Rediscovering home: Superior's pool

The Mineral County Pool in the Park recently took a jump off the “high dive.”

Everyone who first braved a leap off the approximately 10-foot-high diving board at the old pool in Superior before it was taken down, knows what a celebrated milestone it was.     

MCPIP has left the umbrella of the Mineral Community Foundation and created its own non-profit. The five-year effort to bring back the pool reached a key milestone: Preparing to hire an architectural/engineering firm to prepare preliminary plans for the pool.   

Cheryl Crabb of the MCPIP explained that getting to this point is huge as it is difficult to obtain grants and other financing without a plan.  The pool likely will cost in excess of $2 million.  Predicting future costs is fraught with uncertainty.   MCPIP has approximately a half million dollars waiting in the wings as the project progresses.  The board is keeping track of those who have contributed.  They will be given credit when the pool is built.  People, organizations and alumni classes may be able to purchase a brick or plaque to be displayed at the pool. 

The project will receive the benefit of a $37,500 Community Development Board Grant from the Montana Department of Commerce, awarded to the Town of Superior, to pay for the preliminary plan. Only governmental entities are eligible to receive the grant.  The town was eligible because the pool will be given to it once complete.  The organization hopes the study will cost about $50,000, but it may cost more. The pool project received $12,500 in federal ARPA funds from the county for its local match. MCPIP has additional money from its fundraising efforts to pay any additional cost. 

Two firms submitted proposals, one from Alaska through its Bozeman office and one headquartered in Missoula.  Both have experience in designing pools. MCPIP has submitted questions to each firm, each receiving the same set.  Eventually, both firms may be asked to make a presentation to the board. Dan McGee of Missoula will act as a kind of project manager.  He has served in a similar fashion for projects at Superior schools.   

 Crabb said the board is concentrating on construction of the pool itself.  It is looking at a no-frills, rectangular pool with five or six lanes. It will be of the required length for high school competitions, approximately the same length of the old pool. The board wants to design it so it could be covered in the future.  

The board has learned from other towns, like Choteau, who are replacing their pool. One attractive idea was to have a picnic-type area that is next to both the kiddie pool and the main pool, so parents can watch both.

The organization plans to stay active in support of the pool after it is constructed. Grants are available for swimming lessons, lifeguard training and other pool-related activities. 

The board has representation from throughout the county, as it considers this a county project. The board members are Crabb, Trish Donovan, Karie Labbe and Brogan Keenan. Also active in the governance are organization members Scott Kinney, Gaylene Borden, Patti Pickering, Kaylee Richards, Brittney Gardner, Jess Nagy, Cathy Kuhl, Drew Hanson and Angie Hopwood. 

The last swim in the old pool was in 2017. No sinkhole was under the pool, despite a persistent rumor to the contrary. 

Crabb said the pool has been more than just a place to swim. It was a community meeting place. It provided summer employment for teenagers. Recreational activities that get youngsters off their phones for a while and provide exercise are arguably more important today than ever. 

The pool was dedicated on Sept. 17, 1960. It was paid for with $36,100 in general obligation bonds, according to the files at the Mineral County Historical Society. An additional $4,000 was needed to finish the concrete around the pool, which was paid for by subscriptions. 

I was 4 years old when the pool was built.  Summer was filled with days and evenings there.  My brothers and I would ride our bikes to the pool.  We were always cool when we left but would be baking again as we finished our ride up the final hill to home about a mile east of town at the time. 

Cheryl and the ladies at the Historical Society reminded me about the old, old pool which was located where the parking lot for Jackie’s Flowers is now. The pool was filled with water from the nearby hydrant. No chlorine. It was drained every two weeks or so when it got dirty. My brother, Charlie, says they always drained the pool when it finally started to get warm. 

I wanted to honor my friend, Charlie Mierle, a gentle, giant of a man and twice as strong. He was one of those tough players that made Superior football dominant at the time. After returning from the Vietnamese jungle, he wanted a place just to be. That place for him was the pool. I will never forget how he made the 10-year-old brother of his friends feel on top of the world, riding around on his shoulders, and occasionally being hurled headlong into the blue water.