Goal reached in Chinook pool and park matching grant

Press release

A substantial fundraising effort has been achieved in the effort to rehabilitate the Chinook Community Pool and Ensign Sweet Memorial Park.

“This past January, the amazing Schellin Family put out a challenge to donors to match a donation of up to $100,000 for the Chinook Pool and Park project, and donors came out in full force,” the nonprofit Friends of the Pool and Park said in a press release. “The family set a deadline of March 31st, and by late March, the donation total match amount neared $89,000 of the $100,000 match amount. A final donor put the match up over $100,000 when a local longtime Chinook resident John Shelstad made a very generous $100,000 donation to the project. The Schellin Family and the Friends of the Pool and Park Foundation are beyond thankful for the final donation to fully complete the Schellin Match.”

“This has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life, Foundation President Heather DePriest added in the release. “The generosity of the entire Schellin family as well as all of the amazing folks who have donated from near and far, has made all the challenges with this project so worthwhile.

Decades of enjoyment and benefits

The foundation has said the outdoor pool has provided an enormous amount of enjoyment and benefits in its five decades of operation.

It even saw heavy use during the COVID pandemic, with more than 5,700 individual visits to the pool in 2021, many of which were from out of the area.

Swimming lessons are also an important reason for keeping our pool maintained, the release said. 

It takes an average of 52 lessons for a child to become a competent swimmer, the foundation noted in a press release.

“Learning how to swim takes time, consistency and plenty of practice, something that we feel is so important for the children of the community to learn. Should the pool fail, children would not be able to swim in a safe environment, let alone learn how to swim properly. Swimming is an important part of our community.”

An aging facility

The Chinook Pool was built in 1976. In that time, the pool has seen significant deterioration, and it has been experiencing issues that will lead to larger, more expensive problems in the future if repairs are not made soon.

A professional engineer who specializes in pools was hired by the foundation to come and look at the facility and prepare a report, the release added. Upon his visit, he determined that the pool has started to leak based upon the information provided by the City of Chinook. His analysis was based on how often water must be added to the pool throughout the summer. With calculations, the pool filling has exceeded regular evaporation; therefore, he believed that it has started to leak.

The plans also are to repair and upgrade Sweet Park in Chinook. When it rains heavily, the park often floods due to drainage issues and a large portion of the playground equipment has been removed for safety reasons, the release said. 

Upgrades to the park, including possibly adding a splash pad or water slide, also have been considered.

Voters in 2023 approved a recreation district bond to help with the funding of the rehabilitation, and additional funding is sought to complete the hoped-for design, such as the splash pad or water slides.

“The project has brought so many people together to help ensure that the pool is operational for many years to come, and for this, we are extremely grateful,”DePriest said. “Every single donor who has donated to this project has helped shape the future of Chinook for future generations. I hope everyone knows the truly incredible impact that they made on such an important part of our community.

“The Foundation would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to the Schellin Family for helping to bring awareness and funding to the project,” DePriest concluded. “They have truly made such an impact on the success of the project and the future of Chinook. Thank you so much, Schellin Family, John Shelstad and every single donor to the project, thank you just doesn’t feel like it is enough.”

For anyone interested in making a donation, they can be made on the foundation’s website at https://www.chinookfriends.org/donations, or people can drop off their donation at First Bank of Montana in Chinook. Donations can also be mailed to Friends of the Pool and Park Foundation at PO Box 785, Chinook, MT 59523.