A $5 million swimming pool and bath house will be built to replace a pool at Wing Park on Elgin’s west side, a unanimous City Council decided Wednesday night.
The 22,000-square-foot pool will be built west of Tyler Creek. The council also voted to tear down the bathhouses east of the creek and build a new bathhouse and concession stand next to the pool.
The pool’s cost is $1.2 million higher than originally projected. City staff learned this year that the site is in a flood plain, and the project’s plans were changed to make the buildings flood-proof.
Council members asked city staff to investigate whether an additional $500,000 could be culled from city coffers to pay for such extra amenities as a separate diving pool, a sand play area, a sand volleyball court and deck furniture.
“Let’s bite the bullet and build this thing,” Mayor Kevin Kelly said. “I grew up by a pool. I can’t imagine not having a diving area.”
The city will apply for permits from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build in the flood plain.
The City Council’s decision ended months of controversy over the Wing Park pool. Residents had lobbied the council to keep the pool in its current spot despite the flood plain problem.
Councilwoman Marie Yearman expressed concerns about project costs possibly escalating out of control. She said the city should conserve some money to build another pool someday.
The city already has another pool at Lords Park, on the east side, but Yearman said, “Elgin is going to need a third or fourth pool down the road.”
