Park Districts Receive Native Landscaping Awards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Chicago Wilderness presented seven Illinois park districts with 2002 Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards at the IAPD/IPRA Conference in January. The park district projects were recognized for their extensive and creative use of natural landscaping to support native plants and animals that contribute to the regions biodiversity. Chicago Wilderness is an alliance of more than 150 public and private organizations that work together to protect, restore, study and manage the natural ecosystems of the Chicago region.

Chicago Park District. South Shore Nature Sanctuary was created on a 3.5-acre peninsula on the shore of Lake Michigan, adjacent to a dune that harbors several unique plant species. Previously a dumping site, the sanctuary features winding pathways through a new shortgrass prairie and along pockets of woodland.

Richard Grodsky, executive director of the Elmhurst Park District, accepts a Native Landscaping Award from an EPA representative.

Crystal Lake Park District. Acres Pond, a storm water basin, was turned into a wetland and fen. Native plants and animals provide a perfect backdrop for a sediment pond, a fishing hole, walking paths, bridges, piers and interpretive signs.

Elmhurst Park District. Great Western Prairie, a 6-acre remnant of prairie located between two railroad easements, has been in the making since 1977. The community, park district and the Prairie Management Advisory Commission have restored the area with cleanups, controlled burns, seed collection and replanting, and public education programs.

Forest Preserve District of Will County. Plum Creek Nature Center in Beecher is a living educational exhibit that encourages the community to experiment with natural landscaping in their yards. The center promotes the beauty, pleasure, conservation and wildlife benefits of native plants.

Wayne Park Commission. Prairie Garden Park, once a 1.48-acre weedy corner, has been transformed with native plants and grasses by enthusiastic volunteers into a colorful park.

Westmont Park District. Ty Warner Park has been restored to its natural beauty by expanding existing wetlands and creating new habitats. Public education about sustainable planning and biodiversity is the main focus of the project.

Wheeling Park District. Husky Park, a 5-acre former detention basin, has been returned to its natural stare as a wetland. Its location near a middle school makes this park a valuable learning center.

IPRA Announces Newly Certified Professionals

• Anthony T. Arrington, APRP, Cornell Intervention
• Jody L. Dodson, CPRP, Salt Creek Park District
• Alan N. Grzyb, APRP, Romeoville Recreation Department
• Molly A. Hancock, CPRP, Oak Brook Park District
• DeDe Kern, CPRP, Winnetka Park District
• Jennifer K. Mallory-White, CPRP, Quality Care Consulting Services
• Deborah A. Nechleba, APRP, Administrative Assistant, Naperville Park District
• Mark A. Wax, APRP, Park District of Highland Park
• Robert A. Novak, APRP, Richton Park Parks & Recreation
• Clinton J. Schaffer, APRP, CPSI, Champaign Co. Forest Preserve District
• Christina M. Tiesch, APRP, Oak Lawn Park District
• Robert W. Taylor, CPRP. Waukegan Park District
• Mary Jo Vincent, APRP, City of Palos Hills
• Cindy Lee Wood, APRP, Buffalo Grove Park District

Puchalski Named Distinguished Alumnus

Cathy Puchalski, superintendent of recreation for the Arlington Heights Park District received the Jim Berousek Distinguished Alumnus Award from Western Illinois University, to honor her dedication to the University's department of Recreation, Park and Tourism and to the profession. (Jim Berousek was the director of the Wood Dale Park District who died unexpectedly in 1989). Puchalski served on the WIU alumni board for three years and has contributed to campus activities; she's also been involved with IPRA for over a decade and is a recipient of their Meritorious Service Award. In 1986 she received the WIU Distinguished Alumni award. She was honored for the high standards she sets ror herself and for being a role model for young professionals.

Stanislaw Named Racquet Sports Manager of the Year

Jason Stanislaw of the Arlington Heights Park District, received the IPRA Facility Management Sections Racquet Sports Manager of the Year award. Since becoming manager of Forest View Racquet & Fitness Club in July 2000, Stanislaw has strengthened tennis in the community and revitalized the club. In addition to increasing lessons, membership and tennis court usage, he promoted the club as a satellite site for the World Handball Tournament in October 2000. He was awarded the 2001 USPTA Midwest Manager of the Year Award and currently serves as the Illinois District President of USPTA.

