Hinsdale District 86 Finally Has A Solution To Its Pool Safety Issues: Details

Officials at Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central High Schools have been looking for a solution to unsafe diving wells for months now, and there’s finally a proposed plan that will show up on residents’ ballots April 4 in the form of a referendum question.

Pools at both schools were discovered to be ten feet deep late last year — two feet more shallow than the National Federation of State High School Association allows for safe dive practice and competition.

In its referendum question, Hinsdale Township High School District 86 specified plans to upgrade and renovate several spaces across both schools’ campuses, including special education resources, fine arts upgrades and classroom extensions.

The aquatic centers were no exception.

With permission to use the $76 million proposed in the district’s referendum question, Hinsdale Central would install a brand-new, 8-lane, 25-yard pool on its campus, the district announced. Hinsdale South would put in a new 6-lane, 25-yard pool.

Although District 86’s referendum doesn’t specify the depth of the new diving wells it plans to build, it does state in its reduced scope referendum that they’d be the “appropriate depth,” which is at least 12 feet to comply with the NFSHSA.

A lack of pool safety prompted concern with school officials that Hinsdale boys’ swim teams wouldn’t be able to safely practice or compete for their spring season.

While the pools at both high schools were 10 feet, a ledge for swimmers to stand on when they’re not swimming juts out a foot from the pool wall, making the water even shallower in some areas. The pool at Hinsdale South was built in 1965; the one at Hinsdale Central was constructed in 1958.

Options for creating a safer environment included deepening the pool, replacing or repositioning springboards on the deck or building completely new pools. In late December, when the board was initially addressing these concerns, just deepening the diving side of a pool could cost a pricey $840,000.

The district didn’t announce a price breakdown with the release of its reduced referendum.

District 86 was also evaluating the need for updates to locker rooms and pool decks, though upgrades to these areas weren’t specified in the latest reports.

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