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Maywood Exploring Fred Hampton Pool Opening As Park District Expands Its Footprint


The village of Maywood may turn over management of the Fred Hampton Aquatic Center, along with the green space between 1st and 4th avenues where the pool is located, to the Maywood Park District. | File 

Saturday, February 12, 2022 || By Michael Romain || @maywoodnews 

The village of Maywood is exploring what it might take to open the Fred Hampton Aquatic Center, 300 Fred Hampton Way, this summer. Village board members discussed the feasibility of opening the historic pool, which has been closed for the last two years, during a Committee of the Whole meeting on Feb. 1. 

The discussion is happening as the village also seeks to turn over management of two multipurpose buildings at 200 S. 5th Ave. and 1100 S. 11th Ave., as well as the green space between 1st and 4th avenues, to the Maywood Park District, which is expanding its program offerings. The village will continue to own those properties.

Last year, the village and park district hammered out an agreement to turn over six parks to the park district, as part of a referendum that a majority of voters approved in 2006.

During the meeting on Feb. 1, Maywood Village Manager Chasity Wells-Armstrong said that the village has already drafted agreements for the park district to manage the two multipurpose buildings. The park district already utilizes the 200 S. 5th Ave. building for various programming.

Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George-Booker said turning over management of the parks and fields between 1st and 4th avenues, on land where the Maywood Police Station is located, would mean better management of the village-owned property. 

Booker said that as long as the property has been under village management, sufficient vetting for entities that utilize the properties has never occurred. For instance, the park district is better equipped to check for proper insurance, and conduct rigorous background checks according to standards set by entities like the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, the mayor said. 

Trustee Isiah Brandon was against the prospect of turning over management of the green space between 1st and 4th avenues. He said that area has always been managed by the village due to its proximity to the police station and because of various safety concerns.

“It still makes sense for Maywood to keep control and management over the park that sits on these grounds where we are located now,” Brandon said. 

Booker said that the land where the police station sits could be carved out of any management agreement. Brandon, however, said he would “go even further than that” and only allow the park district to manage the areas they are looking to utilize for programming. Booker said that the area in reference is most of the green space between 1st and 4th avenues. 

The park district’s expanded program offerings include a t-ball team for young people ages 4 to 6 and a baseball team for young people ages 7 to 12. The baseball programs are happening in collaboration with the Chicago White Sox. The park district plans to utilize the baseball fields between 1st and 4th avenues for this program. Other Maywood Park District program offerings can be found here. 

During that meeting, the board returned to a proposal drafted in 2020 that would have turned over most of the operation of the Fred Hampton Aquatic Center to the Maywood Park District. 

According to the draft proposal, the village would be responsible for mechanical upkeep of the pool facility while the park district would be responsible for routine maintenance and operations. 

The village would also pay the park district $110,000 for maintenance, operational, programming and marketing costs. The village and park district would split equally any net profit from revenue, such as fees, that exceed costs. The two entities would also share any net operating losses The park district would contribute up to $5,000 while the village would pay all the net operating losses that exceed the district’s maximum contribution. 

The West Cook YMCA had operated the pool until 2019, when record-setting subzero temperatures brought on by the winter vortex in 2018 resulted in a few dozen holes that formed in the pool’s concrete base. 

During the meeting on Feb. 1, Booker said that the village had no information about the current status of the pool, but that they would explore the feasibility of opening the facility this summer before planned capital improvement work on the pool starts.

“If we are going to do that, we need to look at posting positions for lifeguards, because you already have the Memorial Park District [among other park districts] posting for lifeguards,” the mayor said. 

The board plans to vote on agreements related to the park district managing the 1st through 4th avenue green space, and the two multipurpose buildings at its next regular meeting on Feb. 15, which is also when park district officials are scheduled to present on their programming and activity plans.  

The board could vote in March on an agreement for the park district to manage the pool, Booker said. 

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