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To the Governor...
The Honorable James R. Thompson Dear Governor Thompson: On behalf of the Board of Directors, the nearly 2,000 elected officials of the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the more than 4,000 professionals employed by our member agencies, we are pleased to learn that you have agreed to meet with a select group of commissioners and professionals during the month of August. We would like to take this opportunity to discuss future directions in the development of park systems and recreational opportunities in Illinois. In addition, there are several pieces of legislation that impact park districts which we hope will receive your favorable consideration during our visit. We are taking the liberty to enclose a portfolio highlighting various functions of the Illinois Association of Park Districts and a summary of the Legislative White Paper Report. This report includes a compilation of extensive research data on park districts in Illinois which was a result of an independent study conducted by the University of Illinois. We are indeed proud that the Illinois Association of Park Districts is the oldest state park and recreation association in the nation and the only state association comprised entirely of citizens. These citizens are elected at the local level, serve without compensation, and come from all walks of life. They are truly committed to a noble cause in striving for the development and progress of their communities and the state of Illinois. This rich heritage has made Illinois number one in the nation in the local delivery of park and recreation services as recently evidenced in the National Gold Medal Award Program. As you will see in the White Paper Report a profile of our commissioners shows that 48 per cent of the commissioner/board members work in high level management positions, 50 per cent have strong business and financial backgrounds and 87 per cent of the commissioners serve in other voluntary or non-profit organizations in addition to their park district boards. These results indicate that our elected commissioners have a high degree of community involvement, visibility and interaction with other citizens throughout the community and state. It also reveals that citizens serving on park district boards have backgrounds beneficial to the development of responsible policies as well as the expertise to act as financial watchdogs of their districts' operations. Park district boards are heavily involved in intergovernmental agreements and cooperate extensively with school districts, municipalities and other units of local government in an effort to increase efficiency and to deter waste and duplication of services to taxpayers. A position statement is attached for your review and discussion at our upcoming meeting. We are looking forward to discussing future directions for us to pursue under your able leadership.
Sincerely,
Position statement on funding parks & recreation The Illinois Association of Park Districts continues to monitor and analyze the cultural and economic impacts parks and recreation services have in this state and across the nation. However, recent developments in the level of available federal funding for parks and recreation have aggravated an existant situation that now demand consideration at the highest level of state government. We, therefore, propose that a Governor's Conference on parks and recreation be held in 1982 to address the issues confronting the park and recreation movement in Illinois. We do know that recreation is an essential part of the Illinois economy and contributes significantly to the quality of life of its people. We have found that outdoor and indoor leisure time pursuits offer personal fulfillment and a release from tensions developed in today's stressful lives. Although reducing stress is not easy, we have a growing library of research which shows that recreation is an excellent way to control stress and promote physical and mental health. Furthermore, the significance of recreation vividly affects the economy. This is revealed by expenditures in this country amounting to $200 billion annually used to purchase everything from tennis racquets and bicycles to jogging shoes. If the current trend continues as predicted leisure spending will account for over $400 billion by 1990. Local, state and national governments have shown a strong influence over recreational opportunities. But there are still some uninformed individuals who show insensitivity to the value of recreation in our lives. Unfortunately, recreation has been regarded by some individuals as a luxury which could be sacrificed during times of economic austerity. We now know that if such a pattern would develop, our state and the nation's economy would indeed be placed under a more severe distress than what we are currently experiencing. The economics of recreation touch almost every community in Illinois and the United States, as an estimated 5,000,000 jobs in manufacturing, retailing and service industries in this country are dependent upon recreation. In nearly every state, recreation is identified as one of the three largest industries. Mr. David E. Baker, Vice-President of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, concluded in an article entitled, "The Role of Parks & Recreation in Illinois' Long-Term Development" (Municipal Problems, Spring, 1981, Vol. 7. No. 4);
"Illinois in the year 2000 will be in great measure what we make of it by our decisions today. The business community recognizes the important role of recreation, open space and outdoor activities in making Illinois an attractive place in which to live and do business. In most polls Illinoisans outside the metropolitan centers indicate satisfaction with their parks and recreational activities. Illinois Parks and Recreation 14 September/October 1981
find the money to keep the park system viable ... as the energy crisis reduces the reach of vacation and recreational travel, we will be happy that we took the time now to acquire and improve facilities closer to home." There are many challenges to recreation and a recent article in the Spring, 1981 issue of the Leadership magazine of the American Society of Association Executives recognized that the "... challenges to recreation come from many fronts ranging from shortages of specific commodities, including energy, to changing uses of lands close to population centers. Government recreational program budgets are undergoing close scrutiny during today's climate of fiscal constraints and are unlikely to grow as quickly as recreation demands will increase because of population growth, increased leisure time and greater discretionary income. Recreation also suffers in concert with the overall economy during periods of tight and costly consumer finance terms. While the recreation community supports efforts to control inflation, the traumas resulting