IN THIS ISSUE 20 14 23 FEATURES SPECIAL FOCUS DEPARTMENTS 12 Referenda Results – 20 Growing the Game Affordably 4 From the Editor February 2, 2010 Dundee Township Park District’s by Peter M. Murphy new accessible teaching facility 6 Get on Board was financed with grant monies How To Build Great Boards – and low-cost or donated labor. 14 Soaring Into a New Decade Eight Ideas From Those That Do It Best Here’s how it can happen at The IAPD and IPRA honor the 2009 other agencies. recipients of the associations’ major by Hal Phillips 8 Eye on the Profession awards at the Soaring to New Heights Having Vision Does Not Require Conference awards luncheon Perfect Eyesight 23 WebXtra 10 Statehouse Insider Organics in our Midst – Proposed Amendments to the Freedom of Myth or Possibility? Information Act and the Property Tax by Steve Pincuspy Extension Limitation Law Are Among Many Issues of Concern to Park Agencies 24 People and Places ILLINOIS PARKS AND RECREATION illinois FROM THE EDITOR PR PARKS AND RECREATION Geek confession: for about a year I’ve been having a lot of fun trying to be pithy at 140 characters a clip on Twitter. Now, Illinois Parks & OFFICES IPRA Representatives JERRI-LYNN KLEINA RON SALSKI, CPRP Recreation magazine is on 217.523.4554 Alsip Park District Immediate Past Chairman Twitter as ILParksMagazine. ARNIE BIONDO Lake Bluff Park District FAX Carol Stream Park District DIANE MAIN District Representatives If you or your agency has an 217.523.4273 Westmont Park District account, please think about LAURA BARRON, CPRP DOUG DAMERY, CPRP Oakbrook Terrace Park District NATHANIEL “NATE” MARTIN Washington Park District following the magazine at E-MAIL Rockford Park District [email protected] twitter.com/ILParksMagazine. The twitter account will be a ELSA FISHER, CPRP JOHN CURRAN, CPRP Northbrook Park District LOIS NICKSON Tinley Park Park District fun way to give you a quick preview of upcoming stories WORLD WIDE WEB Macomb Park District and events and link you to bonus materials that augment www.ILparks.org ANITA PACHECO MIKE STERBA, CPRP the print edition of our magazine. I also hope that it will www.ILipra.org Arlington Heights Park District D. DEWEY PIEROTTI JR. Coloma Township Park District Forest Preserve District of DuPage County be an informal way for you to make tips or suggestions for MAIL ALISON SOHR MARY JEANNE HUTCHISON CPRP O’Fallon Parks and Recreation future issues. 211 East Monroe Street Batavia Park District CHRIS RILEY Springfield, Illinois 62701-1186 Decatur Park District As you can tell, this issue of the magazine is our Section Representatives ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF NANCY MCCAUL, CPRP biennial golf edition. Along with this issue, we usually Managing Editor FRANK SCARPELLI PARK DISTRICTS Fox Valley Park District post a guide to park agency golf facilities in Illinois. That PETER M. MURPHY Dundee Township Park District President and Chief feature is currently under preparation and will be posted ALLISON SOHR, CPRP Executive Officer, IAPD GEORGE LONGMEYER IAPD HEADQUARTERS to the Web later this spring. We’ll alert you when it is Chairman 211 East Monroe Street Batavia Park District Editor Schaumburg Park District ready for you to download. But, I promise, magazine Springfield, IL 62701-1186 GAIL ITO, CTRS RODD WHELPLEY, 217.523.4554 Chicago State University Twitter followers will know about it first. Publications Director, IAPD WALLY FRASIER Chairman-elect www.ILparks.org STEVE NEILL, CPRP Graphic Design Mundelein Park & Recreation District PETER M. MURPHY Arlington Heights Park District — RODD WHELPLEY GOSS GRAPHIC DESIGN 217.423.4739 COLETTE KUBIESA President and Chief Executive Officer MIKE SLETTEN, CPRP Editor www.gossgrfx.com Immediate Past-Chairman Elmhurst Park District CINDY DEITERS River Forest Park District Advertising Sales Marketing Director LISA SHEPPARD, CPRP Representative DON ANDERSEN Gurnee Park District BETH SALTZ Vice Chairman BOBBIE JO HILL Arlington Publishers Representatives Oak Lawn Park District Public Relations Director MATT CORSO, CPRP P.O. Box 1555 LETTER TO THE EDITOR SEASPAR Arlington Heights, Illinois 60006 LINDA JOHNSON ALAN HOWARD 847.509.9810 Vice Chairman Finance Director Dear Friends, FAX: 847.509.9816 Crete Park District [email protected] SHERRI KHILE IPRA HEADQUARTERS JOSEPH PETRY Executive Secretary 1815 S. Meyers Rd., Suite 400 At the 2010 IAPD/IPRA Soaring to New Heights JOINT EDITORIAL Vice Chairman Oakbrook Terrrace, IL 60181 Champaign Park District SHANNON SARTAIN Conference I was honored and humbled to receive the COMMITTEE Legal Secretary 630.376.1911 2009 Robert M. Artz Award for Distinguished Service. WILLIS “BILL” LOGAN www.ILipra.org After hearing my name called I began walking to the IAPD Representatives Treasurer SUE TRIPHAHN, CMP Springfield Park District Educational Services Director MIKE SELEP, CPRP stage, trying to gather my thoughts to make sure that I Interim CEO would mention all those deserving of recognition. I would MARY ANN CHAMBERS TOM BARZ RODD WHELPLEY Northbook Park District Sergeant