Drive by the site of the old McCook swimming pool across from the college on M Street and you will see is a giant hole in the ground and some piles of dirt. That is a good thing. 

After nearly a decade of meetings, dozens of plans, a successful election (and with a pandemic in the middle), the new City of McCook outdoor swimming pool is finally moving forward. That is a good thing.

If everything goes according to schedule - and Mother Nature cooperates - the new pool should be open by Memorial Day 2024. That is a really good thing. 

But what does that pile of dirt mean? It means progress. It means change. It means something is happening. 

If we want our community to continue, to grow, to thrive, then projects like building a new swimming pool need to happen. The original McCook swimming pool served the community well for 80 years, but it was long overdue to build a new facility.

Does McCook have to have an outdoor swimming pool? No. Will McCook go on without a swimming pool? Maybe. Will McCook suffer from not having a swimming pool? Yes. 

At the minimum, a community has to provide fire and police protection, offer utilities and pave some streets. But is the “minimum” the kind of community we want to live in? Is the “minimum” all we want to offer? Is the “minimum” what we want to promote to our friends, family and visitors? 

These days, people can choose to live just about anywhere. Yes, we have to have jobs and we have to have housing. But it is also the “soft” attributes of a community that attract a young family or college graduates to a community. 

People need things to do with their friends. They need places to take their kids. They want to be part of a community which is attractive and offers things to do. That is why having all the other options from art programs to sporting events is important.

Another option is to maintain the status quo, which is defined as the current state of affairs. In other words, we could continue to do the same thing at the same level for years to come.

Ultimately, status quo is not a good thing. Nothing is stagnant. It may feel like we are standing still, but actually, status quo is moving backward. Because if you aren’t making adjustments or getting things done, then you are slipping backward. You are being left behind, while others move forward. 

Young people will choose to live in those communities which are making things happen, which have things for them to do, which appeal to others of their own age. They will choose communities which value what young people want and need. 

And if we think we don’t need young people, just take a moment to consider who will fill the jobs at the hospital, at the restaurants, at the schools. If we don’t have young people, we don’t have a community. If we want young people to move to our communities whether newcomers or returners, we need to have these amenities like an outdoor swimming pool. 

The McCook Community Foundation Fund understands the importance of these projects so much that leading up to the bond election last fall, they granted funds to cover the entrance fee at the McCook pool next summer when it opens. They didn’t want there to be any reason anyone could not enjoy McCook’s newest attraction.

The pool is just one prime example that McCook is on the move.

To see even more progress, continue driving east past the pool to the former McCook Elks Club, where McCook Community College is transforming the building into the new east campus.

There are many other projects in the works from extending the walking trails along north Highway 83 to the addition of a second frisbee golf course to accommodate professional tournaments. And improvements at the YMCA, the ball fields and the McCook senior/junior high school are hopefully on the horizon.

Each and every one of these projects, whether they are completed, in progress or still in the planning stages, shows that we want to see change in our community. We are willing to put our time and their dollars toward making it happen. And we all want to make McCook and Southwest Nebraska an even better place to call home.