Mascoutah pool to stay closed this summer ahead of $5 million renovation

Mascoutah is slated for two new attractions at Scheve Park next summer.

The Mascoutah City Council plans to renovate the pool at the park and put in a new accessible playground near the site by next summer.

The pool will remain closed this year to make way for a $5 million renovation, which includes a lazy river, a slide into the zero-depth-entry children’s pool, a new lap pool for adults and renovated bathhouses.

But Mayor Walter “Wally” Battas said all of the pool’s current amenities are going to stay.

Battas said the alternative to renovations was an estimated $2.5 million in repairs to the bottom of the pool, which was built in the 1950s.

“It still wouldn’t have been operational this year because they basically got to jackhammer the whole pool to fix the piping underneath,” Battas said. “And then, we’ve got other renovations that need to be done in the pump house because it’s shifting and sagging. So, it became a choice to put $2.5 million into that or just build a brand new one.”

Battas confirmed that the city council will likely vote on a contractor to build the pool at Monday’s meeting and said the city plans to finance the project with a local bank over the next eight to 10 years.

“There’s a lot of wheels that’s got to turn,” Battas said. “We’re hoping within 12 weeks we can get approval from [the Environmental Protection Agency], then we could very possibly start the groundbreaking. But the pool contractor told us it should be ready to go by Memorial Day.”

Upgrading Mascoutah services

The pool and playground projects are part of a broad effort from the Mascoutah city council to upgrade city services.

City Council member Michael Baker said the former city manager assessed city properties and found that city buildings could be upgraded to expand some services.

The city government sent out a survey this spring to ask Mascoutah residents what city services they prioritize for upgrades. Results from nearly 1,000 residents show fire and emergency medical services ranked first, followed by the pool, recreation center, police and City Hall, according to a city news release.

Baker said the council is currently reviewing plans to move fire and emergency medical services out of the first floor of city hall, which it shares with the Mascoutah Police Department. He said the city plans to build a new space for the fire department but said the plan for EMS services is still under discussion.

The City of Mascoutah saw an increase of about $110,000 in its tax levy this season. St. Clair County tax records show home values in Mascoutah increased 8.2% this tax season, meaning the city was able to collect more tax dollars while keeping its rate steady.

Battas said the city plans to keep that money in the bank during the overhaul of city facilities in case a natural disaster or some other emergency hits the city.

“We could finance it ourselves, but we don’t want to get ourselves in the hole,” Battas said. “That’s why we borrowed money from the bank.”

Council member Jack Weyant said city officials are working overtime to manage the multiple improvement projects.

“People just need to hang in there and try to give us a hand instead of — I’ll say — bitching at us right now,” Weyant said. “We don’t have a Magic 8 ball to go and tell us what’s coming up or anything else like that. We’re trying our best.”