Park District of Oak Park

6 www.pdop.org 6 Board of Park District Commissioners Regular Park Board Meetings are generally held on the third ursday of each month and the Committee of the Whole (COW) Meetings are generally held on the first ursday of the month. All meetings are held at 7:30P at the John L. Hedges Administrative Center, 218 Madison Street, Oak Park. Public comment is welcome at these meeting. ere is no COW meeting in August. Kathleen Porreca Commissioner Kathleen.Porreca@pdop.org Paul Aeschleman President Paul.Aeschleman@pdop.org Victor Guarino Vice-President Victor.Guarino@pdop.org Sandy Lentz Secretary Sandy.Lentz@pdop.org David Wick Treasurer David.Wick@pdop.org Dear Residents, e Park District of Oak Park received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for our current budget from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). e GFOA Budget Award reflects the commitment of the Park District's Board and staff to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting. is is the eighth consecutive year the District has received this award. Parks Passport Mission Accomplished Nearly 100 Oak Park kids went on a park adventure this summer through the Park District of Oak Park's inaugural Parks Passport Program. In an effort to get kids ages 5 to 13 to stay active and explore their parks and community, the Park District, in partnership with Oak Park School District 97 and the Oak Park Public Library, distributed park passports to all D97 students challenging kids to complete 10 park missions. ese challenges included attending a summer concert, climbing the Barrie Park sled hill stairs to equal the height of the Statue of Liberty, and visit the new Maple Park playground. If children completed all 10 missions, they received a prize and a coupon for a treat from sponsor Red Mango. Congratulations to Gabrielle De Santiago whose name was drawn from all participants to receive the Passport Program Grand Prize which included a one year rink and pool pass. ank you to the residents of Brookdale Oak Park On Saturday, June 3, residents of Brookdale Oak Park Senior Living held a rummage sale with all proceeds donated to the Park District of Oak Park's scholarship fund. e Park Board and staff wish to extend our sincere thanks to the residents and staff for your generous donation of $849.30 for scholarships. In 2016 the Park District awarded $30,676 in scholarship funds to 137 households in Oak Park. e Park District is thrilled to report that as of October 1, 2017 over $55,000 has been awarded for programs and passes far exceeding our 2016 participation. e Park District is committed to providing parks and recreation opportunities to all, regardless of economic means, through our scholarship fund. For more details visit pdop.org/scholarships. Best of the Best in Green Practices e Park District of Oak Park was presented with the Best Green Practices Award by the Illinois Association of Park Districts for the second year in a row. In 2017 the Park District installed photovoltaic solar systems at Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex and Longfellow Center saving 337,500 pounds of coal per year and saving $10,000 in energy delivery fees annually. Four cisterns have been installed in the past 3 years repurposing water for plant and turf irrigation. With help from the Greening Advisory Committee, composting is taking place at all summer concerts. In 2017 for the second year in a row a ComEd energy grant totaling $19,000 was secured for conversion of exterior park lighting, pool deck and Longfellow tennis court lighting to LED. With the recognition of Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center as a LEED Platinum facility and Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex as a LEED Gold certified facility, the Park District is proud to be a leader in Illinois for sustainability. See you in the parks, Paul Aeschleman, President Park District of Oak Park Board of Commissioners

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