A new Dundee Township Park District swimming pool will cost between $16.7 million and $36.7 million depending on whether the park board wants an indoor or outdoor facility, Executive Director Dave Peterson said.
The park board is expected to make a decision by March so that it can commit in June to putting a funding referendum on the April 2026 election ballot, Peterson said.
A consultant will be brought in to discuss what the district and board need to do to get the question on the ballot and how to proceed in terms of trying to get it approved, he added.
The new pool will replace the one the district was forced to close in the village of Sleepy Hollow in 2023 after leaks caused it to lose nearly 4 million gallons of water in its last season and repairs grew too costly.
Board members are weighing the pros and cons between replacing the Sleepy Hollow outdoor pool, the less costly option, or going with a more expensive indoor facility at the Randall Oaks Recreation Center in West Dundee.
“(FGM Architects) made some revisions (to the plans for) both sites. The cost estimates got tweaked as well,” Peterson said of the numbers presented to the board at this week’s meeting. “There weren’t any drastic changes (to the designs), just some minor revisions.”
Two potential designs were unveiled in November. Amenities were added to each and increasing costs due to inflation also drove up pricetags, Peterson said.
The revised Sleepy Hollow pool proposal, originally pegged at $15.3 million, now features a larger splash pad and deck area than originally planned, an additional diving board and increased fencing, according to documents. Inflation added another 6% to the bill. The original estimate was $15.3 million.
Changes to the proposal for a Randall Oaks indoor pool included the addition of a sun patio, a larger hot tub area and a $2.7 million mezzanine with bleachers as well as an 8% increase in price due to inflation. The original estimate was $31 million.
The Dundee Township Park Board permanently closed the Sleepy Hollow swimming pool in 2023 because it needed myriad repairs and lost nearly four million gallons of water in its last season. (Gloria Casas/The Courier-News)
Both pools would have eight lap lanes, according to documents.
Under the revised plans, the Sleepy Hollow pool would have a drop slide, two diving boards, a splash pad, changing rooms, a concession area and two classrooms. The Randall Oaks pool would be inside a 25,700-square-foot building and would have diving boards, starting blocks for swimming competitions and a drop slide, documents show.
A community survey done by the district showed 58% of residents want a pool at Randall Oaks while 42% want the outdoor pool at Sleepy Hollow replaced.
This spring, the park board also will be discussing a five-year capital plan that includes other large projects, such as a new clubhouse at Bonnie Dundee Golf Course in Carpentersville, more pickleball courts and a soccer complex, Peterson said. Rooftop HVAC units need to be replaced and parking lots repaired, he added.
“We want the board to understand all our capital needs,” he said, before members make a decision on the pools and how much to seek in the funding referendum, which could cover more than just the swimming facilities.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