at Arms Publications Director BARRY FRANKS like to take this opportunity to say thanks to a very Frankfort Park District Finance Director important group that I intended to recognize but, in the ANN AUSTIN ILLINOIS PARK AND rush of the moment, overlooked. Rock Island Park and MARY ANN CHAMBERS RECREATION ASSOCIATION DINA KARTCH Recreation Department Northbrook Park District Education and Conference Director One of the true blessings of working in this industry is that our colleagues can, and do, become our lifelong WALLY FRASIER KEN COLLIN CARRIE HAUPERT, CPRP SHEILA MULVEY-TATORIS Mundelein Park and Freeport Park District Chairman Member Services Coordinator friends. Investing in these relationships not only makes Recreation District Bloomingdale Park District each of us a better professional, but gives us the CAROLYN EDLEY HEATHER WEISHAAR ROBERT GELWICKS East Saint Louis Park District LORIKAY PADEN, CPRP Development and Project Director opportunity to become better people. Downers Grove Park District Chairman-elect To all of you that have touched my professional life, I DAVID HANSEN University of Illinois offer a most sincere and heartfelt thank you. You are very MIKE KROST Itasca Park District Chillicothe Park District important to me and I want you to know that I cherish the gift of friendship that you have so generously shared. I am honored to call you my colleague and my friend. Sincerely, Illinois Parks and Recreation (ISSN 0019-2155) is published bimonthly at 211 E. Monroe Street, Springfield, Illinois, by the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Steve Scholten Park and Recreation Association. Annual subscription rates: $12 for IAPD/IPRA members; $50 for non-members; $60 foreign; $20 educational institutions. Single copies: $2 members; $10 nonmembers. Periodicals postage paid at Springfield, Illinois and additional post offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Illinois Parks & Recreation, 211 E. Monroe Street, Springfield, IL 62701-1186. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily express the official views of the IAPD/IPRA. Likewise, the publication of any advertisement is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product or services offered. Members of the IAPD and the IPRA and other interested persons are encouraged to submit articles and illustrative photos for possible publication in the magazine. Send for manuscript guidelines and deadline dates: Editor, Illinois Parks & Recreation, 211 E. Monroe Street, Springfield, IL 62701-1186, 217.523.4554, [email protected], www.ILparks.org. By submitting articles for publication, authors are assigning the copyright to the Illinois Association of Park Districts. Copyright© by the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association. All rights reserved. Reprints of articles in whole or in part without prior written permission are prohibited. 4 Illinois Parks & Recreation www.IPRAonline.com www.ILparks.org March/April 2010 5 GET ON BOARD How To Build Great Boards – Eight Ideas From Those That Do It Best Peter M. Murphy IAPD President and CEO Serving on an elected park board is virtually guaranteed to be 3. Pay Attention to the Routine Things different than most other board experiences you may have had. Many boards group routine matters into a consent agenda and While you and your fellow board members were broadly motivated thereby reduce, or even eliminate, discussion of those items and to run for election because you wanted to improve the community, allow for unanimous consent. A consent agenda can free up it’s likely that you each bring different points of emphasis to your meeting time for discussion of those issues most needing work. Some board members most value recreational programming, conversation, but the success of this approach hinges on board gothers conservation, others capital improvements and some stress members taking the initiative to individually review materials prior to budget issues. Board members are certainly not homogenous in the the meeting. This also enables you to analyze those items that way that they look to the needs of the community as it pertains to might need more discussion prior to action and speak with the park and recreation services. That healthy diversity can make board executive director before the meeting for an explanation. service fun as well as challenging, as long as you keep in mind that your first and foremost responsibility is to build your board into the very best board it can be. Here are eight tips that will help. Great boards 1. Embrace the Bylaws Read the bylaws. It may seem like the perfect remedy for a concentrate on real sleepless night, but familiarity with them is essential. Bylaws issues of consequence, typically cover a statement of organizational purpose and mission; a not on reports of framework for your role, including legal responsibilities; a description of the agency’s elected offices with terms and duties; a things that committees description of the role of the chief executive and of how board have already executed.