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Chester Pool Committee meets

Posted December 30, 2014 10:00 pm

By Pete Spitler The Herald Tribune

CHESTER -- The Chester Pool Committee held its first meeting on Dec. 30, with its members tasked with discussing the closed Chester Municipal Pool as the meeting's lone agenda item.

The pool has been closed since June 27 after major water leakage was discovered. In an inspection report released by Burbach Aquatics in September, it was reported the pool leaked 17 million gallons of water during the four weeks it was open last summer.

Prior to the meeting, Chester Mayor Tom Page addressed the committee members, thanking them for their service and reiterating that they weren't being pressured to come to a decision.

"There's no gun to your heads; there's no race to get done," Page said. "Of all the things as mayor, one of the last things I wanted to see was the city pool crash and burn.

"If we fall down, we shall get back up."

Missing only committee secretary and Chester Recreation Director Patti Carter due to illness, the committee received three directives from Page.

First, to provide a recommendation on what to do with the current pool. Secondly, to determine interest and feasibility for a new pool and thirdly, to keep in mind operational costs if a new pool is recommended.

"It's an awkward time of year to be talking about swimming pools, but now is better than later," Page said.

Co-Chairman Donnie Clark recommended splitting the committee members into separate groups. One group would examine options on the current pool, another would research grants and funding methods for a new pool and the third would consider maintenance costs.

"The first thing to do is get into that facility and see what we can do," said committee member and Chester Park Board Representative Collette Powley, in regards to the current pool.

Several members from the Chester community attended the meeting, including two candidates for the April 7 Chester City Council election in Steve Wallace (Ward 1) and Bruce Williamson (Ward 4).

During public comment, a question was raised regarding the reason for the decline of attendance at the pool. It has been previously reported 50 swimmers visited the pool during its first day of operation for the 2014 swim season on May 27.

That is 9.2 percent of the pool's 540-person capacity.

"It's a changing of the times," Clark said. "People have backyard pools now."

No specific options regarding repurposing the current facility were discussed by the committee, but the committee did stress it wants to preserve the historical significance of the pool "in some way."

"I feel so strongly that we have to preserve something," said committee member Gwendy Garner, a member of the Chester Park Board.

The committee also heard and discussed, during public comment, possible avenues to explore regarding a new facility.

Williamson asked the committee to consider an indoor pool in its plans, stating the facility could be used 12 months out of the year instead of the May to August schedule the current pool had used.

Another option mentioned in public comment was reaching out to the SIU School of Architecture to see if any students may be interested in examining re-purposing options for the current pool as part of a student project.

The possibility of a park center was also briefly discussed.

"The Perry Park Center never breaks even," Garner said. "The odds of making money (with that option) are pretty slight."

From there, the committee discussed looking at the possibility of a mixed-use development, one that could include other options to draw attendance, such as food or retail, in addition to the pool.

"For (the pool) to have to work, that's what we'll have to do," said Farrah Runge, one of the Chester Stingrays Swim Team representatives on the committee.

Runge and Valerie Blechle, the other Swim Team representative on the committee, were asked what the Swim Team's needs are.

"We need a facility to host meets and efficient practices," Blechle said, who added that between six and eight Olympic-style lanes were preferred. "There is a possibility of 360 kids (for meets), plus parents."

After consideration of the meeting's discussion, the committee passed a motion to send a recommendation to the Chester City Council to close Chester Municipal Pool permanently as a pool, allow the examination of options on repurposing the current facility and permit the investigation into the feasibility of a new facility.

It has not yet been determined when the Chester City Council will discuss the recommendation.

The next meeting of the CPC is scheduled for Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. at Chester City Hall. It is open to the public.

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