May 22 COVID-19 Update: Pool, Camps, outdoors and more!

May 22, 2020

Forest Park Residents and Friends,

We appreciate the patience of our residents and loyal Forest Park Aquatic Center patrons as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is with a heavy heart that the Park District of Forest Park has decided not to open the aquatic center for the 2020 season. The staff worked tirelessly to exhaust all avenues to open the facility safely and efficiently.

With safety being of the utmost importance in an aquatic setting, we took all factors into consideration. As a commitment to our lifeguard and management staff, we carefully researched the guidelines to safely guard the patrons using our facility while also maintaining the guards’ safety with standard lifeguard PPE and including new COVID-19 requirements for PPE. When taking all these factors into consideration, we feel we cannot confidently operate a safe facility.

Reviewing additional guidelines and understanding the CDC disinfecting standards also presents a challenge to our staff to properly protect patrons entering our locker rooms. Each summer, our pool serves as a great place for families to safely enjoy. Providing this service was at the forefront of many of our conversations at the park district and being able to enjoy this summertime tradition with all our residents is a priority.

If we follow the guidelines laid out in Phase 4, we would potentially have the ability to serve 140 residents for an hour and a half each. In the best-case scenario, we would be able to open the pool on July 1, which would give us 69 days. This would serve 9,660 residents one time for an hour-and-half. Unfortunately, we would not be able to give all our residents the opportunity to enjoy the pool at least once.

There is also an element of fiscal responsibility that presents a large hurdle. The up-front cost of opening the pool for those 69 days, and additional costs related to following the Phase 4 guidelines would create a significant financial deficit. With the limited number of people that can be served and additional operating costs we would incur, this would create a financial burden that we don’t feel is prudent at this time as we have taken a conservative stance regarding our finances.

We are making this decision at this time so that we can begin moving forward with services we will be able to offer to our residents as we get ready to move into the next phase. Our staff focus is to reinvent the norm by working more efficiently and effectively with the services we are able to provide.

We also had to make a very tough decision on our annual Fourth of July Celebration. Over the years, the park district celebration and fireworks show has been enjoyed by many. To protect our residents and our community, we have decided to suspend our 2020 Fourth of July celebration and fireworks show.

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With the move into Phase 3, we will also be able to offer a modified Day Camp!

Registration will begin June 1 with camp beginning on June 15. Sessions will be changed to 2-week sessions, and camp will be open to Forest Park residents only. If you registered for the original Day Camp sessions, you will need to re-register. Residents who already registered for the original sessions will be assured a spot in the new sessions. All registration will be done by phone.

Stay tuned next week for more information as we put the final touches on our plan.

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Governor Pritzker’s plan allows us to start providing some outdoor fitness activities, so stay tuned to our social media pages for updates on some great fitness opportunities.

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