Could shuttered Rolling Meadows pool become outdoor wedding venue?

A shuttered Rolling Meadows Park District pool could soon be filled in, paved over, and home to an outdoor wedding venue, according to plans now under development.

The six-lane, 25-meter outdoor pool and 12-foot-deep diving well at Plum Grove Park closed after the summer of 2016 when a leak was discovered. Further testing showed the 1960s-era pool shell was also crumbling, and the park board decided the estimated $800,000 worth of fixes wasn't worth the cost.

The park district has gone out to bid for a project that would fill in the pool with stone, then compact it, at an estimated cost of $90,000.

Meanwhile, a district-hired landscape architect has developed plans to add a picnic pavilion with eight tables, a large circular open area with a wedding arbor, along with walkways and landscaping. It would cost about $220,000.

The district plans to put the project out to bid early next year in hopes of completing the upgrades by summer.

The next phase of work proposes modifying the old swimming pool concession stand kitchen area to outdoor bathrooms. Currently, the nearest bathrooms are in the Plum Grove Park banquet facility.

"We have a lot of people interested in picnic rentals, but if there's no restrooms, they're not as interested," said Amy Charlesworth, the park district's executive director.

The district acquired the pool from the Plum Grove Estates Homeowners Association about 20 years ago. Though its mailing address is 4001 Park Drive in Palatine, the park is incorporated within Rolling Meadows.