Ask for Funding: Business Profile
Name of Business: Town of Big Sandy, Montana
We are a very small township in northcentral Montana. Our economy is driven by the wheat farming and cattle ranching economy in our region. Our town has a k-12 school of about 250 students, a small medical center, a library, grocery store, pharmacy, post office, three taverns/restaurants, and 5 churches. (see
https://townofbigsandy.com/)
Our local governing body is the Town Council of Big Sandy, from which this request for funding has originated. We are raising funds for a new community swimming pool. We have raised $1.3 million to date from a variety of sources, including individual donors, businesses, government agencies, and foundations. We are seeking an additional $1 million to break ground in the Spring of 2025.
Need: Our current pool is over 70 years old and is beyond repair. It needs to be replaced. Throughout those 70 years, this pool has been a vital quality of life asset for our community, providing healthy and safe recreation for children and families throughout our region, including life-saving swimming lessons for generations of children and seasonal employment for hundreds of teenagers. Unless replaced with a new pool, the failure of the current pool would leave our community without this invaluable resource.
Region: Big Sandy itself is small town with a population of only 600 residents. Another 400 or so people live in the surrounding countryside on farms and ranches. Regionally, Big Sandy neighbors the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation. The Chippewa/Cree residents of Rocky Boy regularly come to Big Sandy to enjoy our pool. In fact, a summer recreation program on the Reservation brings busloads of children to the pool weekly in the summer.
New Pool Plan: In order to provide a pool suitable for recreation and health-enhancement for all ages of people, and to provide a pool suitable for swim team practice and competition, and to provide access for pool use by developmentally and physically challenged people, we plan the following:
1. Build a six-lane, 25-meter swimming pool, 3.5 feet deep at the shallow end to the west and 8 feet deep at the deep end to the east.
2. Build a zero-entry ramp on the north side of the pool descending into a shallow pool graded to 3.5 feet deep so that physically and developmentally challenged residents may also access the pool. (Our current pool is not ADA compliant.)
3. Build a splash pad for very small children.
4. Build a deck area safe for swimmers, sufficient for lounging, and usable for family and fan viewing.
5. Build bathroom, changing room, and showering facilities.
6. Build a small office and check-in area for pool staff.
7. Build a storage area for pool maintenance equipment.
8. Build area for pool pumps, filters, furnaces, chemical storage, etc..
9. Build security fencing around the facility.
10. Build a sidewalk in the entry area.
11. Pave handicap parking in the entry area.
12. Gravel the rest of the parking lot.
The Town of Big Sandy has a very limited tax base and many low-income residents, therefore the Town does not want to fund this project by taxes or loans. What we could offer a generous donor, however, is the possibility of naming the pool.
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