My husband and I took our disabled son to the Ridgeland Pool on July 4th from our home a block away. We were planning to pay the daily Oak Park residency rate but were not allowed entry because we weren’t summer pass holders. We were told that this policy was put in place for July 4th only, and only at the Ridgeland Pool (not at Rehm Pool).
The pool was practically empty. The computer display at the window showed it was at 6% capacity. I could understand why we would be denied entry if we did not live in Oak Park, or if the pool were full. We had been pass holders for many years in Oak Park but stopped because Ridgeland Pool was so often closed.
We, like other Oak Parkers, have paid exorbitant taxes for many, many years and expect to be able to use, within reason, the resources we financially support. Can someone explain to me why, as Oak Park residents, we were not allowed entry into our town pool that was only 6% full on July 4th?
Pamela Grace
Oak Park
