Addison Park District seeks resident feedback on pool

Addison Park District officials have a decision to make about the 35-year-old pool in Community Park: renovate or replace it.

So officials are making calls and sending text messages and emails to residents to collect input on what their next step should be.

Park district Director Mark McKinnon said the survey is a proactive measure.

“The pool is just kind of holding on for now,” McKinnon said. “And when there is a major break of some kind that is a significant dollar amount, the board has indicated there is no interest in keeping it open. We are trying to work ahead so, if we do build a new pool, there is a transition before this one breaks down.”

Residents who are not contacted directly for the survey can access it at addisonparks.org.

Officials said the survey asks for opinions on issues such as whether a future pool should be located in Community Park or Centennial Park, and what features residents would like included, such as slides or diving wells. The survey also aims to gauge whether residents would support a tax increase to build a new aquatic center.

“We are not committed to a referendum unless we can drum up support, so this will seek to learn dollar amounts they would accept on their tax bills,” said McKinnon. “We have to prove there is a need for a new pool, not just a want.”

The park district sought a tax increase in 2008 to build a $14 million aquatic center in Centennial Park. The district chose that location because, at the time, Addison’s Town Center development plan would encroach on the current pool location in Community Park.

Due to the economy, the Town Center plan is now indefinitely on hold and will likely be altered, giving the park district more choices for any future aquatic center location.

Voters rejected the tax increase request, however, and the district has been maintaining the Community Park pool ever since. McKinnon said any plans for a future aquatic center would be scaled back, with a price tag closer to $10 million.

“We want to get an idea of what people want, start the budget process in January and see if we are interesting in moving forward,” he said. “We want to to take our time and do it the right way.”

Results of the survey are tentatively slated to be discussed at the park district board meeting on Nov. 21.