Sycamore Park District plans to reopen pool for summer amid uncertainty about pool’s future

SYCAMORE – After being closed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sycamore community pool is planned to open this summer, though park district officials are uncertain of the 38-year-old pool’s future.

The Sycamore Park District plans to reopen the Sycamore community pool, located at Sycamore Community Park, 940 E. State St., this summer daily.

“We are planning on re-opening the pool following IDPH guidelines and with reduced occupancy at the pool this summer,” said Sycamore Park District Executive Director Jonelle Bailey.

A recent survey was sent around to Sycamore residents soliciting input for the pool’s future. At 38 years old, the community pool’s future is uncertain. As part of the park district’s Sustaining the Legacy: 2025 master planning initiative, the district is now weighing whether it’s time to close the pool within the next five years.

A 2019-2020 survey showed that 64% of Sycamore households surveyed have not visited the pool in the past two years, the district reported, and satisfaction of the pool was the lowest of any district facility.

According to park district data, the aging facility’s infrastructure and mechanics have “already outlived industry lifespans,” which means the cost to upkeep the nearly four-decades-old pool pulls a “disproportionate” amount of district funds which could be used in other areas.

Another roadblock for pool improvement, according to the park district, is that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources strictly prohibits development of infrastructure within floodplains.

The Sycamore Park District is also forming a focus group, which Bailey described as “a group of community members helping us decide which direction to go and what options to make regarding the future of the pool.”

Bailey said that the pool has outgrown its space.

“When we asked the community what requests they have for the pool, they mentioned a lazy river and slides,” she said. “We cannot expand there or rebuild in that location because it’s built on a flood plain and there are Department of Natural Resource limitations. A focus group needs to help decide if the community is interested in relocating the pool, how the money will be raised and where a new location would be. We need community feedback.”

For more information about the Sycamore community pool and splash fountain, visit the Sycamore Park District’s website.

To give feedback or for more information about the focus group, email info@sycamoreparkdistrict.com.

Summer plans

Admission is free for children ages 3 and younger, $6 for residents ages four and older, $9 for nonresidents ages four and older, $3 for lap swim for residents ages 14 and older and $6 for lap swim for nonresidents ages 14 and older.

The swimming pool can also be rented 5:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with a 2-hour minimum rental. Cost is $130 per hour for 50 people. For more than 50 people, the cost increases $2 for each person. All pool rentals must be booked in person at the Community Center’s service desk, 480 S. Airport Road.

Sycamore’s splash fountain, located at on Legacy Campus, 480 S. Airport Road, will open for the season May 29.

Reservations will be required and can be made online or in person. One 75-minute time slot per person is allowed each day, with 25 people maximum for each time slot. Admission is free for children ages 11 months and younger and $3 for residents and $5 for nonresidents.