Community Center Hot Tub Opening In December

The Community Center's spa that closed May 1 will be rebuilt and reopened as early as December, park district officials said.

The spa is about 20 years old and has been leaking. Although it was still safe for pool patrons to enter and use, the park district didn't want to lose anymore water. Before it closed, it was leaking beteen 5,000 to 10,000 gallons a day, district officials said. 

Earlier this year, the park board voted to close the spa even though it was a popular indoor pool feature of the Community Center, 1515 W. Touhy Ave.

"We could've kept it up, but it wouldn't have been prudent," said Gayle Mountcastle, the park district's executive director. "We didn't want to waste water."

The closed whirlpool spa will be removed and a new one built nearby, closer to the center's windows, Mountcastle said. 

The park district is waiting for the Illinois Department of Public Health to issue permit for construction of a new spa, Mountcastle said. 

If all goes as planned, the district will look for contruction company in September to do the work. It should take about three months to finish, so it's hoped it will be open before the end of the year, she said. 

Last year, Community Center staff began noticing problem with the pool's spa area that includes a hot tub.

After monitoring the situation, the staff contacted the district aquatic engineer who evaluated for the hot tub. Based on that evauluation and recoomendation from staff, the board decided to close it, even though it would likey be heavily used during the summer months. 

While the spa is closed, the Des Plaines Park District’s Prairie Lakes Community Center, 515 E. Thacker St., is letting district residents to use its hot tub for free, according to park district officials.