By Staff Reporter

Summer officially began June 21, but Carlinville is still without a city pool. Normally the pool would have opened around June 1, but preparations for its opening are still being made. “We’ve been working hard to get the pool ready,” manager Carol Lefler said. “You’ve had pool employees, park district people, contractors all hustling to finally get the pool open this summer.”

Lefler had hoped the pool would finally open to the public Tuesday. Unfortunately, a couple of problems have delayed the opening. “For some reason, the pool isn’t filling up with water as fast as it normally does,” she said. “We’re not exactly sure what the issue is, but it has set us back a little.”

At this point there is a slight chance the pool could open Friday, but it was Lefler’s belief the pool would probably open Monday, June 29, or Tuesday, June 30.

“It’s definitely very frustrating at this point,” Lefler said. “We had all the work going on at the pool, fixing the grates and the crack and the electrical systems. Finally, it appeared that we had it all finished and then this occurred.”

Another issue delaying the opening is the kiddie pool. For some reason, the pool completely drained of water overnight. “We’re definitely trying to find the cause of that problem,” Lefler admitted. “Other than installing a new grate, there really hasn’t been any significant change.”

In spite of the challenges, Lefler is very pleased by all the progress made this year. “We have definitely been working to improve the appearance of the building and the pool,” she said. “While we weren’t able to paint the inside of the pool, I think customers will notice the difference everywhere else.”

The first improvement can be noticed out front of the pool. Thanks to the efforts of Carlinville Southern Baptist church members, the bushes were trimmed and new rock was layed, giving the entrance a much needed face lift.

Source: Macoupin County Enquirer-Democrat, June 26, 2009