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Oak Park leaders say pool and arena will be demolished for community center; council discusses phasing but gives no reprieve
Summary
Council members and staff described plans to demolish the outdoor pool, ice arena and nearby facilities to make way for the new community center under the Elevate Oak Park initiative, prompting concerns from residents and promises by staff to explore phasing options but no vote to delay demolition.
City officials told the Oak Park City Council on Tuesday that the outdoor pool, the ice arena and several ancillary facilities are slated for demolition this year to make way for the new community center under the Elevate Oak Park program, a decision the city says followed more than a year of town halls and resident input.
City Manager Eric Tongate said the city has spent more than $323,000 in the last five years just on repairs to open the outdoor pool each season, including $170,000 in a single year. He said the pool was originally built in the late 1950s and that repeated repairs had become impractical.
“So every year, we're having to piece this thing together with, you know, with gum and, you know, tape and everything we can find,”…
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