Pool open house is tonight in Du Quoin

Months of work to refurbish the aging Du Quoin Municipal Pool reach their high water mark this evening as the city and park district hold an open house to officially show off the upgraded facility.
A community open house for the new pool is set to take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. tonight, May 12. The event will include barbecue, hot dogs, live music and, of course, swimming. Also, Mayor Guy Alongi said Pepsi MidAmerica has agreed to donate hundreds of soft drinks for the event.
The pool needed repairs after workers discovered leaks were costing the city about $10,000 in lost water. Cracks in the foundation have been filled, and a new vinyl covering was installed
Du Quoin Park Board President Joe Stephens said new vinyl lining also was put into the children's pool, and a 3-foot strip of skidproof material was installed around the perimeter of the big pool. Stephens said the most important upgrade by far was repairing the leaks in the main pool.
"It was like trying to keep water in a tennis court," Stephens said. "Now it does not leak -- at all!"
Among the other additions and improvements are a new pump in the pumphouse, two new diving boards, and new paint in the bathhouses.
The cost of the project was about $125,000, more than half of which Stephens said was donated. A significant amount came from money that Du Quoin Unit 300 has been repaying the city each year. These repayments are because the city fronted money to the school district when it built the new Du Quoin High School in 2013.
"A lot of people have worked really hard," Stephens said.
Tonight's open house will be open to the public. The pool is located at 640 W. Park St.