O'Fallon parks department delays lap pool opening, presents budget and sports-park master-plan work

Parks and Recreation staff told the City of O'Fallon Parks & Recreation Committee on March (committee meeting) that the lap pool at the Community Park enhancement project is behind schedule, and the department now expects an opening around June 18.

The delay stems from an unusually severe winter that created lost construction days and longer-than-expected curing and coating times for the lap pool surface. Parks staff said the leisure pool, slides and gates are complete; the lap pool requires epoxy coatings that must cure for roughly seven days per coat and concrete curing that takes about 28 days.

The delay matters because staff said they have limited remaining schedule options and are working Saturdays and other measures to recover days. Staff also described inspection and water-testing steps that cannot be shortened.

At the same meeting, staff presented the department's operating budget. Revenues shown in the slides include program revenue just above $1 million, rental and other revenues around $1.1 million, sales tax about $1.6 million, concession sales roughly $500,000, and miscellaneous rental income about $817,000 — a total the presenter described as roughly $6 million to $6.5 million. Major expenses include staffing (about $2.425 million) and bond payments and operations lines; the department showed a capital reserve and specific equipment purchases.

Large capital items the department plans to buy this year include a Kubota tractor, 0-turn mowers, a cemetery mower (about $8,000), and a shared wood chipper with Public Works. Staff said replacing surfacing at the splash pad playgrounds and resurfacing a fitness-station floor will also be budgeted; staff intends to start the station resurfacing the last week of April to meet scheduling windows and will return with a budget resolution for that work.

Staff described the planned update to the sports-park master plan as a multi-stage program: an initial feasibility study to determine building footprint and court counts, and subsequent studies to finalize the park program and other amenities. Staff said the effort will re-examine a 15-year-old plan and focus on making the sports park an economic engine for regional tournaments.

Staff also said the department will use a Placer.ai subscription to generate ongoing, real-time economic-impact metrics for the sports park and downtown markets rather than ordering one-off consultant studies.

Public questions during the meeting addressed pool-pass pricing and proration if the pool opening is delayed; staff said pass prices are expected to be in the roughly $8–$12 range depending on age and residency and that the department is still finalizing sales and proration policies to avoid mass refunds if an opening shifts later.

Parks staff also reviewed the cemetery budget, described as a small line item (about $227,000) covering mowing and maintenance. A resident asked about timing for a canopy and the number of cremation niches; staff said the canopy is likely a decade away and could not give an exact count from memory.

The committee received the reports for information; no ordinance or spending vote on the department budget was taken at this committee meeting. Staff asked that committee members and the public note schedule-sensitive projects and contact the park office for tours; staff said the park office is open and available for visits.