Hundreds took the
plunge into the bracing water of Spur’s newly rebuilt swimming pool on Memorial Day—after one diver who’s watched every stage of its construction went first.
Jonathan Gabel, construction manager at Galaxy Digital’s Helios plant in northern Dickens County, executed the ceremonial backflip immediately following remarks by local leaders and a ribbon cutting by the Spur Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Fifteen years ago we lost both our local prison and our pool,” said Spur Mayor Louise Jones, who campaigned in 2018 on a platform of gaining back industry and quality of life for her hometown.
Jones thanked numerous groups and individuals who contributed to the pool’s successful reopening.
At the top of the list were Spur’s city council and the Dickens County Commission, who grappled with the ups and downs of pool redesign, policy, and most of all, funding.
As Dickens County Judge Kevin Brendle explained in a brief retrospective on “how we got here,” it was an outside inquiry in 2019— from a New York City real estate developer who’d already bought an investment
parcel near Afton—
that opened the door.
Justin Nolan, brokering a deal with a bitcoin firm, inquired about what kinds of special financing might be available. “We’re understand we are coming to do something most people don’t understand,” Brendle recalls Nolan saying, “What can our company do to help?”
The first, unhesitating phrase out of Brendle’s mouth: “Our pool.”
The next, equally unhesitating, from Nolan:
“Done.”
What was then Argo Blockchain, and its CEO, Peter Wall, led that commitment, ensuring that it carried over even when the firm sold out in late 2022 to Galaxy Digital.
Galaxy “didn’t back down” from the promise, said Brendle.
Gabel, who lives with his family in Dickens County, rose to the challenge of rebuilding a swimming pool out of the rubble of a larger one that was nearly ninety years old.
“Galaxy has put nearly three quarters of a million dollars into (the project),” added Brendle, “making it a success”—in 90 days from spade to splash, starting February 26, according to Jonathan Gabel.
As Galaxy Digital representative Barbara Bogart explained, the firm is now the county’s largest taxpayer— to the tune of $2.7 million in 2023 and expected to rise in 2024—and employs 46 staff locally at very competitive rates. Their workers have contributed 325 volunteer hours to a variety of projects, including the Spur Area Food Bank, the library, the golf association, the Palace Theater, the junior livestock and 4-H in addition to the pool.
Mayor Jones added further appreciation to Cap RockTelephoneforrunning the first-ever telephone line to the historic bathhouse; to Star Feed and Seed, Lawrence Brothers, and Jeromy Rutledge for contributions to a free hot dog lunch on opening day; to city technicians who have handled everything from site cleanup to mowing in recent days; to the Spur Volunteer Fire Department, who filled the pool overnight from the park’s fire hydrant; to Justin Gibson of the Jayton pool, who trained lifeguards and advised on operations; to the Dickens County Historical Commission and the Spur Pool Advisory Committee who originally recommended improvements to the bathhouse that would be in keeping with the WPA-era history of Swenson Park; and “to all the residents of Dickens County for their creative fundraising efforts” over the years.
The pool “truly embodies the spirit of our community,” said Jones.
Chamber member Matt McArthur pointed out a benefit that many of these local businesses may readily appreciate: that tourists and families bringing their kids (of all ages) to enjoy Spur’s pool and scenic park may very well stay longer and spend more while in our county. “We are happy the pool will be an economic driver for local shopping,” he said before Mayor Jones wielded the big scissors and declared it open.
Newly elected Spur council member Kristy Price, who serves on the pool committee along with Marcella Bilberry, Rhea Melton and others, summed up the day: “We hope everyone will enjoy the chance to dive into our future.”
