'Devastated': Village of Fox Point Municipal Pool closed for summer and 'possibly beyond'
VILLAGE OF FOX POINT, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Residents in a north shore suburb are left wondering what to do following the announced closure of a community summertime staple.
The Village of Fox Point said in a release Tuesday, June 13 the Municipal Pool will not open for the 2023 season and possibly beyond due to, "irreparable mechanical problems with facility plumbing."
"Very recently it became apparent that due to the age of the facility, staff and contracted services were no longer able to find replacement parts that are crucial to managing the mechanics of the facility as the required parts are no longer fabricated," the post on the village website said.
"Really, really disappointed," Sarah Brill, a resident of Fox Point told CBS 58. "I think that it's devastating."
Brill and her family live about three blocks away from the pool and park area on North Santa Monica Boulevard. She said she grew up in the area and has fond memories of visiting the pool.
"I grew up here and I came to the pool every single summer," Brill said. "We were always members, I rode my bike here, I would always meet up with my friends and it was like the crown jewel of Fox Point."
Brill's relationship with the pool came full circle when she moved back to the area to raise a family and take her children to the pool.
"My son took lessons here the entire summer and loved it and he actually wrote this really cute Mother's Day card saying that his favorite thing was learning how to swim at the Fox Point pool with his mom," Brill said.
But the announced closure has left the Brill's and other families figuring out where to go now for swimming activities, now that their local resource is not opening.
"People are just devastated and they're actually very angry as well because they want our village to fight to keep the pool open and to figure out a solution," Brill said.
Brill told CBS 58 many families move to Fox Point for the suburban lifestyle and unique resources it has like the pool. She added the pool has acted as a connection between families and neighbors who otherwise would not meet each other.
"This is a local gathering place, where all the neighbors and people that go to school together and are in daycares together, they all gather here and we make really important connections to each other," Brill said. "And the children build friendships based on this experience during the whole summer."
The community connections grew last summer when New Barons Brewing Cooperative hosted beer garden events at the pool and park area.
"First reaction is definitely being sad, a lot of families come visit us there and the pool," New Barons Brewing Coop Co-CEO and Co-Founder Heidi Dalibor told CBS 58.
Dalibor's business partner and the coop's co-CEO and co-founder John Degroote is from Fox Point, who places an emphasis on community involvement like establishing the beer garden at the Fox Point Pool.
The brewery will continue to host the Fox Point Beer Garden at the Fox Point Pool this summer with dates set for June 23, July 14, July 28 and Aug. 11. More information on those dates can be found on the New Barons website.
"We're more excited about this year I think," Dalibor said. "This year we've got live music and food trucks at every single one to accommodate the families more, we've got snacks for the kids and sodas."
The future of the pool is uncertain and remains up in the air. The issue will ultimately be up to village leaders to decide.
"My hope would be that they work to utilize the space in a way to connect community and to build community," Brill said.