Community Pool Meetings

The Board of Education is exploring options for replacing and/or rebuilding the district’s 90-year-old pools. In April 2016, the board hosted three community meetings, as well as pool tours, to share options and gather community feedback. Thank you to the more than 350 people who participated in the meetings. To see the report on the feedback, please click here. 

Some background on the two OPRF High School pools: Both are used 12 months a year by students and community groups. During the school year, approximately 400 students a day are in the pools from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for physical education instruction. Extracurricular activities, including boys and girls swimming and water polo and synchronized swimming, use the pools before and after school and into the evening. (Diving currently takes place offsite due to safety concerns.) The YMCA and West Suburban Special Recreation Association (WRSSA) also use the pools throughout the year, sometimes until as late as 11:00 p.m. The pools remain heavily used by students, community groups, and/or swim camps on weekends and throughout the summer.

The normal lifespan of a pool is 40 to 50 years. However, our two pools were built in 1928 and are nearly 90 years old. Neither pool meets current design safety, competition, or spectator standards, and both have significant structural and mechanical deficits. Due to the age and condition of the pools, it is no longer feasible to simply maintain them.