New Pool Ideas Presented to OPRF Committee

The Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board of Education next week will hear a presentation of two concepts for construction of a new swimming pool at the school. The district's finance committee on Monday heard a presentation of the preliminary plans. 

According to a Wednesday Journal report, the committee heard a few options, including an outdoor pool facility that would replace the tennis courts or an off-campus facility in the current parking garage location.

Two district committees in 2012 looked at the school's facilities to look at sites that could accommodate a pool as part of the district's long-term planning. The committee identified OPRF's parking garage, east pool and south gym location and the west pool into the field house, according to a District 200 staff memo.

The district also looked at options for its long term facilities planning, including:

• The first concept would cost about $40-46 million for a 167,000-square-foot renovation that would result in 85-percent utilization of classroom space.
• The second concept would cost, according to the preliminary report, about $45-52 million to renovate about 80,000 square feet and construct a new, 41,000-square-foot pool. The project would result in 65-percent teacher utilization, or about one classroom per teacher.