NEW ENGLAND - Kids in New England got the message like a billboard telling them they're something special.

A new pool opened Monday and it is a dandy, both in design and as a place to lose the heat on any hot summer afternoon.

Located down the street from the new women's prison, the pool is yet another strong signal of life from the small southwestern North Dakota community.

The old pool was in such dire shape it was condemned by the New England Park board after leaking 1 million gallons of water its last season.

Shari Wolf, a member of the park board, said the final season's water bill amounted to $4,000, and when part of the pipe system went bad, it was time to move on.

New Englanders assembled at town meetings and voted overwhelmingly for a new pool.

Todd Fitterer, a member of the pool committee, said the pool, with bathhouse, will cost $330,000 when all is said and done.

That number would be much higher if it weren't for all the volunteer labor that went into the pool's construction.

A pool contractor built the rectangular basin, with its deep and shallow areas.

Community volunteers, like Allen Schmidt, took time from their own businesses and daily lives, to help out and build the rest.

Schmidt, who was literally between bathhouse walls completing final details last week, said it couldn't have been done without all the volunteers.

"Somebody's got to do it," he said. "My kids learned how to swim here and my grandkids will. Kids have to have something to do and if this is what it takes, so be it."

Besides running his own contracting business, Schmidt also is a member of the New England City Council.

The town got a $250,000 federal USDA loan for the pool project and will repay it by dedicating one half of a 1-cent special sales tax.

Fitterer said recreation needs topped the town's priority list and New England, 20 years from now, would have otherwise looked back and realized they could have done something.

So they did.

"The response has been real positive," he said.

The pool had a quiet opening, except for the excitement of the kids and families.

Fitterer said a grand opening, including a way to recognize all the volunteers who contributed their time, likely will be held later.

(Reach reporter Lauren Donovan at 888-303-5511 or lauren@westriv.com.)