from direct credit controls—and especially those aimed at consumer purchases—are tremendous. Finally, recreation suffers from a regulatory perception that it is non-essential: that the 5 million or more jobs created by recreation are less important than those in other industries and that the recreation needs of Americans can be deferred in times of stress or shortage." The challenge is to purchase and develop land which is appropriate for recreational uses. Governor Thompson, the nearly 350 park, forest preserve and conservation districts as well as the municipal park and recreation agencies wish to enlist your support in an effort to develop a Land & Water Conservation Funding program for Illinois. This can be accomplished through an already existing vehicle by amending the Open Space and Lands Acquisition Act which has not yet been funded during your administration. As you know federal funding for state and local projects has been drastically reduced and in most cases eliminated. Each state will be required to look for revenues to support recreation opportunities. As Mr. Baker recognized, "Illinois continues to enjoy one of the strongest most diversified economies of the states. It has a per capita personal income of $935 over the U.S. average, nearly the highest among the major industrial states. It is still very attractive to business because of its central location, access to resources, water, transportation network and large, diversified work force. Its joint wealth in manufacturing and agriculture make it the second leading export state. It has the richest agriculture land in the world." However, Illinois does not have an abundance of open space and recreational land, two variables that also attract business and industry. As Baker emphasized, "Illinois is poor in public recreational area." Illinois is ranked 46th in state public recreational areas with less than 2 percent of the total area in recreation. In contrast Wisconsin has nearly 10 per cent and is ranked 18th in the nation and Minnesota has just over 26 per cent for public recreational space and is ranked 7th in the nation. Again as Mr. Baker pointed out, "our vast prairie of 20 million acres in the 1800's has shrunk to 8,500 acres, of which only 2,400 remains undisturbed. Illinois has gone from 14 million acres of forest land to 3.5 million today, and 93 percent of it is in private hands." Nevertheless, in the delivery of park and recreation services at the local level, park districts of Illinois are recognized by the National Recreation and Park Association and the Gold Medal Awards Program of the National Sporting Goods Association as one of the leading states in the nation. We desire to maintain and improve our national significance in serving the needs of all Illinois citizens including the ill, handicapped and the aged. To respond to problems and trends, the report Illinois 2000 reveals a number of goals. Underlining these goals is the concern to improve the quality of life for our neighborhoods, communities and rural areas through joint public/private development of recreational opportunities. See Position . . . Page 41
Illinois Parks and Recreation 15 September/October 1981 POSITION . . .from page 15 The primary source of federal dollars for local park development has been the Land and Water Conservation Fund administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior. This fund was developed from profits made in oil and mineral exploration of the Outer Continental Shelf, estimated at more than $5.5 billion this year. The federal Land & Water Conservation Fund initiated in 1965 enabled Illinois park districts to match local funds with federal funds reaching a total of $202 million. It appears these funds will be drastically reduced or no longer available after 1982. In the future the local units of government charged with the responsibility to administer and protect park and recreation resources in each state will prosper or move backward depending upon the support of their respective state governments. A survey conducted in February and March, 1981 by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) on the current operating budgets and the estimated capital investment needs of local park and recreation systems nationwide showed that agencies face a crushing demand for new parks and the restoration of existing parks—conservatively estimated at $11.5 billion over the next five years—just as the Reagan administration is proposing an end to federal assistance for local park development. As a result of the survey, NRPA estimated that park and recreation agencies capital investments will be more than $11.5 billion for the next five years, with $7 billion required for new parks and more than $4.3 billion for the rehabilitation of existing parks. But the federal government, by local agencies' projections, will carry relatively little of the costs. Local park and recreation agencies will spend more than $4 billion for the operation and maintenance of their facilities in the current fiscal year—money that comes from local revenues, not federal or state contributions. We estimate from formal requests made to the Illinois Department of Conservation that an annual demand for recreational development at the local level approaches $20 million. An action program has been designed at the National level. However, no formal action plan has been developed for Illinois. The American Recreation Coalition, a broadly based organization comprised of more than 60 leading recreation organizations, recommends the following actions: •Federal, state and local governments should recognize recreation as a fundamental societal need and as an industry warranting equitable treatment in energy, land-use, credit, funding and other decision-making. •A new blueprint to coordinate public and private sector recreation efforts should be developed by a Presidential commission on recreation. •America's recreational opportunities should be better utilized to attract foreign visitors, improving our balance of trade. •Goals set for recreation opportunities on public land and water resources should reflect the sharply growing demand for outdoor recreation. •Public land and water resources should be used for multiple uses, including recreation, under a program of professional management. Governor Thompson, the challenges confronting recreation in Illinois and problems we currently face demand immediate attention. Your leadership and guidance in the development and implementation of a Governor's Conference and support in amending the 1973 Open Space and Lands Acquisition Act will indeed show your commitment to the advancement of parks and recreation industries in Illinois. We do look forward to discussing these issues with you at our meeting during the month of August. Respectfully submitted:
Theodore R. Flickinger
Illinois Parks and Recreaton 41September/October 1981 |
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