Golf upgrades, part-time cuts highlight Palatine parks budget

A project to address flooding at Palatine Hills golf course, renovations to several parks and the financial windfall from no longer hiring part-time workers to help run events are part of the proposed $26 million budget for the Palatine Park District.

The budget, which can be viewed on the park district's website, will be voted on by the district's board of commissioners Jan. 12.

Included is $170,000 to replace a deteriorating sea wall girder near holes 16 and 17 at the district's golf course, which is known to flood after heavy rains.

"It will make the golf course more consistently operable when we have massive rains," said Elliot Becker, the district's superintendent of finance and personnel.

Another project at the golf course would add a practice hole that Becker said would allow golfers to practice their short game and serve as an alternate hole should flooding make other areas of the course unplayable.

Like some other line items in the proposed budget, the practice hole project - which is expected to cost $120,000 - would only be built if all expected revenues arrive, Becker said.

"There are certain revenues that we think will come through and have budgeted for, but if they don't come through there are certain projects that may not get done until we have adequate resources," he said. "Our primary goal is to take care of what we've got and our secondary goal is to enhance."

Projects that exemplify the district's primary goal include spending $110,000 to replace the basketball and tennis courts at Birchwood Park and $65,000 on replacing the parking lot asphalt at Cardinal Park.

Next year will be the first full year that the district relies on volunteers for some duties formerly performed by part-time employees.

Becker said the district made the switch in the middle of 2015 when they hired a volunteer coordinator to recruit volunteers for duties ranging from working district events to filing paperwork at district offices.

"We try to find out their interest," Becker said. "Some really like filing and are retired and want to help out in the office."

Under the new program, the district got 36 volunteers to work the district's annual Turkey Trot race on Thanksgiving. Becker said not only did the department not have to pay time-and-a-half to employees working on a holiday, residents, including high school students looking to complete community service hours, got to help out.

"It feels like a win-win-win all the way around," he said.

The district anticipates hosting their first volunteer recruiting event in the spring.

In addition to residents in Palatine, the district serves portions of Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Deer Park, Hoffman Estates and Inverness.

The Park District Board of Commissioners will meet at 7 p.m. Jan. 12, at the Palatine Senior Center, 505 S. Quentin Road.