If there was ever a time for collaboration as well as coming together, McCook’s pool project has to be toward the top of the list. The city of McCook held another community planning meeting Wednesday night regarding the pool project, but there might finally be hope on the horizon after years of inaction.
With a pool engineer in place to lead the project, there seems to be traction and a process in place to have people’s voices be heard. It is also finally time for all the entities in town which would benefit from a new aquatic center to get on the same page and work together to make the best project we can for our community, for our kids, for our future.
I know people are tired of me talking - and not doing something - about the pool. I’m only half joking when I say I should have the word “pool” tattooed across my forehead because it comes up in conversations so often. While a pool may seem frivolous, we are actually talking about the quality of life for our community.
I may be missing a few people, but current pool committee members Tracy Flaska, Charles Coleman and I were also on the pool committee in 1999 when we put a $1 million band-aid on McCook’s 1937 pool. At that point, I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 20-something with only two kids, who just followed, did as I was told and ultimately didn’t dream big.
Now as my second stint on the pool committee continues, those two kids have completed college, two more kids are high school graduates, the final three kids will be moving on too quickly. and I’m only bright-eyed and bushy-tailed every other day.
But I have learned to dream and to dream big. I have learned to do my research and to speak up. I have learned that there are financial resources available if the right project comes along and it is done correctly. And I have learned that collaboration is not optional but a necessity.
To say the pool project is long overdue is an understatement. I would like to say a new pool is going to be built next month, but everyone knows that isn’t realistic. But to say a new pool is going to be built next year may not even be a possibility either because it is such a complicated issue. And the community doesn’t want to hear that because we have been at this process for so long.
Fortunately, we are beginning what should have been done years ago: researching all options, meeting with all stakeholders, leaving no stone unturned as we determine what will improve the quality of life in McCook in regards to a new aquatic center.
Afterall, the easy button would be to just slap in a new pool and call it a day. But it isn’t that simple. There are so many questions that need to be asked and answered. So many issues which need to be researched and reviewed. So many people who need to have their voices heard and so many entities which need to be involved.
These include McCook Community College, which would benefit both from having a new pool near its campus for its students to utilize as well as moving the pool, so the college could use the land for other purposes such as a new dorm. This includes Community Hospital, which could benefit from a therapy pool or exercise classes for the well-being of its patients. This includes McCook Public Schools, which already utilizes the YMCA pool for its high school swim team but could add swim lessons and lifeguarding classes to its curriculum.
And the conversation has to include the YMCA, which knows how expensive and difficult it is to maintain a pool, knows what it takes to operate a pool year-round, and knows how difficult it can be to find lifeguards.
And perhaps one of the most important questions the community needs to answer: Does McCook need two pools? Can McCook support two pools? And just to get everyone up to speed, we are talking about a city pool which is over 80 years old and a YMCA pool which is nearing its 40th anniversary. Just like me, neither are spring chickens anymore.
I have been on this committee since October 2015 when 15 of us were approved by the city council to form the McCook Pool Committee. And while we have tried to do our best to make things happen, we have struggled to gain forward momentum.
I take this responsibility very personally because this pool isn’t for me or my family, but for the entire community. It is for our kids, for our families, for our elderly. It is for those who use the pool on a daily basis. It is for those who never use the pool but understand that it is important to attract people to our community. It is important just for a good quality of life.
So how do we move this project forward? How can you make a difference?
Take the survey, which was created by the city’s pool engineer. It will be available for the next 45 days, so look for it online (hopefully, the city gets the link on its website soon), pickup up a paper copy around the community and it will be shared on Facebook. The survey uses multiple-choice questions for the most part, but there are spaces available to input your own ideas. Please use those boxes to give your personal input, whether it is a splash pad for the interim or a location the city hasn’t considered.
To prevent the results from getting skewed, the survey can only be taken once on each device. So before rushing to complete the survey, think about what you want in an aquatic center, think about how you use a pool, and think about what the community needs.
And then contact the city council members to let them know this is a priority. Reach out to city staff to say that this needs to move forward in a timely way. Visit with pool committee members to share what you would like to be included. After all, it is up to each and everyone one of to make this happen and to make McCook an even better place to call home.
To take the survey, please click on this link.
Linda Graff named McCook Volunteer of the Month for December 2025
By focusing on what is important, we can make an even better impact in our communities.
After a 10-year hiatus, the McCook Holiday Home Tours return focusing on downtown upstairs apartments.
