Moms raise $11,500 to open wading pool

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- With over $11,500 literally in their hands, the moms who put together a successful, last-minute fund-raising effort to keep the Lincoln Park wading pool open this summer are finding a lot of work remains.

They're finding that dealing with the city hall bureaucracy may be the toughest part.

A loose-knit organization of six moms with small children, led by Marka Stocker and Shannon Reinhart Frauenholtz, were galvanized into action several weeks ago by a challenge issued by Park and Recreation Director Dave Bechtold.

Bechtold told a group of women attending a "worse-case scenario" budget-cutting session involving the City Council that "if someone could come up with $10,000-$11,000, we would open the (Lincoln Park) pool."

In subsequent discussions with city officials, the women got the impression that the money would have to raised by Thursday so that the matter could be placed on the council's agenda for next Tuesday for action.

When questioned about it Thursday, City Manager Brian Gramentz replied, "Whose agenda? I don't know. We've made the cuts in the park. If the park can operate whatever they want to operate within their cuts, I don't know that it needs to come to the City Council."

When told the women had the impression the council needed to act on it, Gramentz explained that he had been operating "on this end as that the park board has been given their appropriate cuts, and they have discretion to adjust things as need be. The City Council didn't offer that if they got $10,000 that the council would match it with 10. That's something that came out of either during the park board or talking with Dave Bechtold. If they decide to cut something else, that's up to them because they basically have to match the $10,000 with another $10,000."

Later, Bechtold said the council would be informed of the women's achievement at its Tuesday meeting but not asked for action. He said he and his staff are working on developing a plan which he hoped to have finished either late Thursday or Friday morning.

"This is basically uncharted waters because we've never done this before."

"It looks like we need to be talking to Dave because we're hoping with this additional money coming in something can be done about reducing or eliminating that $1 fee per child," Stocker said.

For his part, Mayor Joel Albrecht commended the moms "for your marvelous spirit of determination and volunteerism. With a bit of effort by each of us, we can make it happen."

To help make it happen, the mayor included a check for $100 in his letter.