The Clarendon Hills Park District has hired an architect to come up with a few concepts for a Lions Park Pool.
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The existing pool at 100 Byrd Court is about 31 years old and has been operated by the Park District for the past 20 years, after taking it over from the Lions Club.
Don Scheltens, executive director of the Park District, said getting some concepts for a new pool is the first step in a process that likely will lead to an eventual replacement of the actual pool and the bathhouse now in use. Scheltens said he hopes to see three concept designs for a new pool from FGM Architects by January 2023.
“We have to prepare for the future, and this is a start in doing that,” Scheltens said. “We’re dealing with a pool where age is a factor, and the older a pool gets, the more breakdowns and issues you have with it. Every year, it seems like we’re experiencing more breakdowns, and the bathhouse is showing its age.”
Scheltens said the existing pool is safe and operational, but starting now to think about a replacement keeps within the proactive approach Park District officials prefer.
“We have to start from the ground and go from there,” Scheltens said. “We want to figure out what really fits well in Clarendon Hills. We’ll do surveys at some point to see what people like. We’ll take a look at new amenities and try to determine what will attract people to the pool and keep them coming.”
Park Board President Suzanne Austin said she believes getting an early start in accumulating information about a new pool is important.
“We have to be prepared,” she said. “It’s such an important part of the community to have a pool. It really is a part of the community, and we want it to be a destination for people that has to appeal to every age group.”
It’s too early to speculate on the cost of a new Lions Park pool, but Scheltens said funding could come from a variety of sources.
“It’s part of our master plan discussion,” he said. “There are grants we can apply for, and it’s very possible at some point we’d have to go to community with a referendum in hopes of getting the necessary funding.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.