Itasca Park District finalist for national award

They haven't won yet, but Itasca Park District leaders already can pat themselves on the back.

Itasca is one of four finalists in the country to compete for the National Gold Medal Award for park districts serving populations of less than 25,000.

The award is given annually by the National Parks and Recreation Association and Itasca officials call it the "Emmy of park districts."

"It's a huge kudo for the community," said Beth Rodriguez, park district spokeswoman. "And we're kind of the small guys going after the big guys, since our population is only about 9,000 and some of the other finalists have about 21,000 people."

The award is the highest honor a park district or recreation agency can receive. Nationwide, only five can win - each in a different population category. In its division, Itasca is competing against the Batavia and Vernon Hills park districts as well as Golden Parks, Co. The winner will be announced in October at an awards ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Officials from the national association said districts such as Itasca's are judged on strategic and long-range planning, progressive management, staff quality and environmental stewardship.

They also must prove how well they serve community needs and address local challenges and demonstrate how much support they get from residents.

Rodriguez said the Itasca district earned its nomination through several initiatives, including a recent renovation of its water park. Upgrades included transforming a square pool into a zero-depth entry pool, expanding the pool from six to eight lanes for swim teams and adding interactive water features.

The work was funded after voters approved a tax increase in 2006, the park district's first request in 40 years.

In 2007, the district also renovated Franzen Play for All Park to make the grounds handicapped-accessible.

The work was done partially through an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development Grant from the state Department of Natural Resources for almost $330,000. Other funding came from the park district, Itasca School District 10, Itasca Bank and Trust and community donations to total almost $738,000.

"The nomination for this award really is all-inclusive and looks at our facilities, programs, awards we've won and our organization as a whole," Rodriguez said.

This spring, the district also took over programming for Springbrook Nature Center, which was formerly run by the village. The center is partnered with Flint Creek Wildlife, which runs the popular raptor program, and Health World, which offers educational programming and interactive equipment.

If these accomplishments are enough to clinch the award for Itasca, it will be the park district's second gold medal since 2003. This year was the first time officials could apply again for the honor.