Dike Pool Fundraising Project Gets Big Boost From Local Families

In July 2025, the Dike City Council voted to permanently close their aged pool due to concerns with a series of severe structural failures including a massive water leakage and failing infrastructure. A few residents felt strongly enough to come together and come up with solutions to replace the closed pool and memories with a new pool to create new experiences for the town.

Recently, a few families stepped forward as major contributors to the early stages of Dike Pool Campaign. The Kruger family, of Dike, donated $750,000 towards the support of the pool project in memory of beloved family members, Kurt Kruger, of Parkersburg, and Dennis Kruger, a long-time resident of Dike,

"The Kruger Family is grateful for the opportunity to support a project so important to the Dike community," shared Kruger Family members, Klayton and Kody, "Our family has a lot of great memories at the pool. We hope the next generation has the chance to make those memories, too."

Another family with longstanding roots in Dike honored their loved one, Deb Hemmen, with the same $750,000 gift in their support of the city getting a new pool. Deb Hemmen and her husband, Kevin, both graduated from Dike schools and raised their four kids "about a quarter of a block from the old pool", according to Kevin.

"Not a tough decision at all," Hemmen said of his family's decision making process. "We try to support things local to the community that benefit kids. Our kids, grandkids, any kid in town." Kevin rationalized the idea by stating that some folks in the past raised money for them growing up, it was their turn to do the same for future generations.

"We had four kids grow up in the old pool," Hemmen continued, "Now we have ten grandchildren and we'd like for them to have the same experiences here in town."

With fundraising efforts getting a huge boost in the recent days, the Dike Pool Committee has some ways to go yet.

"We are incredibly thankful for the Kruger and Hemmen families," stated Juli Kopriva, committee member. "Their generosity and commitment to the project gave us the kickstart we needed."

The pool committee is also working with a few local Co-Ops on a grain donation program for area farmers to donate bushels of grain to be sold to benefit the Impact Dike Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit working with the pool initiative. Farmers can earmark a certain number of bushels to be donated to the Making Waves Project and then when those bushels are sold, the funds will be transferred to the non-profit's efforts.

Those who are interested in donating bushels of grain can do so at Landus Co-Op in New Hartford, Mid-Iowa Cooperatives in Sinclair and Mill Junction, along with Heartland Cooperatives in Reinbeck, Grundy Center, and Holland. For any questions you may have about the project or to find out how to donate, residents are encouraged to visit www.dikepool.org or email the committee at: dikepoolproject@gmail.com.