Leaders from the DeKalb Park District are amending their timeline for reopening Hopkins Park Pool once more, this time to mid-August.

Officials said they are making progress on a new outdoor pool facility, a significant construction project that will continue into a third summer.

The nearly 100-year-old Hopkins Park Pool has faced its share of challenges, with updated design standards, state permitting requirements, and, most recently, weather-related delays, according to a news release from the park district. The pool, previously Hopkins Pool, also was renamed to Hopkins Park Pool.

At the same time, officials said they remain committed to opening the pool as soon as possible. A late-summer start is the goal, the district said Friday.

In a news release, Park District Executive Director Paul Zepezauer acknowledged the complexity of the project, including developing construction documents, bidding and awarding contracts for the project.

“While certain phases were completed concurrently, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) permitting process alone required approximately 10 months,” Zepezauer said in a release. “Without the IDPH permit, there could be no underground excavating for any of the pool foundation. This timeline made favorable winter and spring weather especially important; however, we experienced eight weeks of deep frost beginning in January, followed by a notably wet spring.”

The improvements to Hopkins Park Pool were originally approved by the park board in September 2024. The outdoor pool facility has been closed for the past two summers as work continues.

Zepezauer expressed some optimism about the pool’s new reopening timeline.

“We are hopeful that favorable conditions in the coming months will allow us to recover some lost time and maximize the number of operating days this season,” he said in a release. “If weather and staffing conditions permit, we may also consider extending the pool’s operating season beyond its typical schedule.”