Chippewa Falls Public Pool | Facebook//Chippewa Parks & Rec.
Chippewa Falls Public Pool | Facebook//Chippewa Parks & Rec.
With repair estimates for the Chippewa Falls public pool in the neighborhood of $4 million, the facility is soon slated to close its lanes for good.
"I can't find the justification to invest that much money when it's only open three months and even in those three months, we might face weather like we're facing today,” Chippewa Falls Parks Director John Jimenez told WQOW.com. "The pool is falling apart, and knowing that it operates at a loss and we can't offset it with revenues, to me, it does not make sense financially for the city or for the department or for the community."
Earlier this month, the Chippewa Falls City Council signed off on a plan to close the Bernard Willi pool following recommendations led by Jimenez, who cited crumbling infrastructure and staffing issues among the reasons for his position.
With the pool coming off a summer in 2021 where it was only opened four days a week and the city not profiting off its operation, going forward Jimenez said he only sees a handful of options.
"Option one is... we remodel, restore, and rebuild this facility which would be between $4 to $6 million,” he said. “Option two is we tear this down, demo, and now we have a brand new facility that's again upwards of $6 or $7 million.”
The third option is replacing the pool with a new facility like a teen center, enhanced splash pad, and basketball courts.
“For those that are going to be missing the pool, all I can say is try to have an open mind about what directions and opportunities may be available moving forward," Jimenez added.
Jimenez added that the department has been in city talks to close the pool since last March.
Alerts Sign-up