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VOL. 14 • NO. 48
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332494
WWW.THEINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPERS.COM
THURSDAY, NOV. 22, 2018
Lufkin pool revisited, draws 60+ residents Board tables demolition vote to June
By Paul DelGuidice
FOR THE VILLA PARK INDEPENDENT
The question of demolishing the facility was tabled until November to give residents a chance to explore private funding solutions. The Save Lufkin group is in the process of forming a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation in an effort to raise funding to fix the pool and reopen it. They currently have about $3,000 committed. After about 10 residents got up to speak to the Board on the matter, the Board discussed the demolition question.
“We toured the pool again today,” Trustee Don Kase said. “There is no saving it. It will need a total rebuild. I don’t think it is safe, no matter if you spend the half a million or not.” Demolishing the facility and putting in a splash park was the best course of action in Kase’s opinion. “I admire the passion of residents who want to save Lufkin,” Kase continued, “but I don’t think you will be able to raise that much money.” At the February meeting, Village President Al Bulthuis said a new
pool/multi-use gym and community center would be a future option. Estimated costs for such a facility range from $13- to $24-million. The time frame to fund and build something along those lines is in the 10-year range. For many residents, this is too far in the future. “I don’t think the Park & Rec Study will change anything,” Trustee Chris Aiello said. “But there is no need to demolish Lufkin right now.” Aiello made a motion to table the vote until the first Board of Trustee’s
meeting in June, 2019. Trustee’s Cheryl Tucker, Robert Wagner, Nick Cuzzone and Aiello voted to table. Trustees David Cilella and Don Kase joined Village President Al Bulthuis in voting against tabling. The crowd cheered that Lufkin Pool, once again, would avoid being demolished for good. “We kicked the can down the road again,” Kase said. “There is no saving Lufkin. We should be focusing on finding ways to fund a newer, better pool.”
Lufkin pool won’t be reopening, but it won’t be demolished either — at least, not until June 2019. The hot-button topic of the six-decades-plus-old pool once again dominated the discussion and brought out the passion of residents and elected officials at a meeting of the Board of Trustees on Monday, Nov. 12. The meeting was moved to the Iowa Community Center to accommodate the expected higher than usual number of residents that attend any meeting having to do with the pool. This time, the Agenda item before the Board was a Resolution authorizing a contract with American Demolition Corp. of Elgin for demolitions of Lufkin Pool in the amount of $77,700. About 65 total attendees, including many from the ‘Save Lufkin Pool’ group of residents, came to the meeting. Several expressed their desire to hold off on demolition of the aging pool and bath house facilities, at least until the recently commissioned ‘Parks & Rec Dept. Survey’ is completed. “We ask that (Lufkin Pool) not be demolished until the survey and study is completed,” said one resident. “Then the survey can look at all the different [recreation] facilities in the Village.” The saga of Lufkin Pool appeared DEE LONGFELLOW PHOTO Villa Park Independent to end in February when the Board A resident addresses the Village Board of Trustees at a meeting held at the Iowa Community Center on Monday, Nov. 12. The young voted not to fund repairs, estimated between $200,000 and $500,000. The people along with her brought signs boasting their “Preserve Lufkin Pool” fundraising effort. The board decided to postpone the decision pool was closed for the past summer. to demolish the pool until next spring.
Inside:
Police Reports...........4 Sports ��������������� 16-17 Out & About............3 Classifieds..........20-21
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