Supporters of local baseball and softball programs were out in force Dec. 8 to persuade the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Pool Committee to abandon a pool replacement option that would move their athletic programs off-site.
However, before making a final decision, committee members said they hope for a similar turnout from other stakeholders, including those who use the village-owned parking garage south of the schools and participants in the school’s tennis program.
“I’m troubled that tennis hasn’t had its due,” said Pool Committee member Tom Cronin. “Tennis doesn’t want to be on the finalist list.”
Though the Pool Committee initially hoped to deliver a final recommendation for replacing the two 87-year-old pools on Dec. 8, additional meetings on Dec. 15 and Jan. 5 were added to the schedule. No vote on the recommendation is likely on Dec. 15 because committee members want Tom Cofsky and Steve Gevinson, who said they won’t be available that day, to be present for the vote since they have a better sense of what will pass the full District 200 Board.
The Pool Committee hopes to make its recommendation in time to include a referendum question on the April ballot. That would require the district to complete the process, which includes passage of a resolution by the full Board no later than Jan. 18.
The favored option under consideration appears to be replacing the village-owned garage with a garage/pool facility costing $51.3 million or $66.3 million, depending on the number of parking spaces included along with the new pool. Other options include taking baseball, softball or tennis off-site and placing a $52.2 million natatorium in the field west of the school building or renovating the current pools for physical education and building a competition pool off-site at a cost of $48.9 million.
Finance options presented to date include issuing a bond for part of the cost coupled with part of the cost coming from the district fund balance, valued at an estimated $115 million.
“We want the committee to understand that displacing sports would jeopardize the programs that exist, ” said Greg Price, executive director of Oak Park Youth Baseball Softball. He was one of about 20 people signed up for public comment at the standing-room-only meeting.
In addition to the negative impact of moving OPRF’s baseball or softball programs on the school’s athletic program as well as community-based baseball programs, opponents said they don’t want to lose green space or be pitted against supporters of other sports.
“The issue we’re running into and have been for some time is we can’t afford to lose any green space in the village,” said Gary Nieslawski, board secretary for OPYBS. “Once it’s gone, we’re never going to see it again.”
Oak Park resident Dr. Julie Blankemeier, the parent of a swimmer and a former OPRF baseball player, said swimmers and water polo players need the facilities so they can be asked to commit to colleges based on these sports.
“We must look at win-win options for all of our athletes,” the mother of four said. “I hope we are able to give swimmers and other water polo players this opportunity, not at the expense of other players.”
The favored site to which the OPRF baseball program would be moved would be Lindbergh Park, where the freshman and sophomore teams already practice.
“I would say the chances of adding a field at Lindberg Park would be very, very, very, very slim,” said committee member Paul Aeschleman, vice president of the Park District of Oak Park.
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