Palatine park board votes to close Willow Pool despite outcry
A debate nearly three decades in the making was finally put to bed Tuesday with the Palatine Park District board’s decision to demolish a deteriorating Willow Pool after the summer swim season comes to a close.
Despite pleas to reconsider from an emotionally charged room, commissioners by a 3-1 vote cited financial concerns and the need to put the entire park district’s well-being above all else.
“This is a pool that’s reached its life limit,” Commissioner Jay Cozza said of Willow Pool, which opened 47 years ago on Stark Drive. “We still have three great pools to share among our residents.”
The park district recommended closing the facility in 1983 and again in 1993 but relented after similar public outcry. The pool was built by the Willow Wood subdivision developer and later absorbed by the park district in 1964 when there was just one pool in the village.
The difference this time, officials say, is Willow Pool’s state of disrepair. And once Eagle Pool undergoes a $3.75 million renovation starting this fall, the three remaining pools will be much larger and more modern.
Commissioner Andy McPherson said Willow Pool has reached a point where it has to be completely rebuilt, a venture Executive Director Ron Gbur said would cost $1.8 million, according to a 2005 estimate. Gbur added that in order for a pool to break even, it has to have a 500-person capacity, something the site can’t accommodate.
Pool patrons say they deserve to have a facility east of Hicks Road and don’t want their children’s safety at risk by crossing the busy street to get to another pool. They also described the pool as a gathering spot that adds to their sense of community.
Resident Cathy Paprocki even read an attorney’s opinion that the pre-annexation agreement between the village and the developer requires the park district to maintain the pool.
They urged the board to delay their vote until they could brainstorm alternatives from fundraisers to corporate sponsorships.
McPherson, whose six kids grew up using Willow Pool, said he understands the emotional attachment but is more worried about residents not able to pay their ever-growing property tax bill.
“The pool may be wanted by some, but it’s not needed by the park district,” McPherson said, adding that delaying a vote would only prolong the inappropriate name-calling and anger that has been directed at him and other officials in recent weeks.
Commissioner Nick Sawyer, who wanted to postpone a decision to get more information, cast the lone vote against demolishing Willow Pool. President Sue Gould wasn’t at the meeting.