Galesburg is celebrating the return of its municipal pool after renovations.

The city held a red ribbon cutting on September 19 to mark the reopening of Hawthorne Indoor Municipal Pool. The pool reopened on September 11 after being closed for repairs since May 2022.

In the spring of 2022, the Galesburg City Council decided to invest in the necessary structural repairs at Hawthorne Pool to keep the pool functional instead of closing the facility. Since then, extensive repairs have taken place. The steel columns in the walls had deteriorated so new steel plates were welded on the sides of the steel columns to create a structurally stable column. The columns were painted with high-performance paint to protect them from the corrosive environment of the pool. New masonry columns were installed along the east side of the exterior columns to keep 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. New vertical control joints were installed to repair the structure and allow the building to expand and contract. The building’s corners were rebuilt where they were twisted. The exterior brick wall was 100% repointed to secure all the bricks and bricks that were cracked or damaged were removed and replaced.

The existing steel lintels over the doors and windows were in poor condition and all the exterior lintels were removed and replaced during the exterior masonry work. The doors and windows were removed and replaced as well. The existing concrete windowsills were cracked and were repaired or replaced as needed. Sheet metal flashing covers the sills to protect them and prevent water infiltration. The entire building was reroofed and damaged wood deck boards were replaced. The existing concrete foundation and pool deck had numerous structural cracks and they were repaired. Crews installed a new resinous pool deck coating to prevent pool water infiltration on the concrete deck and provide a slip resistant finish. A new pool liner was installed to complete the needed pool repairs.

Hawthorne Pool is an indoor 45 foot x 100 foot municipal pool with pool depths ranging from three feet at the shallow end to nine feet at the deep end. It is open to the public and provides aquatic programs, open-swim and facility rental options. Registration is underway for Learn to Swim group and private lessons, Aqua-Ease, Aqua-Motion and Aqua-Zumba group fitness classes. Early morning lane swims and open swims are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 – 8 a.m. and 4 – 6:30 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 – 4 p.m. Private pool party rentals are available, and special event open swims are also held periodically.

For more information on the pool, including hours and programming, click here.