Hinsdale Central Pool Project Further Delayed

HINSDALE, IL – The reopening of Hinsdale Central High School's pool will be further delayed because of issues with a construction project, the school district said Thursday.

Late last week, Hinsdale High School District 86's contractor, Pepper Construction, told officials it expected the project to be done in time for an Oct. 1 opening. That was contingent on a test of the work done so far.

In a statement Thursday afternoon, the district said the opening was pushed back to Oct. 7.

When the pool closed May 1, officials said it would open in time for the start of the girls swim team's season, which is next week.

In its statement, the district left open the possibility of more delays.

"While we do not expect further delays, there is always the possibility that unexpected issues could push back the opening date," the district said. "If that occurs, we will continue to work diligently on alternative plans that minimize the impact on our students, teams and partners."

The new pool, known officially as the Don Watson Aquatic Center, was completed in summer 2021. But problems with the pool deck tile emerged. That is the focus of the project.

In its statement, the district described the challenges in replacing the deck tile. A key component of the deck is the concrete overlay. It must be bonded to the concrete structural slab in a way that prevents future movement of the floor system, the district said.

Several attempts this summer to chemically bond the new layer of concrete failed, which resulted in a shift to mechanically bond the new layer, according to the statement. The work on mechanically bonding started Wednesday.

Construction crews will continue working six days a week to finish the job, the district said.

On Tuesday, Patch wrote a story about how the girls swim team is handling the issue.

District 86 says it is not footing the bill for the work to correct the pool's problems.

But the district acknowledges it will pay for the use of places such as FMC Natatorium in Westmont and transportation of students to the practice sites.

The district is also giving up rental income from other groups that use the pool.