Neill Named Aquatics Manager of the Year

Instrumental in the operational development of the Arlington Heights Park District four new outdoor aquatic facilities, Steve Neill is currently on the Olympic Indoor Swim Centers design/development team. He's responsible for training over 225 lifeguards on an annual basis making

March/April 2003    55

Letter to the Editor From Retiring Commissioner Bernie Rechner After 30 years as a member of the River Trails Park District's board of commissioners, I felt it was time to move on and I resigned my position in November 2002. Leaving was hard for me. This park district and I have grown up together. Having joined the board barely seven years after its creation, River Trails has grown from five pieces of raw land to a fine, fully operational park district of 11 sites and the envy of many other governmental agencies. The River Trails Park District works like few others because we cooperate and communicate. We have an excellent, forward-looking professional staff and a board that has always liked and respected each other. Our board never forgets who is a professional and who is not. It's most vital to cooperate with and talk to our constituents and try to help them. Those are the folks who pay the bills. But they, too, must learn budget constraints and other factors that prevent us from acting on their suggestions. We must tell them all policies must work for the good of the entire community, not just the one-issue segments within it. Neighboring governments have been very cooperative. Any agency must peacefully coexist with other park districts, the school districts and the municipalities. In our case, the Village of Mt. Prospect and the City of Prospect Heights all occupy the same space on Planet Earth. River Trails pioneered the partnership agreement between three local park districts, which is working well. Maybe, it's the beginning of something else? Our joint agreements with the school districts in our area save money for taxpayers of both agencies. Everyone benefits from a jointly purchased park site within the City of Prospect Heights. All of us try to be helpful. It's a nice feeling seeing that cooperation between governments. There are some truly nice people among the neighbors, all working within and for the same community: the River Trails community. Cooperation and communication with the state and national organizations, the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the National Recreation and Park Association, also are vital. A variety of opinions exist across the state and nation regarding similarities, differences, new ideas and the impact other governments have on parks and recreation. In short, the River Trails Park District epitomizes the way an agency can and should be governed: with good humor, civility and the realization that diversity brings strength to all of us.

sure all staff stay compliant with Ellis monthly training guidelines. He works with local fire departments and Northwest Special Recreation Association to coordinate training for their needs. He's co-chaired the aquatics section of IPRAs Facility Management Section and coordinated the 2002 State Lifeguard Games.

Welk Named Park Employee of the Year

At the January 16 Midwest Institute of Park Executives (MIPE) Annual Awards Banquet, Alan Welk, Parks Department supervisor for the Arlington Heights Park District Davis Service Center, was named a Park Employee of the Year and also received the Ferdinand Arndt Award for Excellence. The Arndt Award recognizes individuals who are not only dedicated to their job in the park management field, but are also involved in their community. Welk joined the park district in 1979 and held various positions, from groundsman to fleet supervisor. He became supervisor of Davis Service Center, the district's building trades garage, in 1996. He works with the Festival committee in Arlington Heights to coordinate the set up of the annual Frontier Days event. In his community of Round Lake Park, Alan has been on the Village Planning Commission for 12 years, currently serving chairman of the Commission.

Alice Eastman was hired by the Downers Grove Park District as the manager of Natural Resources and Interpretive Services. Eastman has 13 years of experience, including more than eight years as the Cosley Zoo program coordinator for the Wheaton Park District. She was a naturalist at the Itasca Park Districts Spring Brook Nature Center and an Education Aide and Outreach Supervisor at the Shedd Aquarium. Eastman will be in charge of programming and management of Belmont Prairie and the new Lyman Woods Interpretive Center, opening this spring.

Val Kozuch, CTRS, joined the Maine-Niles Association of Special Recreation as Inclusion Manager. Kozuch graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a B.S. in Education and an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation. Previously, she worked at the West Suburban Special Recreation Association as a recreation program leader and inclusion coordinator. She is a past president of SRANI and is the current secretary of ITRS. She also is active with Landmark Education, an organization that provides continuing education workshops to help individuals manage various aspects of their lives.

