Naperville needs an indoor facility for swimming, tennis and pickleball, according to an online petition signed by more than 1,300 people.
The change.org petition titled “Bring an Indoor Aquatics, Tennis & Pickleball Center to Naperville” urges the Naperville Park District to build a “rec plex” to fill the “few major holes in available year-round facilities and programming.”
More Top Picks Best Digital Voice Recorder
“It’s been a need in the Naperville area since I was a kid growing up swimming here as a (swim team) Mudrat at Centennial Beach,” said petition organizer Kelly Reif, a mother of three boys and coach of the Naperville North High School boys water polo team.
“It’s a passion of mine to provide kids and adults with all the wonderful opportunities that aquatics, tennis and pickleball can offer our residents.”
While Naperville has an abundance of outdoor recreational facilities for use during the warmer months, it lacks an indoor venue to swim or play tennis or pickleball when it’s cold, Reif said.
“It’s time to bring Naperville up to speed and create an indoor recreational facility for all residents of all ages to enjoy throughout the year,” she said.
With more than 3,000 kids swimming and an additional 400 playing water polo, the city is home to the Naperville Swim Conference, the largest of its kind in the country, said Ruthy O’Malley, head coach of the Saybrook Sharks.
“There’s nowhere like it in the whole country, I don’t think in the whole world. We have 22 teams competing against each other in every neighborhood in the city of Naperville,” said O’Malley, who has been swimming in Naperville since she was 4 and coaching since age 17.
When the summer ends, there are few places where kids can continue their training, she said.
“Pool time is at a premium in Naperville. The high school pool time is filled with school sports and a limited amount of club programming, but it’s just not enough,” O’Malley said. “There’s no place for the kids that aren’t ready for an intense club training schedule yet or for kids to learn to swim.”
O’Malley, who owns a swim business that rents space at North Central College in Naperville and Central Park in Lisle, said she has a waiting list because of the lack of pool space.
Park district Executive Director Brad Wilson said the district is in the process of developing a strategic three-year plan that will identify upcoming major initiatives.
As part of the process, they’re considering all the feedback collected this year, including input from a survey, focus groups and other resident communications, he said.
The 2022 survey shows indoor water facilities — lap pool, open pool, water park, warm water therapy pool, indoor spray/splash park — are of interest to between 19% and 32% of residents.
But in terms of the top priority for the district, an indoor water park is second to an indoor walking facility, the survey results show.
But 78% of respondents also indicated they would support paying higher fees and/or higher property taxes for an indoor pool facility.
Reif said the park district should have built an indoor pool years ago.
“It seems that every community survey that has ever gone out (indicates) that this is a desired amenity and just hasn’t been really acted upon,” she said.
The district did try.
In a 1999 referendum, voters rejected by a 4-1 margin a measure to sell $16 million in bonds to pay for an indoor recreation center with a 50-meter pool at Nike Park and 30 miles of paved asphalt trails along the DuPage River. The money also would have allowed the district to accrue more funds per year to operate and maintain parks and facilities.
Seven years later, an indoor pool was discussed as part of a recreation center at the Frontier Sports Complex on the city’s south side.
The district’s executive director said the park district could build the $28 million facility without going to referendum, but that did not sit well with park commissioners and talk of a pool was shelved.
“It’s kind of amazing this has been trying to happen since I was a kid growing up here,” Reif said.
“I’m not naive in thinking that it’s not expensive. But I hope that it could maybe pan out or at least open some people’s eyes to some amenities that we need,” she said.
More Top Picks Best Pendant Lights For Home Bar
Aquatics, tennis and pickleball are activities that people can participate in with a minimal amount of equipment and cost, she said. And swimming is a lifelong skill for anyone from babies to seniors.
“Kids need to learn how to swim,” Reif said. “It’s a life skill that should be available year-round to everyone, not just those who can afford private swim schools.”