Residents push for new Sycamore Park District pool

SYCAMORE – Sycamore residents unhappy with the closing of the Sycamore community pool brought their concerns to the Sycamore Park District Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday and asked for the creation of a new facility.

Laura Kvasnicka, who said she was part of a community pool focus group created by the Sycamore Park District in 2021, told the district’s board that she wanted to give one final effort to let them know Sycamore residents want a community pool.

“I’m just speaking on behalf of the 281 supporters of the pool, and the people on Facebook who said if you want to see change, go to a board meeting and let the board members know how you feel and how other people feel,” Kvasnicka said.

Board President Bill Kroeger said he appreciated Kvasnicka’s concern. He said a new pool would cost about $16 million, however, partly because the current facility sits on a floodplain and a new location would need to be found.

Understand [that] we’re not here to fight against it. We’re not. If the citizens want a pool, and we have enough people behind it, then we’ll move for a referendum. We’re not against it at all. In fact, we kept the old pool open several years longer than we thought we ever could.”

—  Bill Kroeger, Sycamore Park District board president

Mike Kvasnicka, who said he is a Federal Emergency Management Agency flood adjustor and was in the swimming pool industry for more than a decade, told the park board that he doesn’t believe regulations cover swimming pools.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources regulates development within a floodplain, on which the pool facility sits. The community space was grandfathered in when restrictions were put into place in 1993, but expansion beyond the current footprint is prohibited, according to a November 2022 district announcement.

Kroeger and other board members said they would struggle to justify millions of dollars to pay for a facility that they said only would create revenue for 2½ months.

The Sycamore community pool was closed Aug. 4, 2022, because of ongoing equipment failure. In November of the same year, district officials announced that the 60-year-old pool had seen its last swimmer.

The community pool has operated at a loss for the past 11 years. District officials estimated that the pool would have operated at a total loss of $66,762 for the 2023 pool season, according to documents from the Sycamore Park District.

Jonelle Bailey, executive director of the park district, said the district is seeking data to determine whether residents are receptive to a new pool.

District officials said they plan to begin working in a week with Northern Illinois University researchers who will conduct the survey independently from the district.

Once that survey has been completed, an additional survey will be posted online directly by the district, officials said.

“We wanted to have the independent results first before we addressed people that we have within our contact list,” Bailey said.

Sycamore resident Melinda Bojovi created a petition seeking a new Sycamore community pool in January. As of Thursday, 290 individuals have signed the document.

Commissioner Ted Strack said a $16 million pool could cost property taxpayers $63 per $100,000 of the value of their owned property. Strack said that would raise park district taxes by about $220 on an annual basis.

If residents understand the cost and support the pool, Kroeger said, the district would be in support as well.

“Understand we’re not here to fight against it. We’re not,” Kroeger said. “If the citizens want a pool, and we have enough people behind it, then we’ll move for a referendum. We’re not against it at all. In fact, we kept the old pool open several years longer than we thought we ever could.”