ROCHELLE — In two different 6-0 votes on Monday night, Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District commissioners resoundingly assured residents that Spring Lake Pool will remain open for years to come.
The board approved a bid of $218,716 to renovate the filter and pump systems of the 37-year-old public pool and members also voted in favor of getting preliminary architectural plans to upgrade the decking around the facility.
“Yes, this decision pretty much guarantees that we will be operating Spring Lake Pool for many years,” stated park board director Roger Bunger. “For the past couple of years there was some discussion about whether it was feasible to continue operating the pool each year because it is expensive to do so for just three months, but park commissioners are committed to providing this popular service for families.”
Park superintendent Don Elliott told the board at a previous meeting that the state was not likely to allow the district to open the pool this summer if the antiquated and leaking pump and filter systems were not repaired.
On Monday night, he shared that the overall bids for the pump and filter work actually came in slightly less than a year ago.
“This pool was built in 1980 and it is just time to replace a lot of the working equipment,” he stated. “The new systems will be more efficient and much easier to maintain as well.”

Decking
In addition to doing the equipment upgrades on the pool, the board also wants to begin work to repair and replace a lot of the deteriorating decking around the facility.

“We need to start over with the decking,” Elliott added. “I’m concerned about the overall safety and it’s just old and time to address it. We will try to save and work with some of the existing posts and also look to possibly reducing some of the decking space.”
The board talked about closing off the Eighth Street stairs entrance and expanding the parking lot near the facility entrance at a previous meeting, but at this point those plans are on the back burner.
“We just want to address what we need to do for the pool and immediate area itself,” Bunger said. “We will look at other improvements down the line.”
The board then voted 6-0 to pay for architectural services and specifications at a cost not to exceed $8,000.
According to Elliott, the overall cost to repair and replace the decking could range anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000 and he expects to see it completed this spring.
“The desire of the board’s capital committee is to get it all done before opening the pool again in 2018,” he confirmed. “So, our intention is to do that. It won’t be cheap, but it’s time.”

Baseball fence work
In other action on Monday night, the board voted 6-0 in approving a bid of $144,000 to Creative Fencing for new backstops and baseline fencing at several of the Rochelle Little League baseball and softball diamonds.
Last month the commissioners committed $150,000 to upgrading and adding protective fencing to three fields at the Little League complex and also to diamonds located on May School property and at the Helms baseball field.
The work is expected to start soon and be completed before winter.
Other plans for improvements at the fields include three new scoreboards and the siding of the press boxes and painting of the dugouts.