While many people think volunteering is for older residents, serving your community has no age restrictions. And young people can regularly be found lending a hand or offering their services in their hometown. The November 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month recognizes one of many young people are working to make their community an even better place to call home: Grady Riemenschneider. Currently a senior at McCook High School, Grady volunteers with a wide variety of organizations and groups. As a four-year member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s Youth Change Reaction, Grady serves as the ambassador for the youth group’s “Cars Under Stars,” the outdoor movie theater at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. At nearly every showing, he can be found operating the projector and setting up the parking lot, as well as passing along his knowledge to the next ambassador. In McCook’s FFA program, Grady has held officer roles the past four years and is currently the chapter vice president, organized the chapter banquet in 2025 and coached for the conduct of chapter meetings. Along with serving as the president of the Driftwood Feeders 4-H Club, he assists with setup, tear down and fundraising for the dog show and helps fellow members train their dogs. Grady steps in to help and lead at local events, including Prairie Plains CASA’s Kick in’ It Up for CASA and the Cajun Broil; the Edward Jones Alzheimer’s Walk; operating sound boards for various groups; and Feed the Farmer. And he has served as a youth leader at McCook Christian Church for elementary youth since approximately 2018 as well as stepping up to ensure the ag program ran smoothly during a teacher’s maternity leave Upon request from his mother about some of Grady’s activities, Sharleen noted that he is the “Chief Household Operations Officer: first responder for Mom’s to-do list, go-to chauffeur and caretaker for his favorite sidekick (a.k.a. his nephew), and the family’s unofficial event planner who somehow keeps everyone together without a clipboard.” The McCook Philanthropy Council recognizes a volunteer every month who is doing good work in McCook and Red Willow County. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308-345-3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s website, mccookfoundation.org to complete a nomination form. The only requirement is that the nominee must be a resident of McCook or Red Willow County but please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community. The volunteer honoree is selected monthly by the McCook Philanthropy Council.
With the holiday's nearing, MCFF member and Mayor Linda Taylor reflects on the many things to be thankful in McCook.
The names of those people who have made a generational impact on McCook and Southwest Nebraska is a long list. Many of them are working day-in, day-out right now to make their mark on the community. And then there are those people who no longer call McCook home but still make an impact long after they are gone. Allen Strunk is one of those people. Allen passed away on Nov. 1 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada but he never lost the love of his hometown. Born and raised in McCook, Allen was a member of an already well-known family, Harry and Arlene Strunk. The Strunks started and published the McCook Daily Gazette, with the motto, “Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this world.” A saying that was so important that Harry had it etched at the top of his downtown newspaper office on Norris Avenue. That sense of service was passed along to Allen, who continued to serve his community as he took over leadership of the Gazette. I didn’t know Allen personally until he came back for visits years later. Even though my first job upon arriving in McCook was at the McCook Daily Gazette and Allen had turned over the publishing reins to Gene Morris many years prior, the Strunk legacy loomed large. He was instrumental in the building of the then-new YMCA, moving the facility from downtown to its current location next to the McCook High School. He was a key player in the new hospital, again moving from one location to a new expanded space. And McCook Community College benefitted his involvement in an expansion. Those projects continue to impact McCook today. And the support didn’t stop just because Allen retired from the Gazette and left McCook. There are programs the Strunks are involved in that benefit McCook and Southwest Nebraska. The Strunks continue to support Santa Claus Lane, which is overseen by the McCook Chamber of Commerce. And which after a few years of decline is seeing a resurgence of enthusiasm and nostalgia for the decorative holiday pieces lining Norris Avenue. Allen funds the annual McCook Area Outstanding Teacher award, which provides a financial prize to several teachers every year. And Allen recognized the work of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, providing a donation several years ago so that he could see its impact while he was still alive. This has led MCFF to consider how they will recognize and remember Allen for years to come. Because of his belief in service to his community, this could mean more recognition for the countless volunteers who keep our community thriving. It could be a day of community service, to see how many people can come together to make something happen. It could be a celebration for all the great things happening in our community. During Allen’s memorial service this past week in McCook, his step-daughter-in-law read the poem, “The Dash" by Linda Ellis, who published it in 1996. It reflects on the meaning of the dash between the birth and death dates on a tombstone. The dash is a reminder of everything that happens between the moment a person is born and the moment a person dies. The dash emphasizes the importance of how one lives their life during that time. The dash prompts a person to think about living, rather than worrying about dying. Ultimately, the dash is where all the good - and the bad - happens. And Allen Strunk made the most of his “dash,” both in his community and within his family. We can’t all run a newspaper. We likely aren’t going to etch our favorite saying into a building. But we all need to consider how we are paying the “rent for the space we occupy in this world.” And we can all make a difference in our hometowns, whether we currently live in them or even if we haven’t stepped foot on the main street in years.
Everyone feels a need to be needed and it is shown through the Big Give and Meal Kit Giveaways
SWNE Big Give reaches new heights thanks to enthusiasm of organizations, individuals and businesses
Food pantries are seeing an increased need, which means the community must step up with donations of food and time to help those who struggle to put food on the table.
