Culbertson continues fundraising, grant applications for pool bathhouse replacement

The council heard repeated updates in 2021 about a proposed bathhouse replacement project tied to pool improvements. DeAnne Weeks and representatives of the Women's Club told the council the club had raised roughly $125,000 toward the project and planned additional fundraising and letters of support for a Department of Tourism grant.

Council authorized submission of pre-applications and grant research: Jeremy Fadness submitted a Town Pump pre-application and later a Department of Tourism application was recorded as submitted; the minutes note an award decision was expected in mid-to-late November. The engineer provided an estimate for the overall project that the Women's Club cited at $500,000, and the club sought a $150,000 Land and Water Conservation matching grant to potentially leverage $300,000 in project funds.

Council discussed potential ballot funding if grant resources were insufficient and asked staff to investigate grant options and cost estimates. The bathhouse project remains contingent on external grant awards and fundraising; council authorized preliminary grant-related work but did not commit municipal construction funds beyond application support and small administrative actions.

Next steps: the town will continue to support grant applications, collect letters of support, and consider voter ballot options if external funding proves inadequate.