William Cooley: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: Rolling MeadowsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Rolling Meadows parksAge: 49Family: Married with a wonderful wife Deborah, and three beautiful children Katie age 9, Connor Age 7, and Kelly age 5.Occupation: At home parent and community volunteerEducation: Bachelor of Science in Management, Southern Illinois University, 1985Civic involvement: Rolling Meadows Park District Commissioner 2007-present, Currently Kimball Hill School PTA Co-President, Fun Fair Committee Chair, and Holiday Store Co-Chair. I am also a Kindergym team leader, school volunteer for reading and math, and together with my wife coach two AYSO soccer teams in the spring and fall.Elected offices held: Commissioner Rolling Meadows Park District 2007-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal Responsibility.As you would expect, with this economy, revenues are down. As a result, the Park District has had to cut expenses too. As Board members, it is our duty to make certain that the Park District stays fiscally responsible while continuing to move forward to meet the current and future needs of our residents.Key Issue 2 Re-Energize the Senior Center.One of the greatest challenges facing our Senior Center is declining membership. With Baby Boomers retiring plus a down economy, the potential for new membership is enormous. We need to provide the kind of activities adults are looking for- not just seniors. I want to see the center become a fun vibrant place where adults go to interact with other residents with similar hobbies and interests. Key Issue 3 Continuing to maintain and improve our current facilities.With most of our buildings being around fifty years old, it is important that we continue to maintain and whenever possible improve our facilities to keep them from becoming obsolete. One recent facility improvement was the complete replacement of all the old windows at the Community Center. The new windows keep the rooms more comfortable, are much more energy efficient, and were fully paid for by a government grant. As you would expect, we look for grants like this to help meet these goalsQuestions Answers What programs aren#146;t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?The District offers a large selection of courses and programs with each one being evaluated independently. For almost all programs, if attendance is too low to cover costs, the course is cancelled or combined with a similar class. Having said that, there are two main areas that are not self sufficient: The Swimming Pools, and the Senior Center. The Philosophy of the Park District has been to make these areas affordable for all of our residents and I agree with this philosophy. They are an important part of this community. I also feel these resources are underutilized. This is why I propose Re-Energizing the Senior Center and making the Sports Complex swimming pool more family friendly. Additionally, we need to explore new revenue sources for both locations.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.There really isn#146;t much undeveloped land left in Rolling Meadows, and certainly not in places where we need it. We do have a need for space adjacent to one or two playgrounds where parking is limited, and we have a few places where there is some interest in adding small neighborhood playgroundsAre there any unmet recreational needs? If yes, what are they and how would you propose paying for them? Or, should they wait until the economy improves?This is a question we wrestle with all the time and why, in 2010 the Board of Commissioners hired a firm to do a community Wants and Needs Survey. We look forward to getting the survey results so we can evaluate our current programs and facilities to best meet the needs of our residents.We are aware the Sports Complex pool needs to be more family friendly. We would love to build a new State of the Art pool but we can#146;t afford it. We are however actively working hard to bring improvements to the locker rooms and to add a Splash Pad Play Area to the Sports Complex pool using local, county and State governmental grants. The Splash Pad will have different types of equipment that will target different ages- from Tots through Teens. It will be built over a safety surface with features ranging from sprinklers to dodging falling water, to squirting each other with squirt guns and water cannons. The Splash Pad will be a big addition to the pool area for people of all ages and abilities.Would you support sharing/pooling resources (i.e. printing, vehicles) with other local governments (school districts, village, etc.)? If so, what areas would you consider combining or merging to save money or improve efficiency?I am very supportive of sharing resources- and we are already doing it. We currently share with schools, the City of Rolling Meadows, and other park districts to fill gaps in programming or where we don#146;t have facilities. A few examples include our Joint maintenance Facility- shared with the City of Rolling Meadows, agreements with local schools for gymnasium and outdoor field usage in exchange for mowing services. Additionally, we receive resident rates at Arlington Heights Golf Courses and Swimming facilities during select seasons. We continue to look for this type of cost sharing opportunities wherever possible. If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the park board? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.I grew up in Rolling Meadows and have spent the last 9 years with my three young children very active in Park District Programs and classes. Additionally, my parents are active members in the Rolling Meadows Senior Center. This has provided me with the ability to see first-hand opportunities for improvements in programs and services for all ages. Some of my accomplishments include: making the bathrooms in the Community Center preschool area accessible to small children (previously everything including the soap was too high), adding shade structures to most of our playgrounds and on the pool deck (more are coming), and the addition of a park bench along the Salt Creek bike/walking trail. I was heavily involved in the design of the Florey Park Playground renovation, and provided input into the South Salk Park redesign. I am leading the effort to make the Sports Complex Pool more family friendly by adding a Splash Pad Play Area. I supported construction of a fence around the Community Center Preschool Playground, and strongly supported the addition of car stops to prevent cars from accidentally driving into the playground. Additionally, many of my program suggestions have been implemented including reducing the cost of special events like the Trick or Treat Path, Breakfast with Santa, and Breakfast with the Easter Bunny to increase participation and extended the hours for the Kids night out program. I was involved in the creation of the primary Senior Center Fundraiser, Casino Nights, and volunteered for the events. Many of these ideas were expressed to me from members of the community, or developed because as an active participant I could see what was needed. I am proud to have been able to give those citizens ideas a voice, and bring so many of these great ideas to fruition. Please vote for me and help me continue to make our Park District the best it can be.