Antioch leaders say they will make every effort to repair pool

A final decision has yet to be made, but Antioch Mayor Larry Hanson said he will "make every effort" to open the village's only public pool this season.

The 55-year-old pool at Williams Park needs an estimated $30,000 worth of work to repair leaks. Inspectors found the fiberglass lining is separating from the concrete underneath.

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Hanson said Thursday. "It's been an amenity in this village for so many years, we need to find a way to make sure it's repaired and open."

The issue has been discussed at board meetings in recent months. But officials don't know where the funds will be found as the village is facing a nearly $1 million shortfall in next year's budget.

Trustees also have been debating the wisdom of sinking money into the outdated pool. The option to close it is still on the table.

"What exactly will be done is still up in the air, but we do have a sense that everyone wants to have this pool open this season," said Village Administrator Jim Keim on Wednesday. "We need to decide by early March to give us some time to get it ready to go."

Timing is everything for Tom Adamczyk. He's the president of the Antioch Waves swim team. The 45-year-old club is one of the biggest users of the pool. He's hoping the village doesn't drag its feet in making a decision.

"We have a very short season from the beginning of June to the end of July. Any delay, even if it's a couple of weeks, could cause us major problems," Adamczyk said Thursday.

The majority of the 115 kids in the program are from Antioch, so changing venues presents additional travel problems, Adamczyk said.

"The village should be on track to replace that pool instead of continually making repairs," he said.

Village leaders made moves toward building a new aquatic center in 2005 when they purchased the 12-acre Bitner Farm in for $425,000. But strong opposition from homeowners close to the property and the economic downturn have scuttled the plans for now.

Keim lamented the state of the economy and Antioch's budget woes in particular.

"This is the new normal," Keim said. "We do what we can with the resources we can."