Norris Center pool grand opening Wednesday

Aquatic life has returned to normal for students at St. Charles East High School.

After many months of construction, including several months of permit delays, the Norris Center Pool recently had a soft opening for East’s swimmers. The grand opening of the pool to the entire community will come Wednesday evening with a St. Charles Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.

The pool was originally expected to open in November, well within the high school swim season. But $1.6 million worth of repairs and remodeling had to match up with new standards for swimming pool safety before anyone could actually use the pool. A statewide backlog of swimming pools looking for a passing grade under the new safety standards delayed some of the work.

As a result, students at St. Charles North High School had to share a pool with East students for the entire swim season. Community members had access to the pool at the Delnor Health and Wellness Center for swimming lessons during the construction. Now East students and the community have a virtually new pool at the Norris Center with a new deck, and new heating, filtration and dehumidification systems.

The work finishes just as the Norris Center celebrates 35 years of existence. All community members are invited to see the finished pool at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, which is also the first day nonmembers of the facility can use the pool.

The family membership rate has changed to $50 a month, including access to the new workout facility. Registration is also under way for summer sports day camps for children 6 to 11.