‘Completely changed everything’: Lincoln pool receives $400,000 grant after being closed for years
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — For three summers, Meadowlane’s pool gates have stayed locked.
Neighbors have fought endlessly to raise the money to repair the damage from six years of wear and tear that caused the closure.
“Just having this community pool for the families in the community, spending their evening here as a family has been really important for this community, so not having that has been very hard,” said Angie Kastl, one of the Meadow Lane Park Association board members.
The Lancaster County Visitors Improvement Fund awarded the neighborhood a $400,000 grant.
Now, hope that the pool’s gates will open soon is restored.
“We literally cried,” said Shannon Castillo, another board member. “We are so grateful, so so thankful for the county supporting this project, and it has changed everything for the fundraising aspect, and it’s made us feel like this is really going to happen, like it’s really possible.”
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“To be honest, a lot of us had almost given up and didn’t know if we could raise the amount of money we needed to get all of the fixes done,” Kastl said. “So it has just completely changed everything.”
The Meadowlane pool renovation effort is now at 70% of its $875,000 total goal. The neighborhood is still looking to raise $275,000.
Despite the need for more money, they say renovation plans are being finalized with contractors.
“We need to replace all of the electrical, plumbing, filters, all the concrete, and the surface of the pool itself,” Castillo said.
Although there is a lot of work to be done, the newly awarded grant, combined with the numerous donors, puts them a big step closer to becoming a place for families to beat the heat again.
“We just hope to be a super important part of everybody’s summer nights,” Kastl said. “We want everyone in the community to be here; we want people outside to come.”
