- If the Two Rivers' community pool doesn't get financial support, it will have to close.
- Lee Hansen has been going to the pool since he was a child. He says it is very important to the city.
- A former president and former member says there are three future avenues. The pool gets a revamp, a new pool opens, or Two Rivers goes on without a pool.
The Two Rivers pool has been a community staple since 1965. Although beloved, there have been multiple concerns with the pool recently and depending on an upcoming meeting with the city, the pool might have to shut down.
Long time pool member, Barb Schweitzer, has had a hand in running the pool for decades.
"We have a lot of third generation families here whose grandparents were members," said Schweitzer. "We feel that if we don't get help we would have to shut down."
She knows how important the pool is to the city.
"It just becomes a part of your community," Schweitzer added. "You look back and think, 'I know this person through the pool, my kids are still friends with this person from the pool.'"
One of those swimmers she could have met was Lee Hansen, a man that has visited the pool since his childhood.
"I have a lot of great memories there," Hansen said. "You know, we had a lot of fun. I didn't live too far from it, so we'd walk there as kids and go all of the time."
Due to the cost of maintaining the pool, low numbers of volunteers, and the large financial hit from Covid; Lee's memories are of a pool that might be only a memory soon.
"It's sad, this community just loves that thing," said Hansen.
One young student named Gianna even wrote a speech for her love of the pool, where she pleads to keep it around.
Although the future is uncertain, Two Rivers residents who spoke to NBC 26 said they hope a financial lifeline, through the city or otherwise, can be found.
"I think we should really keep it," Hansen said. "I really do, because I think it is a big part of this community."
"It'll be sad to see it go," said Schweitzer. "But... we keep hoping. That's all we can do."
The meeting to determine the city's help in funding the pool will be on Monday night. Schweitzer says depending on that result there may be a new pool entirely, the same pool with updates, or no pool at all.
