Meadowlane Neighborhood · Northeast Lincoln, NE

Close the Gap.
Open the Pool.

Meadowlane Pool has anchored our neighborhood for over 60 years. It's been closed for three long summers — and the community has already raised roughly $700,000 to fix it. We're one final push from filling it with kids again.

Sign the Petition Donate to the Pool Fund
Community raised: ~$700,000Gap: ~$152,000
The neighborhood did the heavy lifting. One-time gap funding gets contractors working — with the goal of swimmers back in the water for summer 2027.
Why it matters

A neighborhood pool, by the numbers

Hover over the icons — these are the stakes behind every council vote.

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Years serving Meadowlane families since the 1960s
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Already raised by neighbors, donors & fundraisers
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One-time gap needed to finish state-required repairs
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Summers closed — no lessons, no swim team, no pool days
Dozens
Of residents testified for the pool at the Aug. 3 budget hearing
1310 Meadowdale Dr
A true walk-and-bike neighborhood pool in NE Lincoln
Take action

Sign the petition to reopen Meadowlane Pool

Tell the Lincoln City Council: close the gap with one-time funding and open the pool for summer 2027. Every signature builds the case before the final budget votes.

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Recent actions & news

How we got here

Three summers of closure, one determined neighborhood, and a fight that's gone down to the final votes of the 2026 budget season.

2023

The pool closes

After roughly 60 years of summers, Meadowlane Pool fails a state inspection and is shut down. It needs new electrical systems, plumbing, concrete decking, and resurfacing.

Setback
2024–2026

The neighborhood organizes

Residents form the nonprofit Meadowlane Park Association and raise roughly $700,000 through donations, Give to Lincoln Day, and community partners — leaving a final gap of about $152,000.

Community win
Jul 20–21, 2026

First council vote ties 3–3

Councilman James Michael Bowers proposes a one-time $152,000 payment from general fund reserves. The vote deadlocks 3–3 and fails. Two other pool amendments pass: $750,000 for emergency city pool repairs and $185,000 for a pool infrastructure assessment.

One vote short
Jul 29, 2026

Prep meeting at the pool — rain or shine

Commissioner Chelsea Johnson, Shannon Zuerlein Castillo, and Councilman Bowers host a Public Hearing Prep Meeting at the pool. That morning, Bowers and Johnson hand-deliver (slightly soggy) fliers through the rain.

Rally
Aug 3, 2026

Dozens testify at the budget hearing

More than half of all public comments at the City Council's budget hearing focus on reopening Meadowlane Pool, with supporters like Terri Bayne and association president Angie Kastl leading the way.

Community shows up
Aug 17–18, 2026

Revised grant proposal fails 3–4

Bowers pivots to a competitive $152,000 one-time grant program open to nonprofit community pools, run by Urban Development. It fails 3–4 — but several council members say they're working to find a path to "yes," and Bowers plans one last proposal before the budget season ends.

Not over yet
Now

The final stretch

One more proposal is expected before the budget is finalized. This is the moment for calls, emails, signatures, and showing up.

Your move, Lincoln
Voices

In their own words

From the council dais to the pool deck, here's what the people fighting for Meadowlane are saying.

Kids swimming on a packed summer day at Meadowlane Community Pool in northeast Lincoln, Nebraska before its 2023 closure
This is what we're fighting for — a packed summer day at Meadowlane Pool.
The Meadowlane community has done everything we could ask of them. They organized, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and kept fighting for their neighborhood pool. We're too close to the finish line to stop now. I'm committed to finding a way to close the gap and get kids back in the water.
Lincoln City Councilman James Michael Bowers, leading the effort to reopen Meadowlane Pool
James Michael Bowers
Lincoln City Councilman
In partnership with local nonprofits, Meadowlane will offer sensory-friendly programming for children with autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities — helping more families feel welcomed, included, and supported. This is what thoughtful tourism investment looks like: welcoming visitors, supporting families, and building a more inclusive community.
Lancaster County Commissioner Chelsea Johnson, supporter of the Save Meadowlane Pool campaign
Chelsea Johnson
Lancaster County Commissioner · announcing the Visitor Promotion Fund grant
This is a pool that has worked for generations of families. The community has stepped up in an incredible way to address the repairs it needs, and now we're within reach of reopening it. Saving Meadowlane is an investment in a neighborhood asset that can continue serving families for years to come.
SC
Shannon Castillo
Treasurer, Meadowlane Park Association
For more than 60 years, Meadowlane Pool has been part of what makes this neighborhood special. Generations of kids have learned to swim here, joined the swim team and spent their summers together. Our neighbors have already shown how much this pool means to them. We've come too far to let it disappear now.
AK
Angie Kastl
President, Meadowlane Park Association

Their message is the same: this only works if the neighborhood shows up.

Add your voice — sign the petition
The pool

Right in the heart of the neighborhood

Meadowlane Pool sits at 1310 Meadowdale Drive in northeast Lincoln — tucked between homes, Meadow Lane Elementary, and the park. Kids don't get dropped off here. They ride their bikes.

Vine St → O St → 70th St 63rd St Meadow Lane Elementary Park Meadowlane Pool · 1310 Meadowdale Dr bike route ➜

Stylized map — Meadowlane Pool, 1310 Meadowdale Dr, Lincoln, NE 68505 (northeast Lincoln)

  • Kids learning to swim Generations of toddlers took their first strokes here — a life-saving skill within biking distance of home.
  • The Meadowlane Makos The pool's swim and dive team gave dozens of kids a team, a coach, and a summer of confidence. Former lifeguards are already asking to be rehired.
  • Parents & neighbors "It was so family oriented, and everybody knew each other." The deck was where the neighborhood stayed connected.
  • Working families As a nonprofit, Meadowlane stayed open until 8 PM and through Labor Day — later and longer than city pools, which close when school starts.
Meadowlane Pool at 1310 Meadowdale Drive, Lincoln NE — lap lanes, diving boards, and water slide ready for reopening after repairs
Filled, tested, and ready — the pool as it looks today, waiting on the final $152K to reopen.
Questions & answers

Frequently asked questions

Tap a question to expand the answer.

Next steps

How you can help right now

The budget season isn't over, and Councilman Bowers plans one last proposal. Here's the playbook.

1

Sign & share the petition

Add your name above, then send this page to three neighbors. Momentum flipped one vote already — one more gets it done.

2

Contact the City Council

Email or call all seven council members before the final budget votes. Be brief, be personal, and ask them to fund the $152K gap. Find contacts at lincoln.ne.gov.

3

Show up & testify

Public comment moved this from a quiet amendment to the biggest story of budget season. Watch for the next hearing date and bring a friend.

4

Donate to shrink the gap

Every tax-deductible dollar to the 501(c)(3) Meadowlane Park Association makes the ask smaller. Give at meadowlaneparkassociation.com.

5

Follow the campaign

Follow James Michael Bowers and Chelsea Johnson for Lancaster County on Facebook for hearing dates, prep meetings, and updates.

6

Volunteer for reopening

When funding lands, the association will need hands — cleanup days, lifeguards, swim coaches, and concession volunteers for summer 2027.