Peru Pool Fundraising Effort Picks Up Steam

A small but enthusiastic group met Tuesday night and officially established the “Friends for Peru Pool” fundraising committee.

The committee is chaired by Heidi Heuser, who is Peru Mayor Scott Harl’s administrative assistant.  Leslie Sandberg of Cedar Rapids, Iowa will co-chair the committee.  She is a Peru native and retired teacher who spoke to Heuser and a few others by phone.

Sandberg says the committee must build a case to show potential donors why it’s important to have a new city pool.  She says they have to take the approach of not if a new pool will be built but instead when.  She mentioned having a new pool named after her dad who was Peru’s longtime recreation director.

The small group wants to add more committee members in the next couple weeks while also putting together a letter that will be sent to potential donors.  A fund for the pool has so far raised 22 hundred dollars.  Mayor Harl personally donated 100 dollars at yesterday’s meeting while 75 dollars has been raised via memorials in honor of former alderman Ron Wren.  Second Ward Alderman candidate Rodney Perez promised to give a thousand dollars towards to pool fundraiser if elected in April.

The committee talked about having a big kickoff event this year for their fundraising drive.  Options including bringing back the Taste of the Illinois Valley or asking Merry Noonan to benefit from one of her “Concerts for a Cause”.

A new pool is estimated to cost over three million dollars.  Peru has applied for a 2.5 million dollar grant.