A short history lesson.
Better than 15 years ago, the Park District of Oak Park was contemplating a major overhaul of Ridgeland Common. They wanted to build a community rec center and looked hard at putting a roof over the pool to make it year-round. To their credit, they worked hard to engage Oak Park and River Forest High School in discussions to work together on a shared pool and other facilities at Ridgeland and Lake.
OPRF was still in its full-on arrogance mode and told the parks to go away, saying it did not have a need for new pools. That, of course, was nuts as its two puny pools were nearing the century mark and were obsolete in every dimension.
And it set up the past 10 years when the swimming pool situation at OPRF became the singular topic that launched endless failed plans, a highly divisive taxing referendum, and finally the decision to demolish the entire quadrant of the campus that houses all athletics.
That $100 million-plus excursion will leave port shortly and result in many fine upgrades, including a hefty and modern swimming facility.
So is it irony or opportunity that in this moment the park district is testing the waters to build its own indoor, year-round pool, likely as an expansion of the new Community Recreation Center on Madison Street. The park district is touting another of its dubious surveys reporting that almost everyone wants this new pool and almost everyone wants a tax hike to pay for it!
To their credit the park district and OPRF have finally, in recent years, found multiple paths to collaborate and share the limited land resources for outdoor athletics on the school campus and at Ridgeland Common.
In that spirit, is it too much to ask for a sincere conversation between the school and parks about whether this new pool at OPRF might be actively, proactively shared with the community?