Bloomington’s Holiday and O’Neil pools will be closed for this year, creating an exciting opportunity for O’Neil. The 46-year-old pool, which has outlived is operational capacity expectation by 21 years, will be demolished this year to make way for a new aquatics project. COVID-19 contributed to the decision to close both pools for the season.
“In every challenge there is an opportunity,” explains City Manager Tim Gleason. “The guidelines that are here and the ones we know are likely coming due to COVID-19, combined with the condition of O’Neil Pool, made this a no-brainer. Let’s have a big win for the community out of this.”
Demolition could begin as early as June. The scope and design of the new O’Neil facility has yet to be determined, along with total project cost. Design work is budgeted for this fiscal year in the amount of $738,000 The bidding process for design could also begin as early as June. Final completion date for the project is also yet to be determined.
