The Lake Bluff Park District is moving toward a $2.7 million repair and renovation of its pool at Blair Park.
On Monday, the park board unanimously approved a $171,050 engineering and architectural services contract with a Hoffman Estates-based consulting firm as planning continues for enhancements of its 51-year-old pool.
“People love the pool,” Park Board President Jennifer Beeler said before the meeting. “It is a terrific way for local kids to be employed. It’s a terrific asset for the community, and people have great memories of it. We need to extend its life as long as we can, and this will be the way to do it.”
Overall attendance at the pool last summer was just under 3,000, according to Park District executive John Bealer.
Park District officials believe the repairs and upgrades will include the removal of the existing pool gutters, installation of new pipes and improved access for ADA restroom facilities, plus new recreational activities including a baggo area, ping pong tables, and new game tables set to go poolside.
These changes come almost a decade after the November 2014 passage of a $3.1 million bond sale referendum, where approximately half of the proceeds went toward the pool facility.
Bealer said that work included a new tot pool and adjoining mechanical room, and a new liner and shade structure.
Yet problems still exist with the pool, including with some of the pipes, the liner and one of the tanks that will be replaced as part of the new project.
“There are still a number of leaks that remain,” Bealer said.
He estimated the cost of the upcoming project at $2.7 million.
The financing will be partially offset by a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, acquired earlier this year.
Bealer noted the balance of the project would be paid for through non-referendum financing and tapping into existing reserves.
“We’ve been slowly building up reserves the last few years to use for capital projects and different needs,” he said.
Bealer added the Park District still needs to get permits from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the village before construction can begin.
He noted the goal of the repair is to extend the life of the pool another 10-12 years.
The park board is set to approve a construction contract during the summer, with the project anticipated to start in September. Bealer hopes the improvements will be in place by Memorial Day 2025, coinciding with a celebration of the Park District’s 100th anniversary.
The pool is set to remain open this summer, and he said the Park District has started hiring lifeguards.
Bealer said residents would have another place to swim this summer, as the southern part of the beach at Sunrise Park will re-open after being closed in 2024 due to the North Shore Water Reclamation District installing a new basin.