PRINCEVILLE, Ill. – A non-profit is looking to bring back a beloved summer activity to Princeville.
“Save the Pool” is a fundraising campaign aimed at reopening the Princeville Aquatic Center. The facility was closed by the village two years ago, citing rising costs with maintaining and operating the pool.
The village donated the property at no-cost to the non-profit group, who is now in charge of maintenance and operations.
Jake Wilson of the non-profit estimates that it will cost anywhere between $250,000 and $300,000 to make all the repairs needed to reopen the pool.
“The big expense and the big piece of this is going to repair and replace the main pump equipment in the pump house, heaters, filters, all the plumbing for that,” Wilson said.
Wilson says other repairs include light fixtures, ladders, and work at the pool’s main building.
The campaign, officially announced this week, has set a goal of around $275,000. Wilson says about $60,000 has been raised so far.
Wilson says a survey conducted shows that around 80% of residents are in favor of reopening the pool. He says people from outside of Princeville are in favor of reopening the facility.
“We have received feedback from citizens in surrounding communities, such as Wyoming, Toulon, Brimfield, these other small towns around us who do not have a pool,” Wilson said. “For years, families in those towns would bring their kids to our pool, and we’ve received word that they miss it as well.”
Wilson says there is not enough time to reopen the pool this year, so the targeted reopening would be in 2026.
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