Send People and Places/Letters to: Editor, Illinois Parks & Recreation iapd@ILparks.orgor217.523.4273 (fax) * Limit entries to 75 words or fewer. Accompanying black-and-while or color digital or print photographs are welcome. Submissions are published in the order in which they are received and as space is available.

56    Illinois Parks and Recreation

Friends Thanks Its Major Donors Our gratitude and appreciation to the following major donors to the Friends of Illinois Parks: Ambassador Burnham & Flower Agency PHN Architects IAPD leadership presents its major Friends supporters with, distinctive donor recognition plaques of the 2003 IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference. Top: (l-r) Dennis Flanagin, Ted Flickinger, Eddie Wood of Burnham & Flower Agency, and Mar/Garrison. Below: Ted Flickinger, Neil Pollock and Doug HoIzrichler of PHN Architects, and Dennis Flanagin. Benefactor Paveloc Industries, Inc. S&S Worldwide, Inc. Ancel, Glink.Diamond, Bush, DiCianni and Rolek.P.C. Patron Williams Architects Inc. At the state conference in January, Friends of Illinois Parks held a drawing for a .88-carat diamond and the lucky winner is Nancy M. Boudreau, of Bourbonnais, Illinois, who bought her ticket from IAPD board member Karen McClure! Congratulations, Nancy! About Friends of Illinois Parks Friends of Illinois Parks is a nonprofit organization that strives to involve more citizens statewide as friends in these ways and others, such as legislative advocacy. To learn more about Friends of Illinois Parks, call toll-free 1-877-523-4558 or see www.ILparks.org.

Joy Welty joined the St. Charles Park District as the information technology coordinator. Welty oversees all technical operations for the district including computers, software, and cell phones. He is currently improving the existing network system. Welty has earned both Microsoft and Apple certifications. Previously, he held the network integrator position at Seven World Wide for seven years. He began his career in computers at the Jefferson County Daily Union as a graphic artist.

John Correll was named teen recreation supervisor for the St. Charles Park District. Correll is in charge of programming and operations for both teen camp and Friday Live. Previously, he was employed by Arthur Andersen as recreation program coordinator. He also completed an internship with the St. Charles Park District during the summer of 1991. This gave him the opportunity to work in athletics, aquatics, and youth camps. He earned a bachelor of science degree in Recreation Administration from Illinois State University in 1991 and a master of science degree in Recreation Administration from Aurora University in 2001.

March/April 2003    57

For full texts of the articles, go to Illinois Parks & Recreation Online, at www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/.
Or visit the IAPD and IPRA Web sites and click on publications.

Best Administration/ Management Article
"Taming the Difficult Employee"
by Nancy Aldrich, M.A.
Arlington Heights Park District
(May/June 2002)
Judge Comments: This is an article all supervisors and fellow employees can relate to. No one enjoys working with a difficult employee and so we continue to search for ways to best handle trying interactions. This article provides thorough and realistic answers with no guarantees of success.

Best Environment Article
"A Watershed Concept"
by Dale Goodner
Peoria Park District

(July/August 2002)
Comments: The author has written a beautiful article with a captivating introduction. The article creates a "sense of environment" in addition to addressing challenges and solutions for park professionals.

Best Facility/Design Article
"Golf Course Management Strategies"
by Brandon Evans and Pam Sanhamel
Woodridge Park District

(March/April 2002)
Comments: The article laid out a before and after scenario that could apply to many park district golf courses. A number of new and innovative programs were outlined and the conclusion specifically indicated how the management strategies paid off.

Best Features/Issues Article
"Special Circumstances"
by John N. McGovern NSSRA
(September/October 2002)
Comments: The author provided a concise and accurate overview of the role of SRAs. He went on to present well conceived approaches to maintaining and refining the SRA model that has served Illinois communities for over 30 years.

Best Legal Article
"If You Build It, Users and Lawsuits Will Come"
by Steven J. Kleiman, J.D. and Edward F. Dutton, J. D. PDRAMA

(January/February 2002)
Comments: With the current interest in skate parks this is a very important and timely article. It is very well written and contains good case citations as well as an excellent waiver form readily adaptable for park district use.

