Bartlett officials get look at aquatic center plans
- Article
- Comments (0)
Bartlett officials got a look at plans Tuesday to greatly expand the park district’s nearly 20-year-old aquatic center.
The Bartlett Park District is hoping to add popular water park features, including a lazy river, drop slide, zip line and tube slides, to the Bartlett Aquatic Center, 620 W. Stearns Road.
The proposed improvements were endorsed by voters as part of an $18 million request approved last November that also allowed the park district to buy the Villa Olivia Country Club.
Rita Fletcher, executive director of the park district, was present with the center’s architects to go over the proposal with the village board.
Most of the trustees seemed interested in moving the site plan along.
“I think this looks like a well thought-out, fun plan,” said Trustee T.L. Arends.
One concern that was brought up was the impact that the expansion would have on traffic. Trustee Dennis Nolan asked to see a traffic impact study regarding the expansion at an upcoming meeting.
Currently, no changes are proposed for access to the site, and there are no plans to increase the number of parking spaces, which is currently at 738.
However, the park district estimates that the number of bathers at the aquatic center, which currently houses a lap pool, a plunge pool, sand play area, bathhouse and concessions building, will double, from 750 to 1,500.
Jim Plonczynski, community development director, said there is not much concern over traffic because the daily peak hour of the facility does not coincide with the morning or afternoon peak hours of the adjacent roadways. He added that the existing parking should be able to accommodate the additional number of parked vehicles associated with the expansion.
The DuPage County Division of Transportation is currently reviewing the traffic impact study.
Besides the extra water activities, the park district wants to expand the bathhouse and concession buildings and remove the volleyball area.
Plonczynski said the village’s planning committee will look over the plans next Thursday and make recommendations.
He said approval of the site plan is most likely to occur in November, but he didn’t know of an estimated start date for construction of the expansion.
