One of Editor & Publisher’s ‘10 That Do It Right 2021’

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Paxton Recreation Director Cody Evans at the Paxton swimming pool, which will reopen for the first time since 2019.

Paxton Recreation Director Cody Evans talks about plans to reopen the Paxton swimming pool for the first time since 2019.

Children swim in the Paxton swimming pool several years ago. The pool will be reopened this year for the first time since 2019.

Paxton Recreation Director Cody Evans at the Paxton swimming pool, which will reopen for the first time since 2019.

Paxton Recreation Director Cody Evans talks about plans to reopen the Paxton swimming pool for the first time since 2019.

Children swim in the Paxton swimming pool several years ago. The pool will be reopened this year for the first time since 2019.

PAXTON — To Scott Allen, a community’s swimming pool is more than a place to get wet on a hot day. It’s about socializing, a community gathering place, memories.

That’s why Allen, who with wife Lisa owns the Paxton Hardware and Rental store, is among those in the Ford County community throwing their support to the local park district to reopen the nearly 60-year-old Paxton pool after it has been closed the past two years.

“The pool is more than just a clean pond,” Allen said. “It’s a place for kids to gather, learn their social skills again after this garbage with the coronavirus. They need this interaction.

“They need their face-to-face experiences, see people’s expressions and how to get together, cooperation They’ve just been robbed of those.”

Allen said he thinks the swimming pool is a good place for all ages. He is among those putting his money where his mouth is, donating “20 or 30 gallons” of paint, painting materials and possibly some applicators as well as free use of a cotton candy machine, bounce house and foam party machine, which will see its first use since the store bought it, at a fundraiser next month at the pool. In all, the store’s donation will likely exceed $1,000.

The Paxton Park Board recently voted to reopen the swimming pool, which was last open to the public in 2019. The pandemic played a major role in its closure. The decision to reopen wasn’t an easy one. The park district was hit hard by the pandemic, which canceled many revenue-producing activities. Park district Recreation Director Cody Evans said the district is still catching up financially.

“Without programming, that set us back for a whole year,” Evans said, noting that revenue stopped coming in, but bills didn’t.

The park district was formed in the mid-’60s for the purpose of building and operating a swimming pool. It later took on recreational responsibilities in the community, among them soccer, basketball and baseball-softball programs. Operating a swimming pool is not a money-making endeavor. Tessa Pilcher, a member of the Save the Paxton Pool Committee, said only three pools in the country are money-makers. That’s why the other programs are needed to keep the district operating, with help from taxes.

“Our small-town park district did not have enough funds to be able to maintain the extreme upkeep and pricey necessary repairs to this aging facility,” Pilcher said.

Members of the public and local businesses are stepping up to help refurbish and reopen the pool. A Save the Paxton Pool fund has been established at Farmers-Merchants Bank in Paxton. Pilcher also set up a GoFundMe page that as of Tuesday afternoon had more than $6,400. Shawnna Rose and Jordan Hasselbring of Pretty in Paint have agreed to paint the pool, at no cost, after it is primed. The paint donated by Paxton Hardware will be used for shower rooms and other parts of the facility. A local individual who wants to remain anonymous agreed to help spearhead the mechanical upgrade of the pool.

“We’re now in the process of fixing our tank where we were having some leaks,” Evans said.

The tank, which will have a fiberglass liner inserted into it, is where fresh water is pumped in and chemicals are mixed before it becomes pool water.

“After that we have to put in our pool pump, lower that into the dry side and get hooked up, primed and ready to go,” Evans said.

The park board voted to buy a new chlorinator that has been ordered. The pool also needs to be dewinterized.

“Once we get all that and feel comfortable and get enough guards, we’ll open.” (He estimates 12-15 lifeguards will be needed.)

It won’t be cheap. Evans recently bought pool chemicals for $13,676, $3,500 higher than it would have cost in 2021. The park board also approved purchase of a new pool vacuum for $4,150.

It’s kind of a mad rush to get things ready. Evans said pool operators normally start ordering items and preparing for the following season not long after their pool closes in the fall. Evans, with help, is having to do it in a little more than a month.

The pool is likely to be open from early June to the first or second week of August. A work day for those 15 and older is planned at the pool from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Lunch and water will be provided. The committee will hold a fundraiser barbecue and festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22, at the pool.

As Pilcher sees it, this is a “true underdog story.”

“Big win for a town of 4,400,” she said. “People need positivity in their lives, and I truly believe this is one.”

A Paxton native, Evans formerly worked for another area park district before being hired as Paxton recreation director two years ago.

“The job has a lot of stressors,” Evans said, “but coming back home, seeing all the (individual) help and businesses helping, this is what makes me proud of being from Paxton.”

Dave Hinton is editor of The News-Gazette's Our County section and former editor of the Rantoul Press. He can be reached at dhinton@news-gazette.com.

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