THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008
Summer Pool Season Just Around The Corner
The sound of barbecues beginning to sizzle, children playing in the streets and the ice cream man's familiar jingle mean summer is right around the corner.
And that the area's outdoor pools will soon be entertaining hundreds of people again.
In Arlington Heights there were no renovations to any of the five outdoor pools. Daily fees for all locations are $5 for residents and $7.50 for non-residents between 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.; and $2.50 for residents and $4.50 for non-residents after 6 p.m.
The park district also won the Excellence in National Aquatic Award from the National Park and Recreation Association. The award represents an improvement in operations over a five-year period.
In Palatine, Birchwood, Eagle, and Willow pools will all open Saturday, June 7. Birchwood will remain open through Labor Day, while the other two will shut down on Aug. 10.
The Wheeling Aquatic Center will open its regular season on June 9 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the weekend and noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays. Residents will pay $8.50 daily and non-residents will be charged $12.
In Buffalo Grove, Spray N' Play and Willow Stream pools will both open on Saturday, May 31.
Willow Stream will operate from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 12:30 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Spray N' Play will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday-Friday, noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
In Prospect Heights, the only swimming pool residents can visit is Lions Park Pool, 110 W. Camp McDonald Rd.
A grand opening pool party for ages two and older will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 6.
Amenities of Lions Park Pool include a zero depth entry which means people can walk right into the pool without jumping or stepping in. There is one open cover water slide that curves around. There are no diving boards.
Hours of operation are Monday-Friday, noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The pool will remain open through Sunday, Aug. 17.
Daily fees to swim at Lions Park are $5 for children under the age of 18, $6 for adults and $4 for seniors.
Mt. Prospect has three pools, two outdoor and one indoor. The indoor pool is the RecPlex, 420 W. Dempster St. The two outdoor pools are Meadows Pool, 1407 W. Gregory St. and Big Surf, 411 S. Maple St.
Big Surf is also known as "the Wave Pool." The season kicks off over the Memorial Day weekend. The pool goes from zero depth to 12 ft. deep. The waves are on for 10 minutes and then off for 10 minutes with a continuous cycle. It also has two one-meter springboards and a manned concession area.
Big Surf opened in the 1980s and was renovated from a flat-water pool in 1984.
The regular season hours of operation began Wednesday, June 2 and goes through Friday, Aug. 15.
Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, noon to 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p. m.
The bottom of the pool was repainted and the fans at the pool were also worked on.
Meadows Pool opened in 2003 and has a vending machine concession area; a one-meter diving board, one drop slide, and children's' interactive water activities.
Meadows completed renovations and re-opened three years ago. The pool used to be a flat-water pool but now has immense depth. A new locker room was installed, the admittance area was remodeled, and a grassy area was created so people can lie out in the sun if so desired.
The season at Meadows is from Wednesday, June 4 through Sunday, Aug. 17.
Hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 1 to 4:45 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, 1 to 7 p.m.; and evenings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 8 p.m.
There is a preseason on Monday and Tuesday, June 2 and 3 from 3:45 to 8 p.m. There is also a postseason from Saturday, Aug. 23 through Monday, Sept. 1 (Labor Day).
There were no renovations conducted at Meadows. Fees for both pools are $5 for adult residents; $4 for youth residents; $7 for non-resident adults; and $6 for non-residents youths.
Another pool in Mt. Prospect is the Woodland Trails Pool, 1500 E. Euclid Ave. Part of the River Trails Park Dist., it includes a kiddie pool, main pool, swimming lanes and drop slides.
Hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 9 p.m.
A refreshment stand is located at the west end of the pool building.
In Des Plaines, Mystic Waters, 2025 Miner St. will be open to the public on Saturday, May 31 through Aug. 24. There were no renovations, just some minor repainting, said Jennifer Boys, asst. supt. of facilities for the park district.
Daily fees for residents with photo identification are $7 for kids under the age of 18 and $8 for adults. Non-residents will pay $9 for children and $11 for adults.
The other two outdoor pools, Chippewa Pool, 191 N. Eighth Ave. and Iroquois Pool, located at Touhy and Maple will both open on Saturday, June 7. Iroquois will close on Aug. 3 and Chippewa will close two weeks later on Aug. 17.
The three-meter diving board was removed at both pools due to safety reason, Boys said. In its place is a new one-meter board. Fees for both pools are $5 on a daily basis.
Glenview's Roosevelt Aquatics Complex, 2239 Fir St., will begin limited weekend hours over the Memorial Day weekend. The regular season will begin on Thursday, June 12.
Last year, according to park district officials, 2,281 people attended the first weekend of the season.
Roosevelt is a two-pool complex featuring a semi-circular zero-depth play pool with interactive spray play features and a 25-yard, five-lane activity pool. Flick Aquatics Complex, 3600 Glenview Rd., will also open the season on Thursday, June 12. Flick Pool is a large zero-depth play pool with interactive spray play features and a youth play structure. It has a 25-yard, eight-lane activity/lap pool; a diving well with two drop slides; a three-meter and one-meter diving board; and a separate fenced-in kiddie pool area.