Donations & Pledges
Progress Report
Taking Shape
The Chester Memorial Pool is taking shape. If you haven’t visited the construction site lately, you should take a little drive. The south and north ends offer the best viewing points. It is looking more and more like a swimming pool each day. The angle iron braces and the stainless steel gutters and panels, comprising the pool’s sides were constructed and welded into place by native born Ohio craftsmen Nathan and Joe Smith. This father and son team travels the United States, helping to make pools a reality for communities just like ours.
Watco Pools of Billings, MT, with over 31 years of pool construction experience, are onsite overseeing and participating in construction. The current phase is “tying” the rebar in preparation of pouring the concrete floor at the end of the week - weather permitting of course. This will be an exciting process. Due to the “depth and drop” of the pool, a pumper truck will be employed to place the concrete.
Once the floor is poured and the angle iron treated, local Contractor/Excavators, Cliff and Nancy Nelson will be back on site. Their expertise has been and continues to be invaluable to this project. The next phase, backfilling, will be a meticulous process in that soil will be compacted around the outer edges and gravel will be placed carefully adjacent to the stainless panels as the pool simultaneously is filled with water. Pressure must be kept to a minimum so the panels do not bow or pop.
At this point, timing is everything. For obvious safety reasons a local volunteer crew will need to quickly build the permanent 6 foot chain link fence after the sensitive backfilling process. This is anticipated to occur toward mid to late November, possibly around Thanksgiving week. Anyone with chain link fence knowledge, know how or muscle willing to donate your time to this endeavor is encouraged to contact one of the HLP&RF Board Members. We need your help to get the fence in place to ensure the safety of any curious youngsters.
The budget at this point will determine whether we begin the pool house foundation this fall or wait until spring. Similar to the pool’s construction, the pool house footings will need to be over dug and compacted in lifts due to the weight of the tanks housed in the mechanical room. The decision was made to defer pouring of the pool deck until spring so that a proper finish can be ensured.
Firm estimates are being pursued now that architectural designs for the pool house are in hand. Fundraising is our top priority, with special focus on corporations providing services to our Hi-Line Area businesses. If anyone has suggestions on entities we should contact, please let us know. We will leave no stone unturned. Remember, the pool will not open until a pool house is in place and operational.
Special Thank You's
Pugsley Ranches for providing the fill needed to engineer a solid foundation for the pool. The project would not be where it is today without your generosity.
Cliff and Nancy Nelson for excavation and expertise above and beyond. Your long term commitment to this community project is greatly appreciated.
EVERYONE able to step forward at a very busy time to haul gravel, donate trucks and tractors, construct fence, offer time, labor, materials, equipment and discounts - you are all Community Personified....Hugh Brown and Brown Law Office Staff, John Cicon, Dick, Bill and Lane Harmon and Harmon Ranches; John and Wyatt Wickum; Paul Meissner and Meissner Ranches; Liberty County Road Supervisor Shawn Norick and the Liberty County Road Department; Liberty County Commissioners; Jason, Todd and Troy Wanken; Vince, Carl, Janice, Megan and Kerry Mattson; Jim Ghekiere; Dr. Richard Buker; Ron Gleason; Public Works Director John Kleinsasser and the Town of Chester; Dale Pimley/Pimley Electric; Western Lumber; Hi-line Hardware; Naeseth’s Redi-Mix; Rock Solid Enterprises Inc; and the Liberty County Times.
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