Berwyn organizers set up 14-member pool advisory committee, open applications Feb. 1–March 1

Organizers in Berwyn moved at a community meeting to form a 14-member pool advisory committee to guide repairs, programming and outreach at the city pool, setting a proposed public application period from Feb. 1 to March 1 and scheduling nomination review and the committee’s first full meeting in March.

The meeting opened with roll call naming Michael Caldwell, 1st Ward, Alderman; Alderman Richard Egypt; Sarah Brockman, 7th Ward; and Elizabeth Herrera, city treasurer. During the open forum, several residents described long-standing concerns about the pool’s condition, programming and lack of amenities.

“I’ve been here since the pool opened,” one resident said, recounting past summers when the pool was busier and better equipped. Multiple speakers said the facility has deteriorated: “There is is no concession stand,” one resident said, and another noted, “There’s no sign,” describing inconsistent hours and limited public information about the pool.

At least one resident urged the city to coordinate with nearby park entities. “Maybe having those facilities work in concert in some way,” Sean, a resident who said he lives in Euclid, told the group, citing a nonoperational splash pad at Freedom Park and the need for parks and recreation entities to cooperate on facilities and programming for youth.

Organizers described the committee’s intended composition and selection process. The Moderator said the committee will include three organizers, representatives from the North Berwyn Park District, Berwyn Park District, Berwyn Township, the Berwyn Recreation Department, the city treasurer and six community representatives, with at least one resident from the northern area, one from the southern area and an implied central representative to ensure geographic diversity. “Once chair is selected committee will begin outreach to the park district’s township recreation department to coordinate next steps,” the Moderator said.

Participants debated how to choose community members. One member proposed a scoring matrix and application that would capture residency, availability, relevant expertise (for example, finance or municipal funding), conflict-of-interest disclosures and capacity for outreach. Organizers agreed to make the application accessible in multiple formats — online and paper — so people without internet access can apply.

The group tentatively agreed to post the application around Feb. 1 and leave submissions open for about one month (a Feb. 1–March 1 window was proposed), with a short meeting to review nominations on March 5 and the first full committee meeting scheduled for March 19. Organizers emphasized they expected each alderman to nominate two community members and discussed selecting community members by geographic distribution (two from north, two from central, two from south) if feasible.

There were three formal procedural actions recorded in the meeting: an unidentified attendee moved to take agenda item 5 earlier in the meeting (the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote); an attendee nominated “first ward alderman, Michael Culver” as chair and the nomination was seconded and approved by voice vote (the roll call earlier included “Michael Caldwell,” and the transcript therefore contains both names); and the meeting adjourned after a motion, second and voice vote.

Next steps: organizers said they will draft and circulate the application and scoring questions, coordinate outreach with parks and community sites, and proceed with the tentative timeline to review applicants in early March and convene the full committee later that month.