We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
The Friends of the Pool and Park Foundation learned at the end of last month that the City of Chinook was awarded a $1,097,000 Grant from the Montana Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP). This grant will be used for the Chinook Pool and Park Rehabilitation Project.
The grant was written primarily by President of the Foundation, Heather DePriest who enlisted the help of Professional Grant Writer Jennifer Pfau to put on the final touches. “We applied for it on behalf of the City,” reports DePriest. “And we are so excited that we were awarded the grant. It will allow us to continue towards our end goal of complete rehabilitation of the Pool and Park Complex.”
A federal grant program administered by the Montana FWP Financial Assistance and Compliance Bureau, the LWCF Program provides matching grant funds to state, tribal, and local entities to develop outdoor recreation. It has funded over 800 projects throughout Montana since its creation in 1964. For example, in the 2023-2024 grant cycle, the City of Havre received $177,800 for its Splash Pad Project, and the town of Big Sandy received $615,402 for its Community Swimming Pool.
Foundation personnel expressed excitement about the significance of this grant award for the City of Chinook, especially after learning that the original Chinook Municipal Swimming Pool was built with a similar Fish, Wildlife and Parks Grant and matching funds derived from a bond issue.
According to history documented in the book Chinook: The First 100 Years edited by Barbara Ranstrom and Dan Friede and published by VisYuill Enterprises in 1989, the Chinook Municipal Swimming Pool held its Grand Opening in 1976.
The pool was financed by a $150,000 bond issue and a matching grant from the Federal Bureau of Reclamation, formerly the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (BOR), as well as what was then the Montana Fish and Game Department. In 1977, the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service (HCRS) was created, and the service absorbed the responsibilities of the BOR.
Book contributors indicate that the wading pool was later added in 1981. The Chinook Lions Club furnished the funds for that aspect of the community project.
That same text reports that “the Sweet family gifts to Chinook started in 1926 when [Lloyd Sweet’s] mother gave eight lots to the community, which were developed into Ensign Sweet Memorial Park, for the site of a Girl Scout Little House. In 1964-65, Lloyd Sweet donated funds for the addition of the Girl Scout Little House at the Park.”
Additional monies were later bequeathed to the Chinook Lions Club for improvements and annual maintenance of the park. Today, the Sweet Park Board continues the Sweet Family’s legacy by ensuring the park’s care.
On this subject, DePriest stated: “Our entire Board of Directors has worked tirelessly during the past five years to continue that legacy through the fundraising efforts of the Foundation. We are beyond grateful for the grant from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. This incredible contribution will enable us to continue with the next Phase of our project, the Park Rehabilitation, which is expected to begin fall of 2026. The investments that individuals and organizations have given in the past and continue to donate today, solidify the importance of these very special entities: the pool and the park.”
