The hot temperatures, great staff, well-trained lifeguards and yummy concession treats all added to a great season at Lions Pool in Homewood, according to Homewood-Flossmoor Park District officials. 

Kayla Cook, recreation supervisor, gave a report to the park district board Nov. 4 on the successful summer at the pool. Numbers show 13,589 swimmers were at the pool over the 10-week summer period.

Cook said the temperatures were bringing people to the pool. In June there were 10 days with a temperature of 90-degrees or higher, 12 days in July and five days in August.

Totals show 1,391 swimmers purchased a seasonal pool pass. That was an increase from the 1,258 sold in 2024. The staff sold daily passes to 3,730 swimmers. Of those, 2,683 were park district residents and 1,047 were guests. There also were 48 lap swimmers. 

The daily fees for residents, no-residents and lap swim generated $94,133. That was a jump of 41% when compared to the $66,763 collected in 2024.

Swim lessons served 634 kids and adults in classes offered at various morning or evening weekday hours and on the weekends, or through private lessons. Aqua Zumba had 109 participants.

Cook knew a special teen night would bring a crowd. She had records from 2024 showing 150 swimmers came out for the evening party. This year, 200 teens enjoyed the evening program. She’s thinking a preregistration for 2026 can better prepare staff for a crowd that large and needed concession supplies.

She commended the pool managers, lifeguards, cashiers, slide attendants, concession attendants and swim instructors for their outstanding efforts during the swim season that began June 1 and stretched to Aug. 10. She gets calls to keep the pool open until Labor Day in early September, but she said lifeguards and staff go back to school, so there’s no way to adequately staff Lions Pool for the additional weeks.

Cook also thanked the parks and facilities staff for their work on maintaining the Lions Pool facility, including making updates before the season to the men’s and women’s locker rooms, installing a new HVAC rooftop unit on the building and a new motor for the main pool pump.

Concessions were revamped this season making it easier for staff to plan and service guests, Cook said.

Overall, expenses for salaries, pool building, repairs and maintenance and program supplies for the Lions Pool this year were at $306,899. Even though the pool revenues increased, the pool still operated at a deficit of $27,634.

Keeping the pool in good condition has been an ongoing issue. At the Oct. 21 park board meeting, parks commissioners agreed to hire WT Group for $14,000 for engineering services related to the structural operation of the pool, including the pool’s pumps, grates and resurfacing. 

In 2024, the board explored whether to place a specialized liner in the pool to give it new life and avoid the concrete cracking, but with estimates between $150,000 and $450,000 the cost was above a routine budget expense. In an October 2025 report, Mike Gianatasio, superintendent of recreation, said cracks in the pool are “significant,” and a more permanent solution will be needed to extend the life of the pool.

According to the park district’s website, the park board took over Lions Pool in 1976. In 1981, a $229,200 grant from the Land and Water Conservations Fund was used to give the pool its first facelift. That’s when a bathhouse was added, the deck was enlarged, a new wading pool and a concession area were constructed, and pool plumbing was repaired and replaced as needed.

In 1993, Lions Club pool got a $1.1 million renovation that included a water slide, playground, sand volleyball courts and a new filter room. In 2013, the first water slide was replaced with a new, modern water slide.