About Us

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The River Cities Community Pool Association seeks to keep the Marinette pool open to the public through a concentrated effort to build both membership and program use sufficient to support a sustainable operation as a bridge to future recreation utilization.

ABOUT US

Some twenty years ago, in a business climate in which the majority of corporate management resided in the community, a volunteer based group, the River Cities Recreation Task Force, successfully carried out a local fund drive in support of recreation and wellness for area residents. At that time, well over one million dollars was raised to support several community wellness facility projects, including construction of a new six-lane indoor swimming pool on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Marinette. Since opening in 1994, the pool has been operated by the Greater M & M YMCA, headquartered in Menominee, and has become a significant resource for the recreation and well-being of citizens of all ages, ranging from a multi-age level youth swimming team to scores of our active senior citizens.

Due to budget problems, the YMCA has given notice of withdrawal from operating that facility and will conclude operation of the pool on May 31st.  To address this termination, discussions were held within the community, at which time the University of Wisconsin clearly indicated they would not operate a public recreation program, but also expressed their willingness to partner with another entity interested in saving the pool operation. Without intervention, a significant community asset, now valued at several millions of dollars in replacement costs, would be shuttered, perhaps permanently.

Earlier this winter, five local individuals, committed to preserving this recreational facility, formed a committee with the purpose of seeking a new operating Agreement for the pool with the UW and Marinette County and forming a new, non-profit, member-based association to provide a continuum of community pool operation in Marinette. The committee has now reached a Memorandum of Agreement to operate the pool beginning June 1st as the River Cities Community Pool Association.

While we project the ability to be self-sustaining when we reach operational maturity, the Association, not having any existing resources, needs to capitalize its business start-up. Now, twenty years later, the corporate presence that significantly funded the construction of the pool has left the community. To ensure our long-term success, the Association will need funds “in the bank” to survive the first years of operation and build aquatic programming through the hire of an aquatic director. We are confident that we have the ability to raise $100,000 of capital from community-minded private citizens in the area and have set that as our fund raising goal.