1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow – Kinsmen will retain pool site for park

JUNE 18, 1975—-The Steinbach Kinsmen will retain ownership of their pool and park property on Elmdale Drive, even though the pool itself will not reopen and is being filled in with dirt.

Club president Jim Koepke said members decided the property should not be sold, but rather be designated for use as a public picnic area.

Considerable debate preceded the decision, with several members arguing that the property, estimated to be worth $50,000, should be sold for the best possible price and the money placed in a trust fund to be used to help build a proposed indoor pool.

The president said the club has a verbal agreement from the town that it will maintain the property during the summer and the Kinsmen hoped to add items like picnic tables and barbecue pits to the site.

George Kosowan, head of a Kinsmen committee studying alternatives for local swimming facilities, said the next move was up to town council. The club pledges to raise $100,000 toward an indoor pool, but at this time there is no direction as to when such a venture might be undertaken.

Kosowan said the suggestion of using the present pool site for a new facility was not feasible, nor was another proposal to upgrade the existing asphalt pool. The club had no quarrel with the idea of a new outdoor pool, but added it was unlikely it would be operated by the Kinsmen.

Supporters of a new indoor pool have said an outdoor pool for reasons of climate alone is not a worthwhile investment. Last year, for example, the pool was open for only 43 days.

Town council, in recent months, has not discussed the indoor pool issue after being told by consultants the construction costs could exceed a half million dollars.