Best Partnership Article
"Making Big Ideas Happen"
by Becky Rheintgen, CPRP
Bolingbrook Park District

(January/February 2002)
Comments: This well written article walked the reader through a creative and successful park district event that involved numerous organizations and provided a variety of benefits. While sponsored by an education-related organization, the author reminds us that the Week of the Young Child celebrates a much broader concept of which we have a huge role.

Best Recreation Programming Article
"Up and Away"
by Michele Courtney
Bourbonnais Township Park District

(November/December 2002)
Comments: This article clearly describes a successful innovative special event, which used open space, attracted a large number of participants and generated revenue. With two years of successful programming, the author provides very detailed information about the elements and strategies that made it successful, allowing others to duplicate this creative event.

Best Research/Trends Article
"The Non-Dominant Voice"
by Dan K. Hibbler, Ph.D., CPRP and Kimberly J. Shinew, Ph. D., CPRP
Florida International University and the University of Illinois

(May/June 2002)
Comments: The study clearly demonstrates the failure of our field in addressing issues of diversity in the provision of park and recreation services. Reflecting a national concern for leadership within our organizations to more accurately reflect our communities' racial and ethnic characteristics, the authors suggest action for recruiting and retaining people of color in the leisure field, beginning with identifying promising high school students who can be mentored by practitioners.

Panel of judges: Dr. Nick DiGrino, Western Illinois University; Robert Espeseth, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Dr. Regina Glover, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; Dr. Cynthia J. Wachter, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

58    Illinois Parks and Recreation

IAPD/IPRA CONFERENCE 2003

Masters of ceremonies Mary Garrison IAPD chair and commissioner for the Winnetka Park District, and Jill Bartholomew, IPRA chair and superintendent of recreation for the Homewood Flossmoor Park District, epitomize fun and hard work. Here they "wear many hats" for our two associations.

The 2003 state conference was a celebration of cooperation, achievement and continuing education. More than 4,000 professionals, elected officials and park and recreation suppliers attended this annual event, presented by the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association. In attendance at the Friday Luncheon were more than 40 legislators from the Illinois House and Senate and the event's closing speaker, actor and activist Danny Glover, inspired a record crowd. Here we highlight IAPDs and IPRAs top award winners. Congratulations to all for your hard work and

IAPD and IPRA proudly thank and recognize the 2002 Legislators of the Year, (left to right): Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Julie Homos, former Sen. Kathy Parker, and Rep. Skip Saviano. These legislators know and work hard for quality-of-life issues in their home districts and for park districts and forest preserves at the State Capitol.

IPRA salutes its top award winners, professionals who have given so much of their time and talent to the field of parks and recreation. Top left: Vince Pelleegrino of the Western Golf Association, "IPRA's Partnership of Excellence Award"; right, Randy Schawel, director of the Itasca Park District, "IPRA Professional Recognition Award." Middle left: Ray Ochromowicz, director of the Bolingbrook Park District, "IPRA Fellow Award"; right, Craig Culp superintendent of recreation, Maine-Niles Association of Special Recreation, "IPRA Young Professional Award." At left: IPRA chair Jill Bartholomew and CEO Bill Wald flank Ken Kutsks, superintendent of parks/planning for Wheaton Park District and recipient of the "Robert Artz Distinguished Service Award."

IAPD recognizes greatness with its top honors for individuals who inspire and tirelessly work for parks and recreation, as volunteers and citizen advocates. Top left: David Doig, general superintendent of the Chicago Park District and developer Charlie Shaw, "The IAPD President's Citation"; right, Steve Born commissioner for the Naperville Park District, "IAPD Rising Star Award." Middle: IAPD chair Mary Garrison congratulates Jim Shook commissioner for the Round Lake Area Park District and recipient of the "Allan A. Weissburg Commissioner of the Year Award." At right: IAPD CEO Ted Flickinger and Garrison flank Jim Cooke commissioner for the St. Charles Park District and recipient of the "Mike Cassidy Commissioner Community Service Award."

March/April 2003    59