WATCH: Anna Peplowski, Olympic silver medalist in swimming in Metamora
U.S. women’s Olympic swimming silver medalist Anna Peplowski brings her Olympic medal from Paris to Metamora to celebrate with the city.
So the Metamora Park District’s swimming pool project will be watertight after all.
The park administration has decided to keep the swimming pool open to the public and to carry out extensive repairs to the facility, which was built about 60 years ago.
“We had a storm early in the season and several repairs had to be made for safety reasons,” said Renee Udell, chair of the Metamora Park District. “We had to make sure we got that done. During that time, the board realized the pool was on its last legs. It was built in the 1960s and has a lot of things that were grandfathered in and not necessarily up to code. It has its quirks.”
‘Astonished’: Metamora gives Olympic swimmer Anna Peplowski her big moment on the winner’s podium
The Park District had originally planned to close the pool in June, but it was spared in the August meeting and will remain open beyond the end of the season.
“When the board realized it was safe to open, we let everyone know at our June meeting that we needed the public’s help,” Udell said. “People expressed that they wanted the pool to stay. We took that into account and voted at our August meeting to maintain our $30,000 budget for those repairs.”
According to Udell, the park district’s annual budget is $350,000, of which $30,000 is earmarked for repairs and maintenance of the pool. However, the president says the pool now needs an estimated $100,000 in repairs, leaving a significant shortfall that she hopes to cover through private donors and fundraisers.
“In 1990, the park district invested $900,000 in bonds and renovated the entire pool,” Udell said. “As part of that project, we purchased some chairs for the pool. Those chairs are still in use there today.”
“The baby pool has a leak. Water fountains on our pool deck need to be removed. Chlorine filters need to be replaced and fan filters need to be cleaned. The list goes on.”
The Metamora Swimming Pool has been brought back into the community spotlight somewhat due to the success of U.S. Olympic silver medalist Anna Peplowski at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She sold t-shirts in the community and donated the proceeds to the Metamora Area Swim Team, an organization she swam for as a child.
Udell says there are discussions in the community about building a sports complex with an Olympic-sized pool and indoor running track, so the current pool will need to extend its life while such a plan grows.
“That’s our hope,” Udell said. “We need to keep this pool going until we can build an Olympic-style complex. Hopefully that can happen in the next five years. I believe the town of Metamora has someone doing a study on it.”
Dave Eminian is a sports columnist for the Journal Star, covering the Bradley men’s basketball team, the Rivermen and the Chiefs. He writes the “Clevé In The Eve” sports column for pjstar.com. Reach him at 686-3206 or [email protected]. Follow him on X.com at @icetimecleve.
Background: This Peoria-area public pool will close permanently after the summer season
