Save Ridgeland Common’s pool & $40M

Oak Park voters will see a vaguely-worded referendum on the March 17 ballot in what will likely be a low-turnout election:

“Shall the Park District of Oak Park, Cook County, Illinois, build and equip an indoor aquatics facility and issue its bonds to the amount of $40,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”(1)

The referendum fails to mention that the facility would be located at Ridgeland Common and result in the demolition of its 50-meter pool, leaving only one outdoor pool for Oak Park’s 52,947 residents.(2) Park District of Oak Park (PDOP) Executive Director Jan Arnold says bond counsel gave them the referendum, disingenuously omitting that she and the board could have edited the bare-bones text.(3)

Uninformed voters may mistakenly assume that the referendum refers to the Community Recreation Center (CRC) and its planned Phase II (indoor pools) which PDOP promoted throughout CRC discussions.(4) Yet five months before its groundbreaking, PDOP accepted a $1.78 million grant to make the CRC a net-zero energy facility which rules out indoor pools, according to PDOP.(3&6) Four years later after it placed this referendum on the ballot, PDOP disclosed to the public that Phase II isn’t a possibility.(1&3)

Everything about this stealth referendum lacks transparency. PDOP “reportedly” discussed the proposal and referendum at a June 17 board retreat, though its agenda and minutes mention neither, prior to appearing six months later as “New Business” on the Dec. 18 agenda.(7&8) PDOP issued no news release before or after the June retreat and none in advance of the December board vote. PDOP has since held three information sessions, all tightly-controlled meetings led by an external moderator with no direct questioning permitted from attendees.(1)

If the $40 million referendum passes, already-overburdened taxpayers will be paying for the construction, operation and maintenance of 24-indoor swim lanes located a block from each other: Ridgeland Common’s proposed pool and the soon-to-open stretch pool at OPRF High School, whose board used a loophole to unethically bypass a referendum on its funding.(9)

If the PDOP referendum fails, it will send a message to OPRF to prioritize the community’s use of its new 16-lane pool. Other high schools share pools without issue. One example is Cape Elizabeth High School, near my hometown of Portland, Maine.(10) Cape Elizabeth has no swimming requirement. The community enjoys use of the 6-lane pool even during the school day, and two groups often share the pool, according to the schedule.(11)

OPRF can easily update its self-imposed, antiquated swim requirement, making time available for the community to use its pool during the school day, after hours and on the weekend. There’s no need for another indoor pool. Sharing taxpayer-funded resources is the optimal way for taxing bodies to maximize services and minimize costs to the community.

Vote no on the referendum!

Monica Sheehan is a 25-year Oak Park resident and former news reporter.

Sources:

1) PDOP website (indoor pool referendum): https://pdop.org/indoor-pool/

2) U.S. Census (7/1/24 Oak Park population estimate):

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/oakparkvillageillinois/PST045224#PST045224

3) Wednesday Journal 1/13/26 news story: https://www.oakpark.com/2026/01/13/park-chief-pool-referendum/

4) Wednesday Journal 1/28/20 news story: https://www.oakpark.com/2020/01/28/site-donated-for-oak-park-rec-center/

5) Wednesday Journal 3/22/22 news story: https://www.oakpark.com/2022/03/22/park-district-breaks-ground-on-community-rec-center/

6) PDOP news release on $1.8 million net-zero energy grant for CRC: https://parksfoundationop.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ICECF-Grant-Award-Announcement.pdf#:~:text=A%20generous%20$1.78%20million%20grant%20has%20been,site%20as%20the%20building%20needs%20to%20operate

7) PDOP board retreat/meeting agendas & packets 6/17/25 & 12/18/25 (pp. 1 & 152): https://pdop.org/about/agendas-packets/

8) PDOP board retreat/meeting minutes 6/17/25 & 12/18/25: https://pdop.org/about/minutes/