URBANA – Crystal Lake Pool in north Urbana was closed Monday for the remainder of the season because of concerns about the safety of the pool's electrical system. And the overall future of the 28-year-old pool appears to be in doubt.

The pool at 1503 N. Broadway Ave. was slated to close for the season after today, and park district Executive Director Vicki Mayes said she decided Monday morning to order the immediate closure after receiving a draft report from Farnsworth Group of Peoria, an engineering firm, that raised questions about the safety of the pool's electrical system.

"The electrical system in the pool is old enough that the preliminary report said the electrical system might not be adequate to take care of an electrical surge, like from a lightning strike," Mayes said. "There are ways to test for it, but we couldn't do it right away.

"We felt it was prudent for the safety of our patrons not to open today or tomorrow."

Most of the electric wiring is under concrete or underground and could not be tested quickly, she explained. Swimmers can still use the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center, 102 E. Michigan Ave.

The report by the Farnsworth Group will be presented to the park board at a Sept. 11 study session. The report, now in draft form, looked at the pool's condition, including the electrical system, filtration system, chlorination system, pumping system and the pool's water-delivery and drain system.

The park board commissioned the report this summer.

Park board President Michael Walker said the draft report indicated that "there are multiple systems that have come to the end of their lives and will need major repair or replacement."

Walker said the park board had been hoping that repairs could be done in phases, but that the draft report indicates that "a phased refurbishment is not viable."

He explained that it appears that so many systems at the pool need replacement that city, state and national codes might be triggered that would essentially force the district to build a new pool because the pool would be required to meet current codes.

Walker said he isn't sure the current Crystal Lake Pool can be saved at this point.

"I have to think the future is in doubt right now," he said. "We have to figure out what the options are and if the community can afford an outdoor swimming facility."

The decision to close the pool two days early was conservative, Walker added, but prudent given what the engineers told them.

"The engineer said, 'I can't assure you it's electrically safe and I saw some things that make me want to check it out carefully,'" he said. "You don't play with peoples' lives."

Crystal Lake Pool has been at its current location for more than 80 years.

Because of a budget crunch, the park district operated Crystal Lake Pool under reduced hours for most of this summer, with adult swim from noon to 1 p.m. and general swimming from 1 to 5 p.m.

Those shorter hours were implemented after a park-district referendum to increase the district's overall property tax rate by 25 cents per $100 of assessed valuation failed by 64 votes on Feb. 5.

Mayes said the park board has decided against a November tax-referendum proposal given the current economic climate and is considering whether to put a tax question on the ballot next April.