Additional funding secured for O’Neil Park and Pool Project

Posted on July 11, 2023

*O’Neil Pool is located at 1515 West Chestnut Street in Bloomington. (Photo Courtesy of the City of Bloomington)*

BLOOMINGTON – On Monday, Bloomington City Council unanimously voted to allocate $200,000 received from the A Century of Good State Farm Grant to go towards the O’Neil Park and Pool Project.

Out of the $200,000, $174,987.75 will be used to hire Prairie View Landscaping as the landscaping contractor. The park maintenance staff will use the remaining $25,012.25 for additional and future landscaping for O’Neil Park and Pool.

The $13.8 million project has been four years in the making. Construction began over a year ago.

Eric Veal, Parks and Recreation Director, said inside the pool area and the park greenspace will benefit from the funds. He said the grant will help improve the final result which will revitalize the west side of Bloomington.

“Whereas, it will bring people over to that side. It’s an area where people travel to already but it will make them stay, participate in recreation activities that make them better residents and citizens,” he said. “And then on top of that, they will spend money and we’ll get some more taxable income from that. Which will help on that side of town.”

The original plan was for the project to be completed by Memorial Day Weekend but it is now expected to be done by Labor Day Weekend.

“Because that’s the end of the season we may not be having an opening for the public to swim,” said Veal. “But we would have an open house and a celebration so that all the people can come and see after the Illinois Department of Public Health okays it.”

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