Oak Forest Pool To Be Demolished And Sold

OAK FOREST, IL — Residents of Oak Forest will be saying goodbye to the former Oak Forest Community Pool, after the city council voted in favor of demolishing the site, and selling the property.

At the Tuesday evening city council meeting in Oak Forest, the city owned property, located at 5122 Aldersyde Road, was approved for demolition by the Cook County Sheriff's Department Resorting Neighborhoods Workforce (RENEW) at no cost to the city. The pool closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, and infrastructure repairs would cost the city around $50,000 to operate again.

City documents state that the pool has had an operational deficit for its years in operation, and hasn't generated any additional revenue for the city. The location will sell at the best price, and proceeds from the sale will be placed into the City of Oak Forest's general fund.

Mayor Henry Kuspa said the pool was initially built in the 1950s as a neighborhood pool, and reopened a few years back.

"During the pandemic, it kind of fell into disrepair," Kuspa said. "It would be very, very expensive to try to refurbish it and rebuild it."

City Administrator Tim Kristin told the city council that all inventory at the site, including tables and lounge chairs will be considered for disposal or sale at the next meeting.

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