A Lennox Council special meeting will be held at the Senior Citizens Center on Monday June 22nd at 7:00 PM. Stockwell Engineers will be presenting the Master Park Plan to the council at this meeting. It is expected that cost estimates for a new swimming pool will be provided.
If you are wondering why the City is considering the building of a new pool, you only have to look at these pictures.
The City had some major repair work to complete on the old swimming pool prior to opening this year, the 56th opening year. These pictures show some of the damage caused when frost left the ground. City Finance Officer Jerry Jones reported that while there is always some damage caused by frost, it was far worse this year.
The bathhouse is also in terrible shape—floors, walls and fixtures are all in major need of replacement. The chemical room also shows the effect of age.
The Lennox Swimming Pool was used for the first time in 1959. Citizens in Lennox fought hard to bring this project to reality. With the cost estimated to be $40,000, the Lennox Kiwanis Club worked on fund-raising for the project. Tickets to win one of three cars were sold, raising $7,818. The Commercial Club donated $1,000 to the project and provided assistant in fund-raising. Individuals, businesses and clubs donated to the project. An auction, with auctioneers Joe Odson, Barney Barnes and Don Sweeter, raised another $1,615.
John Laros, a Sioux City engineer was hired to oversee the project. The City purchased land adjacent to the park for the pool. Much of the work was done by local labor…Joe Hofer and Earl Fodness used their equipment and time to do the excavation, John Beninga dug the sewer and water main trenches. The water main was laid by City employees Herman Zemke and William Henke, assisted by Shelby Miller and Rolland Mattheis. The Kiwanis Club accepted the low bid from Kelley Construction of Beresford for the concrete pool, wading pool, electrical wiring, plumbing, filtration and chlorination equipment and building at a cost of $26,223.
At the time they accepted the bid, the Club needed $3000 more to complete this phase of the project, $15,000 more to complete the entire project.
Not being able to use the pool until they had funds to complete the deck, fence, bath house and outside lighting, the citizens petitioned the council to bring a bond before voters in the amount of $20,000.
The first bond election, held Oct. 14, 1958 failed by two votes. Citizens asked for another election. The next bond vote, on Nov. 18, carried by one vote; sixty percent of the voters were needed to approve the bond. The election brought out a record number of voters.
Harold Elcock was awarded the bid to complete the pool, at a cost of $18,937.50. The total cost of the pool project ended up being approximately $49,000. In today’s dollars, that amount would be approximately $405,133.38.
Thanks to the diligent work of many volunteers in the City, the citizens of Lennox and the surrounding area have been able to enjoy swimming in the park for the past 56 years.
Now it’s time for today’s citizens to plan for the future. If you would like to know more about the proposed pool and park plans, attend the meeting on Monday evening.
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