Pool study onus on safety, fiscal stability

Feb. 16--Jacksonville's Parks and Lakes Committee has set goals for the upcoming Nichols Park pool feasibility study, with the focus on safety and general improvements designed to keep people using the pool while reducing long periods during which the pool is closed for maintenance.

Jeff Bartley, principal engineer with Kansas-based Waters Edge Aquatic Design, approached the committee to find out what the city hopes to get out of the study.

With the pool having seen significant stretches of maintenance-related downtime in three of the past five years, avoiding more of the same is a leading goal, Committee Chair Marcy Patterson said.

The city also is looking to improve what it has and, without a lot of money available for quick and wide-ranging improvements, a multi-step upgrades plan that could be phased in might be ideal, Community Development and Recreational Facilities Director Kelly Hall said.

Parking was one of the first issues Bartley identified as an issue, with many pool visitors opting to park along the nearby curb instead of in the intended parking lot.

The pool building and entrance to the pool also are in poor condition, Committee Vice Chair Steve Warmowski said.

"I've seen that some pools have a direct entry, too; you don't have to go through showers or anything," Warmowski said.

"Yes, that's the modern design," Bartley said.

The feasibility study will look at what needs to be done to the pool now and also test its market feasibility compared to surrounding communities such as Winchester, Bartley said.

The committee agreed the study's first goal should be the safety of the pool, followed by its financial stability and ways to improve its appeal without in a large investment.

Public input will play a key role in the study, with hearings to be scheduled.

In other business, the committee heard about upcoming changes to the rules at Lake Jacksonville. Among the most significant changes, the rules will be passed as an ordinance instead of as a resolution, allowing them to be enforced by citation, Hall said.

"Over the years, Parks and Lakes (rules) have been a combination of resolutions and one ordinance," Hall said. "The problem with that is nothing is enforceable as a resolution. To fix that, what (City Attorney Dan Beard) and I did was the boating fees, the boating regulations and that type of thing, previously they were all resolutions which were unenforceable. Now they're going to be an ordinance, so it can be enforceable."

Another major change to the rules include a 26-foot limit on boat length. People previously have brought a much larger boat onto the lake, resulting in large wakes that have been eroding the lake's banks.

Also, anyone driving a four-wheeler on the lake's new trails will be cited, particularly if the driver is a repeat offender.

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

------

11:35 am |

Woman injured in rollover accident

5:39 am |

Abortion-rights supporters push back against gains by foes

5:25 am |

State mulls expanding college testing

___

(c)2018 the Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.)

Visit the Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.) at www.myjournalcourier.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.