BUCKTOWN — A public pool that has consistently ranked among the best chlorinated watering spots in the city needs some sprucing up, according to volunteers who are raising money to improve the Bucktown amenity.
"Everything we buy, we have to run through the park but we like to raise money to make the park better. We have a lot of pride for the pool," said Maria Mariottini, president of Friends of Holstein Park.
Currently, the group is hoping raise a few thousand dollars to replace umbrellas to shield lifeguards as well as worn lane markers for the pool's three daily lap swims.
"We have a lap swimmers that are telling us the markers need to be replaced," Mariottini said.
For the fifth consecutive year, in 2014 Holstein Park pool was named the city's best public pool in Chicago Reader's annual "Best of Chicago" issue, beating out 78 other indoor and outdoor pools.
Ken Madura, the park's operations engineer, who maintains the pool, said last year that the six-lane pool capacity is "300 [people] on a hot day" and while measuring 50 yards long, the pool is not quite Olympic size, Madura said.
"We just want to leverage the pool; a lot of people use it from all over the city, not just the regulars from the park," Mariottini said.
Earlier this month, Friends of Holstein Park set up an online donation page, soliciting $5, $10 and $20 donations, organized by "gold," "silver" and "bronze," according to the Paypal.
Mariottini said an opaque privacy screen that caused a controversy earlier this month and was removed was not part of the group's plans for the pool.
Mariottini said she had also heard another screen could be installed soon. Park District officials have not provided further information on the matter.
Friends of Holstein Park meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month in the Holstein Park Field House, 2200 N. Oakley Ave.
Holstein Park Outdoor Pool Schedule Through June 28, 2015
Lap Swim Summer 2015 District Wide Schedule
