Buffalo Grove parks board OKs scaled-back pool renovations
Grand plans for Willow Stream pool in Buffalo Grove will likely be scaled back after several discussions and public hearings on the issue.
The Buffalo Grove Park District pool will still get some renovations. The park board voted on Monday to improve the bathhouse for the pool, which is at 600 Farrington Road. The item still up in the air is a proposal to do a zero-grade entry to the outdoor facility so that the pool mimics a beach.
Mike Terson, spokesman for the district, said the company doing renovations to the pool has warned against the beach-type entry because it may cause too much damage to the already-old structure.
The alternative is to have a ramp added to make the pool compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"That'll make it accessible to everybody," Terson said.
Either way, the pared-down plans are estimated to cost $1.8 million; the money will come from $500,000 in grants and from funds already stored away for capital improvement.
The district has been talking about renovations to Willow Stream since last May when a first public hearing was held. At the time, the plan included building a bigger pool, adding a water slide and taking away the diving board, as well as the bathhouse improvements.
Neighbors cried out against taking away the diving board; when district officials looked at creating a separate diving facility, the cost skyrocketed.
Monday, the board held another public hearing with about 20 residents present. The district submitted a smaller plan that replaced the current pool lining and water filtration system.
"It's more of a bare-bones fix to keep costs down," Terson said. "It should buy us another 15 or 20 years."
The new plan also calls for a separate water slide that opens out to a different pool of water and keeping the diving board.
The district may also buy a water wheelchair if the ramp access is chosen instead of a zero-depth pool.
The bathhouse construction will start soon, but the board still has some time to decide on other details of the pool renovations since those won't start until the end of next summer.