District 128 Seeks Aid to Extend Pool Closure Deadline

Community High School District 128 is urging parents and pool users to contact Gov. Pat Quinn to seek an extension of the Oct. 1 pool compliance deadline.

If the deadline is not extended, the district will have to close its pools at and Vernon Hills high schools Saturday because its drains do not meet federal regulations.

The district’s are among 400 pools across the state that do not meet the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act of 2007, which requires new drains or covers that can't trap swimmers with powerful suctions, according to Chicago Tribune.

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The district originally estimated the cost to repair the drains to be $6,000. Now the estimated cost is $125,000.

Even if the state approves the final plans, the pools will be closed for up to 12 weeks, which is the time it takes to issue a legal notice and a special board meeting to approve the bid, according to a District 128 press release.

Readers say district slow to respond

Patch readers were not happy that district officials were slow to meet the federal pool standards.

"This has been on the horizon since 2008. For the district to submit their plan approximately 6 weeks prior to the Oct 1st deadline is beyond belief," wrote Patch reader .

Patch reader wrote, "These people in D128, Lea, and his team should all be fired. They had since 2008 to take care of this and they just sat on it. They have cost our Sr's and Jr's their competitive opportunities for this season. THANKS ALOT!!!!!!."

One reader agreed that the pool closures will impact more than just her children.

"At least 500 kids easy that are now forced to go (swim) elsewhere. My daughter swims on the CATS team. She will now be shipped to Wisconsin twice a week for practice. It's obviously not the fault of the CATS team, but this is going to be a challenge for a nine year old. An hour up, swim, an hour back....on a school night??? Not my ideal situation. The administration dropped the ball big time!" wrote .

Another reader wondered how losing enrollment will impact people’s jobs.

"How many people will lose their jobs when the organizations that use the pools (CATS, etc.) lose enrollment?," wrote . "Will Dr. Lea make them whole too? Who will bear the cost of the lost revenue from pool rental and for the transportation of swim teams to other pools to train? Will that cost fall to parents or is the district cutting other programs to pay for this debacle?"

School looking for alternative pools

District 128 says it is working with other high schools to find alternative pools for the swim team and district pool users. One reader says the district is, in fact, taking the issue seriously.

"I went to the 3 hour meeting last night, and I can assure you the school officials are taking this very seriously. The CATS team has responded the best they can in a dire situation, as have many parents and coaches of swimmers. This is devastating. The most important thing we can do as residents is call or email the Governor's office and/or other local politicians and rally their support for our situation down in Springfield," wrote Patch reader .

District urges people to contact Gov. Pat Quinn

District 128 listed the governor's office contact information on its website:

Parents and pool users: Your help is urgently needed! Please contact the governor's office immediately to request an extension of the deadline for the LHS/VHHS swimming pool compliance.

Governor's Office Contact Information:
Phone: 217-782-0244
Email: Governor Pat Quinn Website (go to top red bar and select "contact us" for email form)

Every call and email contact will make a difference. Contact the governor's office as many times as you can.