Stevensville pool fnally opens afer much ado

by John Dowd

Behind schedule, the Stevensville pool quietly opened its doors to fnd a rush of children ready for the pool season. The pool opened July 12, four weeks behind when the town hoped to open the doors. However, according to Stevensville Parks Director, Stephen Lassiter, it may not have opened this year at all without the help of several people and organizations.

The frst he wanted to thank was Steve Kruse, the Stevensville Town Public Works director. “He did so much, none of this would have happened without his eforts.” Lassiter also wanted to thank the team at Pool and Pond Supply from Missoula, especially Cory Dinges, Holly Beaudry and Justin Muss. “They were indispensable with their advice,” explained Lassiter. He also wanted to thank them for installing the new flters, which Lassiter explained are “working supremely and above standard.”

Lassiter expressed thanks to Sean Kelley from Shamrock Construction for cutting out the top rim of the pool and Pieri Construction’s Nick Pieri for pouring the new concrete rim.

Three hundred and forty-one kids enrolled in swim lessons this year, even with the shorter season. That number does not include the kids that come to the open swim sessions.

Lassiter said, “It’s gonna be 1,000 kids through here this summer, probably.” He also wanted to give a special thanks to the pool manager, and lifeguard, Olivia Kochanski. She felded calls, and arranged classes, even while she was out of town on vacation. All Lassiter could say was simply, “indispensable,” regarding her help. Kochanski is 19-years-old and has been with the pool for four summers. “It was hard this year,” but “I like making things organized,” said Kochanski about this year’s pool season.

Fortunately, through Lassiter and Kruse’s eforts, the town paid next to nothing for the renovations. However, the upgrades came up unexpectedly, and Lassiter said they can never predict the next thing that could happen with the over-50-year-old pool. He wanted to mention the Save Our Pool Fund, which was started by Nancy Lowell and Leslie Tadvick. The fund is a donation campaign to help with any other unforeseen issues, and in order to keep the pool running each year. Anyone can donate to it through Farmers State Bank, in Stevensville.

More information about the pool schedules for this year can be found online through the town website, and especially through the Stevensville Pool Facebook page, which Kochanski helps manage. Lassiter wanted to commend the pool staf as a whole, all of whom are under 20. “It’s a lot of responsibility, but they handle it well.”

Ravalli County Credit Union awarded $560k grant for underserved

Ravalli County Credit Union (RCCU) has been awarded $560,000 from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund, which will allow them to expand their services to underserved individuals in Ravalli County.

RCCU created an Empowering Ravalli Women (ERW) initiative that is focused on supporting rural women and children in Ravalli County— whether in domestic violence shelters/ safe houses or hard-working female heads of household. The initiative creates short-term and long-term impacts for female heads of households and mothers by extending access to fnancial inclusion products and services as a frst step to building long-term sustainability, primarily by expanding lending for credit challenged or low-income individuals.

“With this award, we’ll be able to assist even more of our fnancially struggling community members, especially female heads of household and those seeking to break free from unsafe situations. We’re proud to provide accounts and afordable loans to those who have otherwise had to resort to predatory lenders, pawn shops and check cashers,” said Darci Parsons, President and CEO of Ravalli County

Credit Union.

RCCU has been continuously growing over the last 66 years. It is open to all residents of Ravalli County. The credit union continuously strives to meet its mission statement of: creating benefcial, life-long fnancial relationships for its members and community. Additionally, it has been a strong supporter of SAFE and has increased its community support of other non-profit organizations within Ravalli County.

The CDFI Fund was established in 1994 to boost lending and community development through certifed lenders, allowing them to expand their reach into in economically underserved communities to generate growth and opportunity. CDFI Certifcation is awarded to fnancial institutions that have demonstrated a primary mission of serving low-income individuals and a proven history of providing fnancial services/products in communities that historically have lacked access to traditional banking services.

Ravalli County Credit Union has $76 million in assets and over 5,700 members, with branches in Hamilton and Florence. Founded in 1957, it is open to all residents in Ravalli County. It has a has a Low-Income Designation from the NCUA and received CDFI Certifcation in 2019.