The Fayette city council last week gave unanimous approval to submit a Land and Water grant application to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for money to help renovate the historic Fayette Swimming Pool. 

The project to apply for the grant was spearheaded by Ann Schnell with the Friends of the Historic Fayette Memorial Pool and Pam Huttsell with the Historic Preservation Commission.

Schnell prepared the grant application and said that more than $14,000 had been donated toward the project, with more coming in. Along with in-kind work pledged, the city will seek the 50/50 matching grant for a total amount of $64,000. 

The city could have applied for any amount up to $500,000 as long as the matching funds had either been pledged or collected at the time of the application’s submission.

“We have enough to cover our 50%,” Schnell said. The application was scheduled to be submitted on Monday. 

In October, the city council approved pledging $10,000 toward the project, which would come out of a future budget. The city also pledged $5,000 of in-kind work to be performed by city employees.

If approved, the money will fund ADA upgrades to the pool bathrooms. 

“So far, we have received $14,234 as of today,” Schnell reported to the council. “And we have pledges of $3,650 to collect.”

The pool serves as a World War I Memorial, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a City of Fayette Local Historic Landmark. It was built in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project and is one of more than 130 above-ground swimming pools designed by architect Wesley Bintz between 1919 and the 1950s. Approximately a dozen of these “Bintz” pools are still in operation.

It is not known when the grant will be awarded. Approval could come as late as May 2024.

The Fayette Board of Aldermen meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month in City Hall. Meetings are open, and the public is invited.