The City of Galesburg celebrated the reopening of Hawthorne Indoor Municipal Pool with a ribbon cutting Tuesday. The pool reopened on Sept. 11, after being closed since May 2022 for repairs.
In the spring of 2022, the consensus of the Galesburg City Council was to invest in needed structural repairs at Hawthorne Pool, in order to continue operating Hawthorne Municipal Pool rather than face closure of the facility. Since that time, extensive repairs have been underway.
The steel columns had deteriorated in the walls; therefore, new steel plates were welded on the sides of the steel columns to create a structurally stable column. The steel columns were painted with high-performance paint to protect the steel from the corrosive environment of the pool. Additionally, new masonry columns were installed along the east side of the exterior columns to prevent pool water from pooling against the steel columns.
The exterior brick walls were cracking due to expansion and contraction and the corners of the building were twisting due to this expansion. To fix this structural deficiency, new vertical control joints were installed to allow the building to expand and contract and the building corners were rebuilt where previously twisted. The exterior brick wall was also 100% repointed to secure all of the bricks and bricks that were cracked or damaged were removed and replaced.
The existing steel lintels above the doors and windows were in poor condition, and all of the exterior lintels were removed and replaced in conjunction with the exterior masonry work. During this process, the doors and windows were removed and replaced as well.
The existing concrete windowsills had cracked and were repaired or replaced as needed. Sheet metal flashing now covers the concrete sills to protect the windowsills and prevent water infiltration. The entire building received a new roof and damaged wood deck boards were replaced.
Lastly, the existing concrete foundation and pool deck had numerous locations of structural cracks and spalls. These were replaced or repaired as needed. A new resinous pool deck coating was installed to prevent pool water infiltration on the concrete deck and also provide a slip resistant finish for safety purposes. A new pool liner was also installed to complete the needed pool repairs.
Hawthorne Pool is an indoor 45 foot x 100 foot municipal pool, which contains 163,000 gallons of water. The pool depths range from three feet at the shallow end to nine feet at the deep end. It is open to the general public and provides numerous aquatic programs, as well as open-swim, and facility rental options.
Fall program registration is underway for Learn to Swim group and private lessons, as well as Aqua-Ease, Aqua-Motion and Aqua-Zumba group fitness classes. Early morning lane swim and open swims are available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 to 8 a.m. and 4 to 6:30 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Private pool party rentals are available, and special event open swims are also held periodically.
This substantial rehabilitation of one of the city’s recreational facilities provides for increased longevity of the indoor public pool and represents a significant investment in recreation and quality of life for citizens. More information on the facility, including hours and programming can be found on the city’s website.
