POOL-ITICAL WATERGATE?

Here we go again! Last summer I reported that it had been over a decade since the youth of East St. Louis had a public pool, splash pad, or aquatic facility to enjoy during the dog days of summer.

One year later, my alma mater, East St. Louis Sr. High has made three state title appearances (boys’ football, track and basketball) winning the IHSA Class 3A Boys Basketball State Championship.

So, you would think that they would, at the very least, deserve a nice space within the community that they have represented so well, to keep cool during the notorious heat and humidity that we’ll experience through Labor Day.

But tell that to Mike Collins, the director of East St. Louis Parks District. I tried last year and then, again, this year but have yet to get a return call, text or response from his office. He is either, I am told, “not available”, “out of the office” or “will call me back” when I’ve left messages regarding the status of the $8.9 million pool project in Lincoln Park, located in ESL’s south end.

Last year it was widely reported (by local media) that the pool project was idled over a controversy in which contractors claimed that they walked out due to a lack of pay.

Collins, at the time, claimed that the project was delayed due to frozen funding by the State of Illinois, pending the completion of an independent audit.

However, the Illinois Department of Commerce stated that the audit was, actually, overdue, dating back August 29, 2024.

East St. Louis City Councilman Courtney Hoffman II weighed in, last year, with a Facebook post assuring citizens that ‘no funds were stolen’, “I’m sure it’s going to be a clean audit” and “I have no doubts that we will be swimming soon.”

So, this begs the question, what defines “soon”, Mr. Hoffman? Now, the clean audit is nearly two years too late, and with no activity on the pool in over a year. I’ve heard of “C.P. time”, but this is beyond absurd!

So, my guess is that there will be no swimming this summer either, despite Mr. Hoffman’s unfounded optimism and amateurish attempt at political spin.

Meanwhile, the facility continues to sit, idle, incomplete and behind the same padlocked fortress of chain-link fencing that has been a ubiquitous, deflating and depressing sight for the past year.

Perhaps parents can appeal, directly, to Mr. Collins by visiting him at his office at 2950 Caseyville Avenue in East St. Louis, IL or by giving him a call at 618-874-3601(if he’s ever there).

Tell him that while he’s MIA, youth in other communities are cooling off at their local pool, while your children must go to Raging Rivers waterpark in Grafton, IL or to Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags in Eureka, MO (if they can afford them).

Another idea might be to appeal to IL Governor JB Pritzker to redirect funding to the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which has, during this same time, expanded her campus and programming for East St. Louis youth, with no such issues.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to add a state-of-the-art indoor aquatic facility to the JJK campus to provide swimming lessons and a safe, cool summer haven for area youth?

Otherwise, the definition of insanity is continuing to go from year-to-year and allowing Mr. Collins and other ESL politicians to continue to be unaccountable, and to play in the faces of East St. Louis citizens, with the same lack of results.

At some point ESL citizens must muster enough outrage to demand accountability and results. Otherwise, they will get what they deserve and will owe the youth of East St. Louis an explanation for their apathy and inaction.

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