(Photo by news partner WMBD-TV)
By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – For the second straight summer, children won’t have a kiddie pool to escape the heat at O’Neil Park on Bloomington’s west side.
Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Director Jay Tetzloff said maintenance costs are too high. He said this is also likely to be the last year for the main pool, which was built in the 1970’s and was supposed to have a 25 year life span.
Tetzloff said the pool needs a new drainage system, and it might not be worth the cost.
“We have to hire an engineer and then do the repairs,” said Tetzloff.
“We have an aluminum pool, so repairs are very difficult and typically expensive. We need to evaluate what the cost is and then say is that worth that investment for a pool that is going to fail really at anytime?”
A consultant paid by the city to develop a parks master plan has yet to reveal recommendations about what to do with the O’Neil Park pool.
The Bloomington City Council has directed city staffers to provide cost information about building an indoor or outdoor aquatic center there.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at howard.packowitz@cumulus.com
