Cove Ascension School raises over a million dollars for a new public swimming pool

By on Monday, February 17th, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

COVE – For many communities, a pool is more than just a place to swim on a warm day off. A good local pool is an active social hub, a busy fitness center, a place where kids learn to swim and share summertime memories, and everything in between. For residents of the City of Cove, or living nearby, the Cove Ascension School Camp and Conference Center is excited to share it has raised the necessary funds to construct a brand-new public swimming pool at the camp’s community center.

The Ascension School’s pool fundraising project, known as The Unbroken Circle Campaign, officially launched on August 19, 2024, at the Cove Cherry Fair. The campaign itself has its origins in the existing Cove Warm Springs Pool. For around a century, the camp made use of the much beloved local pool, frequently renting it out for use by campers. As Cove residents are likely aware, however, the old pool has not been open for regular public use in a number of years, a loss to the community that the Ascension School hopes to rectify. As explained by Cove Ascension School Executive Director Amy Jayne:

“The cove pool was open to the public, but that has not been the case over the last five to ten years, so, it’s slowly faded away from the public view. We’re building an on-site pool because we know that water is essential to what we do in our ministry, but we also want to share that pool with the public and our community in Cove. We know that it’s missed. Children need water, they need to learn to swim, and they need somewhere to go and gather in the summertime.”

In addition, the needs of the Ascension School simply outgrew the existing pool, leading to the decision to construct a larger, more up to date design.

In terms of costs and fundraising, the Unbroken Circle Campaign is being completed in three phases. Phase one was a $500,000 endowment raised during the initial launch period of the campaign. This “initial reservoir” as Jayne put it, will cover initial operational costs (maintenance, lifeguard wages, etc.), ensuring in advance that the pool can function before construction even begins. The second phase, fully funded near the end of January 2025, was the $750,000 construction cost for the pool. Phase three, which is currently ongoing, is a topping off of the endowment, meant to further cover operating costs of the pool and the adjacent community center building going forward. Combined between phase one and two, the Ascension School has around 1.25 million dollars in funding for construction and operating costs. As explained by Jayne:

“We received $500,000 for our initial reservoir, then we received $750,000 for pool construction. Now, we’re continuing to raise funds as part of that reservoir, kind of topping it off.”

As mentioned, the new pool will be built directly adjacent to the Ascension School’s camp community center building along Highway 237 in Cove. The new pool will be accessible to the public from the road via a new path and parking lot planned as part of the construction. The location next to the community center was an intentional choice given the community’s familiarity and history with the building. The Cove Sportsman’s Club owned the building for around 75 years prior to donating it to the Ascension School in early 2024 to assist with the community center project. Construction details and permits are still being worked through, but the goal is to have the pool open for the summer of either 2026 or 2027.

It should be clarified again that the pool will be for public use in the summer, as explained by Jayne:

“We will have public swim hours in the summertime. We’re hoping for things beyond that, like senior aerobics classes in the pool, swimming lessons, just a variety of different offerings. We imagine it being opened nearly every day in the summer.”

For those that would like to support the project, campaign donation information can be found on the Ascension School’s website here, or checks can be made out directly. Part of the construction will include a donor wall, with the names of all donors included regardless of the individual amounts contributed. As of the time of writing, the project has over 250 donors. 

When completed, the donors, and the rest of the community, can look forward to the sights and sounds of kids and families staying active and enjoying the water on sunny summer days. As best put by Jayne:

“Swimming is such an important part of childhood. There aren’t any parks in Cove. Kids need to be outside; they need to enjoy the outdoors; they need fresh air. I’m just excited to see the pool full of kids and families in the summertime. Obviously, I care very much about Ascension School’s mission and our camping program, and that will certainly be important, but it’s just so much bigger than us. This is for everyone!”