New director at Roselle Park District

After a five-month search, Roselle Park District officials named Robert Ward as the new director of parks and recreation.

From a pool of more than 50 candidates and 12 that were ultimately interviewed, officials said Ward stood out early on.

"Right off the bat you could see he would be a quality director," Commissioner Tim Briscoe said. "His education and background were important, of course. But really he was just a go-getter who was going to fit the bill for us to move forward with some great ideas and a great financial background."

Ward comes from the Glencoe Park District where he served as director of facilities. Roselle officials said he has 13 years in the industry, including experience with successful revenue-generating facilities. He also has background in both the parks maintenance and recreation programming elements of his new job.

He graduated from Western Illinois University and completed a master of science recreation, park and tourism administration degree as a Rho Phi Lambda Scholar.

"I think this park district already has a fantastic baseline of amenities in place, like the new pool, splash pad and community center," Ward said. "These are very strong assets and I'm excited about getting the community to use them more and bring them up a notch."

Ward, whose contract provides him with a $93,500 annual salary, replaces Heidi Lapin. Lapin served the district for more than five years and resigned at the end of March to pursue graduate studies. She was one of the youngest park directors in the state.

The park district serves about 18,000 residents and owns more than 160 acres of land and facilities.

Ward will face projects involving renovating and upgrading baseball fields and upgrading the Scout Lodge on Pine Street, said Roberta Borrino, president of the park district board.