Endorsement: Lombard pool referendum

After approving a tax hike in 1956 to build Moran Water Park, Lombard residents got five decades of summer enjoyment out of the facility. The fun came to an end this past summer when failing infrastructure forced the lap pool to prematurely shut down. Now parks officials say Moran needs a roughly $9 million overhaul that would include replacing the lap pool, wading pool, bathhouse and water slides.

The district is asking voters to approve a tax increase so it could borrow $5.9 million, mostly for the pool. If approved, the measure would add about $35 a year in taxes on a $300,000 home.

The Daily Herald recommends a yes vote.

First and foremost, a community pool is a great amenity for any town to have. If Moran doesn't get fixed, Lombard won't have a pool.

While some might say the district should have done a better job maintaining the facility, the tax cap has made it more difficult to borrow the funds needed to do so.

By the time the district was poised to do significant repairs at Moran in 2006, the price tag had already spiraled beyond the district's budgetary limits. Even after borrowing $3.5 million, officials learned $7 million is needed to make repairs and fix 64 code deficiencies at Moran.

The fact that parks officials want to spend $2 million more for other improvements isn't unreasonable. Moran would become a better, safer facility -- but not a Taj Mahal of water parks.