Whitehall Community Pool Seeking Your Support

Summer is in full swing and it's hard to find a friend, neighbor, or young one who hasn’t enjoyed the Whitehall Community Pool this summer. Not only does the pool provide a great place to cool down during a hot day, but it also provides several lifeguarding jobs throughout the summer.

“We’ve always had a great turnout from the community, but in the last three years, we’ve gotten a following with people from Bozeman, Manhattan, Three Forks, and Dillon, coming to our pool,” Allissa Christenson, Town Clerk, said. Christenson attributes this to families wanting fewer crowds and a smaller hometown feel to their family activities.

While the pool employees and several maintenance items are covered under the Town’s budgets, the Whitehall Community Pool donation fund is where bigger ticket maintenance, upkeep, and upgraded items come from. In 2020, Christenson said, the donations were helpful in purchasing much-needed items. However, since 2020, the donation fund has depleted. This is where the assistance of the Whitehall community is much needed.

“It’s expensive to run a pool,” Christenson said with a laugh. The chlorine has risen in price substantially; the pool heater runs between $1800 and $2000 monthly. Christenson also noted that she will be applying for ARPA funds from Jefferson County.

“Our tarp system, it’s 7 to 8 years old and really needs replacement,” Christenson said, adding that the system if upgraded from the not-so-durable system currently used, would run between $10000 to $15000.

While the pool funds have been a hot topic in 2022 due to found misappropriation, Christenson would like to stress that the current administration is working to keep issues like that from ever happening again.

“My door is always open. The fund and what it is spent on, is public record, and I report on expenditures every month to the Council,” Christenson said, adding that donations to the pool fund are tax deductible.

If you would like to support the Whitehall Community Pool in their endeavor to replace the pool’s tarp system or other expenses, checks may be dropped off at the Town Hall or mailed to the Town of Whitehall, PO Box 529, Whitehall, MT 59759. Please make checks payable to the Town of Whitehall, with Whitehall Community Pool in the notation line of the check. If you have any questions, please reach out to Allissa Christenson at 406-287-3972 at the Town Hall.