Vida Schultz used to be a lifeguard at Hawthorne Pool in Galesburg, and she’s part of successful Save the Hawthorne Pool group.
“We don’t have a pool in Knoxville, and so the kids were bused as other outlined cities bus their kids here for learn to swim,” Schultz said. “It was amazing!”
Galesburg Parks and Recreation Director Tony Oligney-Estill showed how a million dollars in just the first year will help transform the pool.
“White beams that you can see along the wall; they go all the way into the brick there and really dealing with the base of the brick, so that’s the main reason, and that’s the biggest safety issue that we have,” Oligney-Estill said. “That’s something that will be taken care of right away. Once we get the first phase done, the building will reopen and the pool will reopen, and the remaining repairs that we have to do will be done sporadically over the next couple of years.”
Part of the repairs will be paid for using money the city got from the American Rescue Plan.
The pool should reopen by the end of the year.
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