Galesburg Reporter

City of Galesburg issued the following announcement on Aug. 25

The City of Galesburg is seeking input from the community on the future of Hawthorne Pool. The Hawthorne Pool facility is currently used for indoor aquatics, including swim lessons, aqua fitness, lane swim, open swim, lifeguard training, and rentals. However, the pool was built in 1941, and the building is in a state of disrepair that will require significant repairs in order to continue to be utilized.

Over the past six years, the City has been closely monitoring the condition of the Hawthorne Pool facility. Two structural evaluations have been completed, with the most recent one citing specific repairs that would need to be made in the near future. As the needed repairs are costly, the City has developed several options and is requesting feedback from citizens on their preferences.

The following are possible options under consideration.

• Repairing Hawthorne Pool – this option would cost approximately $2 – 2.5+ million and would take 6 – 12 months to complete, depending on construction schedules. The cost estimate is based on a visual assessment of the building, and the scope of work and cost may increase if additional issues are discovered during the construction process. The repairs would include the replacement of steel columns, masonry work, updates to the heating/cooling system, and updates to railing and ladders. The repairs would not include any new amenities or design updates to the facility.
• Doming a portion of Lakeside Waterpark – this option is estimated to cost $2 million and would include doming the five-foot and zero-depth pool portions of Lakeside with a retractable glass roof to make it available for year-round use.
• Building a new indoor community pool in collaboration with other local groups – this option would cost approximately $12 – 25 million. The current location and collaboration for a project of this nature are unconfirmed and would need to be explored.
• Closing Hawthorne Pool – this would leave the option for the City to no longer offer indoor aquatic programming if citizens' needs are being met by other community organizations or continuing to offer aquatic programming at other local pools.

The final date for the use of the Hawthorne Pool is scheduled for May 2022. After that date, programs and services will be migrated to Lakeside Waterpark, and Hawthorne Pool will close to pursue one of the proposed options. Over the past six years, Hawthorne Pool has averaged $72,658 in tax subsidies annually in order to operate. Funding is not currently budgeted for pursuing any of the options for repair, doming, or construction of a new pool. Funding options would need to be explored for the preferred option, and could include partial grant funding, raising taxes, and possibly local collaborations.

Citizens are encouraged to share their opinion on which option they would prefer by participating in a short survey. The short survey closes on September 7, 2021. Click here to complete the survey.

Original source can be found here.