Arlington Heights Park District leader to retire
After 40 years in parks and recreation, Arlington Heights Park District Executive Director Steve Scholten plans to retire this summer.
Scholten, who has led the Arlington Heights department since May 2008, said his last day will be June 30. The Arlington Heights Park Board has already done a first round of interviews for his replacement and hopes to make an offer to a new executive director by mid-April.
"I love my work and am honored to have spent my professional career working in communities to make life enjoyable and meaningful for citizens of all ages," he said.
Scholten spent more than three decades leading suburban parks departments. He started at the Elk Grove Park District in 1976 and was later executive director in Medinah and Glen Ellyn.
Before coming to Arlington Heights, Scholten was the executive director of the Bloomingdale Park District for 16 years, including 2006 when the department received the National Recreation and Park Association's Gold Medal for Park and Recreation Management Excellence.
A news release announcing Scholten's retirement notes several achievements during his eight years with the Arlington Heights department, including a cost-sharing program with Northwest Suburban High School District 214 to install a synthetic turf football field at Hersey High School, establishing an intergovernmental agreement with the Mount Prospect Park District and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to open the area's first dog park in 2014, and earning the department an AAA rating from Moody's Investors since 2009.
During his time, the district also received a $400,000 Illinois Department of Natural Resources grant for improvements to Frontier Park and a $2.5 million grant for a major overhaul of the Camelot Community Center. Last year he oversaw the start of a major renovation at Arlington Lakes Golf Course, which will be completed July 1.
Scholten was named the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association Professional of the year in 2003 and received the group's Robert Artz Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
He also has been a longtime referee on the side and in 2008 officiated at the IHSA state basketball championship. In 2012 he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Scholten said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family in retirement. By this summer, Scholten said he and his wife, who live in Elk Grove Village, will have four grandchildren ages 3 or younger.
"It's truly been a blessing to have been part of a group of colleagues devoted to reaching out to community members of all interests to improve their quality of life." Scholten said. "We are fortunate to serve a public that recognizes the value of a life well lived. And to have worked with colleagues that are the finest people dedicated to service at the highest level has been one of the great joys and inspirations of my life."