Do You Need a Pool to Stay Cool? Tell Us How You Beat the Heat

With all of the parks, and all those miles of Old Plank Road Trail, Frankfort is filled with some great outdoor areas where you can enjoy a beautiful summer day.

But when the heat gets to be too much, options start to dwindle if you're looking for a place to cool down and still be able to stay outside. , run by the , and 's Community Centers have designated Splash Parks, where residents can find some relief by running through their water sprays.

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After that, what's left? A lawn sprinkler? A shady tree? Where can you retreat from the heat?

Growing up, the community swimming pool was one of the signature experiences of summer. That's why I've always found it unusual that Frankfort—and the Lincoln-Way area, for that matter—doesn't have an outdoor public pool. Initially, I thought the lack of a public pool was because so many residents had their own private above- and below-ground pools. But that didn't seem like a powerful enough reason to keep Frankfort pool-less.

I found that Frankfort Township used to operate a public pool near the on U.S. Route 30, according to Village Administrator Jerry Ducay. However, it closed about six years ago after the township found it too costly to run, he said, adding that during its time, the pool had a strong following.

"When you operate a pool, you have to operate it at full strength every day," Ducay said, explaining why pools can be such a financial drain. "You can't call in more people once you see that you've got a big crowd. You have to be at full staff all the time."

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Since then, a public pool hasn't been something high on the priority list of the Frankfort community. In 2005 Frankfort Park District survey, residents said they didn't want to pay for a pool, said park district public relations and marketing coordinator Stacy Connelly. There's been no indication that that sentiment has changed, and Connelly said the park district doesn't have any plans when it comes to building a pool in Frankfort.

Which brings us back to the first question: What are your pool alternatives?

Share your suggestions in the comments section and take our poll that asks if you would be OK spending money on a community pool.

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