Grant Money Will Enhance Indoor Aquatic Center: Glenview Park District

GLENVIEW, IL — Splash Landings, the Glenview Park District's indoor aquatic center, had nearly 80,000 visitors in 2023. According to the district, that number includes over 25,000 fitness member visits, over 23,500 swim lesson visits, 11,500 daily fee visits, and more than 3,000 visits from group outings and parties.

Last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the park district will receive $2.8 million as part of state grant funding for local park and recreational facility projects across the state. Park district officials said Tuesday the money will be used to enhance Splash Landings with upgrades to include updating pool finishes, adding new mechanical systems that allow for the activity pool and lap pool temperatures to be controlled separately, and introducing features such as a retractable ninja course in the lap pool and a replacement play feature in the activity pool.

"We are thrilled to receive state funding to improve our indoor aquatics facilities," said Melissa Marsh, division director of recreation and museums. "These upgrades will benefit our lap swimmers, families visiting for open swim, individuals recovering and recharging in the warm water therapy pool, North Suburban Special Recreation Association participants, as well as adults and children learning the valuable lifesaving skill of swimming through our swim lesson program."

Officials said the funding covers up to 90 percent of project costs.

RELATED: $2.8M Awarded To Glenview Park District From Grant — Pritzker

In all, $28 million is being awarded to 13 municipalities and government agencies, according to a news release from Pritzker's office. The funding comes from the Park and Recreational Facility Construction Act, or PARC, grant program and is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

According to officials, the aquatic center hosts nearly 700 classes each year. During the 2022/23 fiscal year, 1,793 children learned "vital water safety and swimming skills" during group lessons at Splash Landings. The service area population for the center is of 314,708 people within 119,125 households.