JERSEYVILLE – Jerseyville officials are hoping to fully repair and reopen all Donor Pool facilities by 2029 with financial help from the state.
Jerseyville City Council members voted unanimously at their Aug. 18, 2026 meeting to apply for an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The city is seeking the maximum grant amount of $600,000 and would match these funds with another $600,000 for $1.2 million total.
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Future Of Donor Pool Under Consideration
After 26 years of operation, the underlying infrastructure at Donor Pool is failing, leaving the city with a difficult decision. Public Works Director Bob Manns said after an assessment from the pool’s original designer, the city is facing three options: let the pool “age out” and close, renovate the existing pool, or build an entirely new pool.
Letting the pool close would be the city’s lowest-cost option, financially speaking. But for residents who rely on the availability of a public pool for swim lessons, lifeguard training, birthday parties, and more, the cost would be far greater than any dollar amount.
City Councilman John Miles asked if the kiddie pool was still needed given the city’s addition of a splash pad at Wittman Park. Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Hermens said even after the splash pad opened, the kiddie pool was rented out nearly every day it was available, showing a strong demand from local families for both facilities to stay open.
Manns estimated the cost to build an entirely new pool facility at over $6 million. He described renovating the existing pool site as a “middle ground” option at at estimated $1.7 to $1.9 million.
Manns also said over $1 million has been budgeted for pool repairs, allowing the city to fill any funding gap not covered by the grant or local match. Making repairs to the main pool now could also lower the future total cost.
The city will learn the results of its OSLAD grant application either later this year or early in 2027. Manns said under a “best case scenario” schedule, an agreement next spring would kick off several months of redesign work before going out for construction bids in the summer of 2028. That would give the pool renovation project a construction window of August 2028 to Memorial Day of 2029.
“If we’re successful to get the grant and we do our major construction project, we would cut a ribbon in 2029 in theory and everything would be open and available to the public,” Manns said. “The kiddie pool is a complete redo. That would be excavated, removed, and a brand-new ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant playset would be built in its place.”
“We’re Out Of Band Aids”
Hermans said both the main pool and kiddie pool are experiencing mechanical problems, water loss and other issues with underground piping. While a series of temporary fixes have been made in recent years, Hermens said that as of now, “we’re out of Band Aids.”
Thousands of gallons of water have been leaking from the kiddie pool alone, which Hermens said completely drained of water on Aug. 1, just 14 hours after being filled. The sudden drainage prompted an indefinite closure of the kiddie pool and refunds for pool parties that had been booked at the site.
“The pool parties out there are seven days a week – from the first week of June until the middle of August, it’s rented every single night,” Hermans said. “So there’s definitely a huge want and need, I think citizens would say, for the pool to be there.”
Hermans and Manns both said the kiddie pool would need to be completely replaced before reopening, so the site remains closed indefinitely pending approval of grant funds.
While leaks and other problems have persisted at the main pool in recent years, Manns said they may complete some work this fall to operate the main pool over the next two seasons as it awaits reconstruction.
