Rumors of a new pool at Libertyville High School have been circulating for years, but the District 128 Board of Education has not given final approval of the project quite yet.
However, the administration has been given the authorization to pursue this project further by consulting with an architect about construction and cost details, according to District 128 Superintendent Dr. Prentiss Lea. Three large capital projects have been presented to the Board in the past three years, including a new Libertyville High School pool, a second gym at Vernon Hills High School, and repurposing the current pool at Libertyville High School. Once the new LHS pool project is officially approved, Dr. Lea predicts that it should be completed in around two years.
The current pool was built in 1971, and it is only 25 yards in length with a shallow diving well, whereas most modern pools are 40 meters long with a regulation diving well. This means that the current pool cannot accommodate as many physical education classes, competitive swimmers, and competitive divers as it should.
“We could always use more space…[the new pool] might benefit classes like Outdoor Education if they want to do a kayaking unit like Vernon Hills High School does,” said Mrs. Cheryl Monken, a Physical Education teacher at LHS.
The plan for the new pool includes constructing a new building in the front of the building that is connected to the West Gym hallway to house the new pool.
“The new pool would replace the existing pool, and the current pool space would be repurposed to meet other physical education, athletic and student activities needs,” explained Dr. Lea.
Because the construction will be required on a whole new part of the building and the old pool will not be impacted, there will be no disruption of P.E. classes or any of the sports teams that utilize the pool during the construction of the pool.
As of now, this endeavor is projected to cost between $18.5 – $19.5 million and will be completely financed through the district’s reserves. The pool alone will only cost $15.5-16.5 million.
However, the additional funds must also go towards the demolition of the old district office building near the West Gym doors so that the space can be used for the new pool. The creation of additional facility parking space, the rerouting of an existing on-site road around the new pool and establishment of a required storm-water retention area have also been factored into the planned budget. The Board will not be running a property tax referendum to finance the pool or any other major capital projects according to Dr. Lea.
