'Not just a hole in the ground'

Residents in Hartley have seen marked progress recently at the site of the city's new pool.

What was once a large hole surrounded by mounds of dirt has transformed into something much more tangible. The shell of the pool house has been erected and the outline of the pool itself can actually be deciphered from a short distance away.

Hartley Superintendent of Public Works Jaron Benz has been pleased with progress so far.

"I think everything has been going really well," he said. "They took advantage of the nice fall we had, and they got a lot of the outside concrete poured."

With concrete in the deep portion of the pool set, crews were slated to pour the top part of the walls this week. Insulating blankets will shield the fresh concrete from the cold while it cures, and a plastic covering on the pool house has allowed masons to finish the outer shell during the past month.

Benz explained that heat is ducted into the covered building to make suitable working conditions. The relatively mild winter has helped progress continue mostly uninterrupted.

"They've been trying to take advantage when they can," he said.

With the pool slated to open this summer, contractor Eriksen Construction, of Blair, Neb., has been on task to keep up with deadlines. With the outer shell of the pool house done, things will shift inward during the harshest parts of winter.

"As long as they have work to do inside that building when it's cold they'll stay busy," said Benz. "If it gets too cold, though, they'll just have to shut down.

"This crew isn't peeling off and going somewhere else. They're sticking to it, and I think they've even pulled guys in some areas as needed. The main crew has been on site the whole time."

The pool house floors are the next big item on the checklist. Once those are done, masons will return to complete other interior work.

The guts of the pool – like the filters and pumps – will be located in the west side of the pool house.

"We wanted everything inside to keep it protected, so that's why this design came about," Benz explained. "Keeping everything in one building is more efficient."

Benz hoped winter conditions remained conducive to progress at the pool. Once the weather transitions to spring, additional concrete work like the decking and zero-depth entry will be completed. Fixtures like the slide and other amenities will then be installed.

Benz was excited to see things transform at the site and looked forward to the ribbon cutting later this summer.

"They are making good progress that passersby can actually see now," he said. "It's not just a hole in the ground."