town. The Callaway Chamber of Commerce and Pool Committee hosted a ribbon cutting for the new swimming pool, followed by an inaugural swim.

Though discussions and planning had begun long before, the ball really got rolling on the idea of a new swimming pool when the Village was notified in May 2022 that they had been awarded a grant to help plan and design a new pool. The community’s pool, which had been built in 1972, had reached the end of its lifespan and the Village was faced with two options build a new pool, or don’t have one at all.

JEO Consulting from Wahoo was hired by the Village to help conduct a study. “They advised us that the cost of a new pool is going up about 10% a year,” said Pool Committee Chair Lawrence Paulsen. “They are expensive anyway! So we thought we better get started doing something.”

The Village Board had been preparing for a new pool project for years, setting money aside each year for that purpose. On July 13, 2022, an information open house was held at the Community Center to provide residents with a look at the proposed design and answer questions relating to the pool and its impact on the community.

Leading the informational meetings were Paulsen and the other Pool Committee members: Abe Hinman, Brenner Beavers, Carla Kimball, Henry Moore, Irelyn Rosfeld, Kendra Meyer, and Lori Pandorf. The Village Board had approved the design that was presented by JEO at the July 12 board meeting. The Board also approved placing a bond request to help pay for the new pool on the November ballot.

These are the numbers that were presented to the public at the July 2022 meeting: For the sake of easy figuring, the rounded-down bond figure of $4.2 mil-

cont. PAGE 5 - NEW POOL lion would result in an annual debt service payment of about $321,807 on a 20-year bond. The impact on taxpayers would equate to an annual tax payment of $877 on a $100,000 property, which breaks down to $73 per month on a $100,000 property.

The Village Board held a special meeting on 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.

During that meeting 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. At the conclusion of the hour-long community discussion, the Village board unanimously approved a resolution to bring the bond before the voters on the November election ballot.

The request for a bond not to exceed $4 million for the new pool received support at the polls, passing by a margin of 153-106. After the pool closed for the season in August 2023, demolition began to make way for the new aquatic facility. The plan all along was to have the new pool open in time for the 2024 season, and that goal was met.

The pool received its final inspection on Wednesday and received the green light on Friday that it was good to go.

“The community overall has been very supportive, and people have been excited to watch the progress on the pool through the winter months and weather challenges,” said Paulsen. “Hackel Construction did a great job of being diligent and were really great about getting it done on time knowing we had set the goal for June 1.”

Paulsen said the process itself went pretty smoothly, with no major challenges or changes. “We might have had a couple of delays of one or two days, but nothing that was a major setback. We got pretty lucky,” he said.

He said the Village is hopeful that the pool will last at least 50 years with proper care. “It’s an investment for our town and future generations. It is a testament to our community to make that kind of investment,” Paulsen added. “I am very thankful that our town had enough foresight to do this.”