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Mayor proposes temporary advisory committee to study replacement of Berwyn's 62‑year‑old pool
Summary
Mayor presented a plan to create an ad hoc advisory committee, led by a chairperson and including community stakeholders and park districts, to guide feasibility, community input and potential RFPs for the city's aging pool; Mayor estimated the pool itself could cost about $10 million.
Mayor Lovero presented an informational plan and asked the council to support creation of a temporary advisory committee to guide a community‑driven review of the city’s public pool, which the council noted is about 62 years old.
Joseph Fitzgerald, who led the presentation, described the committee as advisory, temporary and focused on fact‑based community engagement and fiscal transparency. "The purpose of this committee will be to ensure professionalism and accountability while building trust through transparency in the process," Fitzgerald said, outlining a committee of about 12 members that would include residents, representatives of the two park districts, a township representative, recreation department staff and the city treasurer for financial oversight.
Under the proposed process, the committee would recruit community stakeholders, hold listening sessions to gather priorities and concerns, recommend whether to proceed with feasibility and design work, and — if appropriate — help develop an RFP for design and feasibility services. Fitzgerald stressed the committee is advisory and that final decision‑making authority would remain with the City Council.
Mayor Lovero told the council he expects to appoint committee members at the next meeting and said the committee would be dissolved after issuing its recommendations. "I will be appointing that committee probably at next meeting," Mayor Lovero said. He also noted the city spends significant money maintaining the existing pool and that a comprehensive replacement could be costly; he estimated based on outreach that "we're thinking it's about a $10,000,000 process." The mayor emphasized there is no expectation the full process would conclude within a year and that fiscal feasibility would be a central question for the committee.
Council members asked about scope and timing; staff said community surveys and targeted outreach would be options for gathering input and that staff will support the committee’s recruitment and logistical work. No formal action was taken during the meeting; the mayor plans to name committee members at the next council meeting for council consideration.
