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BELDEN – The water may be a little more comfortable when swimming season makes its opening splash in Belden this summer.
The town’s 100-year-old pool received a plumbing replacement over the past year which should make the water warmer when the pool opens June 1.
“We dug up all the old plumbing and piping for the pool and replaced it,” said Village Chairwoman Janice Wobbenhorst. “It’s solved all of our problems with leaks.”
The plumbing fix depleted most of the $78,000 raised for the pool over several years, said Patty Schulte who has spearheaded much of the ramped-up fundraising efforts since 2020 including a large fundraiser in 2023 to celebrate the pool’s 100th year.
At the time when the Belden pool opened on July 23, 1923, indoor YMCA pools existed in a few cities and there were several privately-financed pools open to the public. But Belden’s was one of the very first municipal pools in the state, according to a news clipping provided by Schulte.
Back then, the Belden Park Association raised $650 to open the pool, and then offered stock at $10 per share to cover additional costs.
The value of a dollar has certainly changed over 100 years.
Schulte estimates it will take another $30,000 to fund the next renovation to the pool.
“We have 100 years of paint that we scrape and repaint every year and there’s a couple of seams that need fixed,” Schulte said. “They did a cement integrity test and it’s really in good shape which is amazing that 100-year-old pool has good cement. They knew what they were doing in the old days.”
Schulte is pursing a grant through the Norfolk-based Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District for a 50-50 match on a project to sandblast the pool vessel and have it professionally painted. The new paint could last up to 20 years, she said.
A rummage sale planned for this summer will support the project, Wobbenhorst said.
While multiple years of fundraising for one project may seem tedious to some, Schulte and Wobbenhorst have been buoyed by ongoing community support.
The small-town pool stays busy with four lifeguards hired for the upcoming season. The pool was open seven weeks last year and average attendance was 22 per day.
“For Belden, that’s excellent,” Schulte said.
The pool also offers swimming lessons and can be booked for pool parties. Free Swim Day has been set for Thursday, June 12.
Belden’s Community Club is also seeing an influx of new and active members, Schulte said, as well as new families with children moving to town.
In April, a group of volunteers will be cleaning up the park, and efforts are underway to replace some of the playground equipment.
“We’ve lost so many things in Belden. Can we really afford to lose anything else?” she said. “It’s so important to have things to do right where they live.”
*** Interested in donating? Contributions can be mailed to the Village of Belden Pool Fund, PO Box 37, Belden, NE, 68717.
