Broadview to Grant $800,000 to Park District to Repair, Reopen Pool

(Broadview, IL) ­ – The Broadview Park District’s shuttered community pool will be repaired and reopened thanks to a $800,000 grant from the Village of Broadview

Broadview Village Trustees approved the grant at its April 6 special board meeting, paving the way to begin major repairs on the pool that has been closed since 2021 with the aim to have the pool reopened by the summer of 2024. The money will be drawn from the surplus of a $2.5 million state capital construction grant from the State of Illinois,

“My daughter learned to swim at the Schroeder Community Pool 21-years ago, and swimming formed a part of her youth and adult life,” said Mayor Katrina Thompson. “With the pool’s closure two-years ago, hundreds of children have been missing both the recreation and the life-saving swimming lessons offered, so I am thrilled that the Village can help restore this crucial community asset.”

Thompson stressed the importance of kick-starting community swimming lessons, noting that in 2021, 18 Illinois children lost their lives to accidental drowning. Additionally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 14. For every child who dies from drowning, another eight receive emergency department care for non-fatal drowning.

“Providing swimming lessons for children is a public safety issue,” said Thompson. “Reopening the park district pool, which will be renamed the ‘Broadview Strong Community Pool’, will be crucial, and in some cases, a life-saving service.”

In addition to swim lessons for children, programming for seniors, such as aquatic aerobics, will also be available.

The village’s Public Works Department will manage the pool’s rehabilitation project in conjunction with the park district administration.

davidormsby@davidormsby.com