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Illinois Valley

Peru Pool plans still in progress

Officials say project isn’t dead as residents push for updates

Peru City Hall in Peru, Illinois

Peru residents will have to wait to see if their dreams of a municipal pool will become a reality.

Pool Committee Chairman Rick O’Sadnick said there is a lot of discussion going on behind the scenes and they are “starting to move the needle.”

“This is not dead,” he said. “We are waiting for the feasibility study to come back.”

In April, the pool committee released preliminary drawings for a potential new pool next to the splash pad at Washington Park.

The proposed design would allow for 434 bathers, with the shallow area at 3,606 square feet and the deep area at 1,164 square feet.

“I’ve been brainstorming and speaking with a few people and I’d like to know if the council here would be willing to have a sit-down sometime,” she said. “To go over, bounce off some ideas, and do a little more brainstorming in regards to having a pool.”

La Salle County Clerk Jennifer Ebner, a Peru resident, spoke during Public Comment to inquire about the status of the municipal pool.

Ebner said she would like to discuss some possible fundraising ideas and reiterated that she was “definitely for a pool.”

After the meeting, Mayor Ken Kolowski said the pool is a work in progress.

“There’s really nothing to report at this time,” he said. “But, things are in motion.”

An advisory referendum passed in November, asking residents if the city should construct and operate a municipal swimming pool funded by the use of the hotel/motel tax.

Maribeth M. Wilson

Maribeth M. Wilson has been a reporter with Shaw Media for two years, one of those as news editor at the Morris Herald-News. She became a part of the NewsTribune staff in 2023.