Naperville Park District: A Message From The Executive Director - Spring 2022 ...

Press release from Naperville Park District:

March 14, 2022

Dear Friends of the Naperville Park District:

As the Park District’s new executive director, I am excited to be able to have the opportunity to continue to advance the Park District’s mission on behalf of our active and dynamic community. I look forward to working with our dedicated Board of Commissioners, staff, and residents to lead our District, listen to and consider new ideas and be a part of our organization’s continued growth into the future. Please feel free to contact me at bwilson@napervilleparks.org with your questions, comments and suggestions. I also look forward to seeing many of you at community events and in our parks and facilities throughout the coming year.

The month of March is a time of anticipation and preparation for spring, a welcome season in northern Illinois, when we can enjoy more outdoor activities and appreciate the beauty of the first flowers and greening landscape. Each year, it’s a time of change and one of new beginnings. In 2022 the Naperville Park District also is experiencing a time of renewal and rebuilding as we look forward to reaching out to the community in developing plans to guide the District’s future.

Prior to the pandemic, we planned to conduct a community interest and opinion survey as a first step in updating our 2018-2020 Strategic Plan and 2018 Master Plan. The survey was put on hold until 2022 so that we would be able to better understand the impacts of COVID-19 and also gauge residents’ interests in different recreational activities and overall needs going forward. This spring, the District will conduct this statistically-valid survey, with randomly selected households. Following the conclusion of this process, we will launch a second survey with the same questions and make it available to everyone in the community who wishes to provide their input. Watch our website, social media, email marketing and other District communication channels for dates and details later this spring regarding how and when to respond to the survey invitation. Your feedback will help provide an accurate picture of the community’s needs that will guide the District’s key operational plans for the next 3-5 years.

The community also is invited to provide feedback this spring that will assist the Park District in creating a master plan for the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots, located along West Street. In addition to providing over 500 rentable plots for community gardening, the site itself has been developed and expanded over the years to include the Idea Gardens, Master Gardener plots, a monarch waystation, a small tree nursery, honey bee hives, a fruit tree guild, a picnic area and a donation station. Opportunities for community input to guide the master plan will include an online survey and two public meetings. Please watch for forthcoming details on how to get involved.

One of the new additions to the Park District this year is a Fitness Court, set to be installed this spring at the 95th Street Community Plaza at Frontier Sports Complex. The Fitness Court is a dynamic circuit-training system designed for use by teens and adults that allows users to leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout outdoors. The Fitness Court is part of a national initiative launched by National Fitness Campaign. Our local project is funded, in part, by title sponsor Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, by a grant from the National Fitness Campaign in partnership with the Illinois Park and Recreation Association and by several other local sponsors. The Fitness Court will be free to use and open to the public, providing yet another way to for residents to pursue their individual health and wellness goals.

Additionally, this year will bring to completion the renovations at Springbrook and Naperbrook Golf Courses that began in 2021. Naperbrook’s driving range and practice green were expanded last fall, and the turf range tee and practice green will open later this spring, pending turf establishment. The drainage improvements made at Springbrook last fall will be followed by renovation of the bunkers, green surrounds and tees, scheduled to begin in August 2022. Visit golfnaperville.org to learn more about the improvements and to view the status of the courses as they prepare to open this spring for another great season of golf.

Wishing you a happy and healthy spring!

Brad Wilson

Executive Director

Naperville Park District

This press release was produced by Naperville Park District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.