Elgin residents can plunge into the new year at the Adventure Island water park and lap pool at The Edward Schock Centre, which are reopening Monday after being closed since Dec. 15 for improvements and maintenance.
“The work being done was in preparation for the replacement of the 3-meter diving board at Adventure Island,” said Steve Gard, Elgin’s senior recreation supervisor for aquatics.
During the three-week closure, workers repainted several high-use areas, including pool locker rooms, family changing rooms and the pool lobby, and did routine maintenance and deep cleaning throughout the facility that couldn’t be completed if the pools were open, Gard said.
The aquatics project is part of the city of Elgin’s ongoing effort to invest in safety improvements and replace infrastructure at some of its most heavily used recreational facilities, he said. The work aligns with a related project at Wing Park Pool, where the 3-meter high dive is also being replaced.
“Most groundwork at Wing Park Pool is complete, with installation of the new high dive expected in late spring, weather permitting,” Gard said.
The original cost estimate for the Adventure Island 3-meter high-dive replacement was $185,006, he said. However, final costs are still being determined due to the need for additional structural repairs identified during construction.
The Schock Centre has been open since November 2002 and is a multipurpose facility. The most recent comparable closure to its aquatics operations was in 2017, Gard said. At that time, the facility underwent significant renovations, including interior upgrades, improved lighting and enhanced accessibility features.
In addition to the newly painted interior spaces, “deep cleaning completed by staff during this time have helped create a cleaner, brighter and more welcoming facility,” Gard said.
As for the new 3-meter diving board, slated to be installed later in January, Gard said the new design includes stair access instead of a vertical ladder, providing a safer and more user-friendly way to reach the diving platform.
Adventure Island and the lap pool are scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday and will resume their regular operating schedule. Later in January, patrons may experience temporary closures of up to four lap pool lanes while crews install the new high dive.
For more information and the Adventure Island schedule, go to elginil.gov/284/Adventure-Island-Lap-Pool.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
