Ray Morrill: 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: WheatonWebsite: http://NoneOffice sought: Wheaton parksAge: 61Family: Married, two children, two grandchildrenOccupation: Retired Director of Recreation and Special Facilities for the Wheaton Park DistrictEducation: Bachelor of Science in Park and Recreation ManagementCivic involvement: *Current President of Kiwanis Club of Wheaton*Co-Chair Wheaton Sesquicentennial Commission*Member League of Women Voters*Member of citizen's committee appointed by the Mayor to evaluate the future of the Wheaton Grand Theatre*Past Wheaton Youth Baseball/Softball Board of Control*Post Wheaton History Center Board of Control*Post New 200 Foundation Fun Run and Family Festival Planning CommitteeElected offices held: *Current President of Wheaton Park District Board*Illinois Park and Recreation Board of Directors 1994-1997/President 1996*National Park and Recreation Aquatics Board 1993-2002/President 2001*Elected to the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in 2003Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I am committed to serving our community and improving the quality of life for residents and families by offering a variety of recreational activities that everyone can enjoy at a resonable cost. I believe our entire community deserves access to quality programs.Key Issue 2 In light of the current economy, the board and staff need to continue to aggressively explore and undertake both cost cutting measures and new revenue generating initiatives. The district needs to strive for all of its departments to operate in a sustainable fashion. In an environment of continued financial challenges the Park District must maintain stability through the effective and efficient coordination of community resources, provision of quality facilities and programs and creating cooperative relationships with other agencies.Key Issue 3 I am hopeful that a meaningful dialogue can be opened between CUSD 200, the city, and Park District to reach a ""win-win-win"" outcome for the entire community concerning the old Hubble Middle School property. The old Hubble Middle School site is currently serving an important community need by hosting tens of thousands of recreational hours for our community. For the last thirty years the Park District has maintained and programmed the open space which includes approximately twelve acres of undeveloped flood plain. Since the land cannot be built upon it makes sense to turn it over to the Park District for the enjoyment of future generations of children. Through an intergovernmental agreement with CUSD 200 we have been able to use the gymnasiums at Hubble which encompass about 50,000 square feet. Protecting the gymnasiums from demolition is important to sustain the Park District's current level of programs and services for the entire community.Questions Answers What programs aren#146;t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?The Park District has a comprehensive fees and changes policy that covers all direct program expenses plus a minimum of 30 percent of the direct expenses in order to cover indirect program costs. Thus, very few programs do not pay for themselves. Two areas that are subsidized are drop-ins at the Leisure Center for Seniors and Entertainment in the Park. I would not charge or eliminate the drop-in program for seniors. We try to recap much of the cost for Entertainment in the Park by securing sponsors. Cosley Zoo operates at a deficit though we initiated a non-resident fee this past summer and it has helped to reduce the deficit greatly. Along with the support we receive from the Cosley Foundation, we hope to eliminate the deficit spending within the next two years. The posposed 2011 recreation budget projects a fund balance of $1,047,923. The unaudited estimate for 2010 was $1,277,562 in the recreation fund.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.During the past several decades the Wheaton Park District has been very proactive in ensuring the provision of adequate open space and facilities to meet the needs of the community. The opportunities for additional acquisitions are becoming very limited as our community becomes fully developed. The district has developed a list of properties that have the potential to meet our open space needs. Identification of individual parcels in this questionnaire would not be appropriate for several reasons. First, we strive to acquire land through negotiation with willing sellers rather than condemnation. Secondly, identification of a given parcel of land may create an inflated value through the assumption that the Park District is a ready and willing buyer. The old Hubble Middle School site is the exception since we have already approached CUSD 200.Are 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?A field house would permit the Wheaton Park District to expand our athletic programming. Old Hubble School provides two high school sized gyms, one middle school sized gym, and additional space that houses two batting cages serving 4,000 participants annually. We currently have the necessary funds to purchase the Hubble site at ""fair market value"". If we had to build a new field house it would require a referendum and would have to wait until the economy improved. Synthetic turf ,at one or more of our athletic fields, would also be a great improvement and allow for expanded hours of usage for our football, soccer, and lacrosse programs. The High School fields are made available to us but only sporatically. We would pay for this upgrade through fundraisers and fees and charges paid for by the users. Finally, another Kiwanis Club member and I have proposed a cooperaive concept with the Kiwanis Club, WDSRA, and the Wheaton Park District to build a ""Sensory Playground"" for children with disabilities. We do not have a playground specifically aimed at serving this special population. The goal will be to create an environment where all children can feel comfortable and develop themselves by challenging their bodies and minds. We plan to pay for this through a partnership with clubs and organizations, as well as public and private donations and sponsorships.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 a strong advocate of cooperative agreements with other taxing bodies and organizations in the community. We currently have a park/school agreement that allows us to use indoor and outdoor school facilities at no cost, and in return we maintain the turf around many of the elementary schools as well as the three local middle schools. We have an intergovernmental agreement with the city to provide police support throughout our park system. We entered into an agreement with CUSD 200 where we paid for 50 percent of the new fitness equipment for both high schools. In return, we opened satellite fitness facilites for our residents during times when the School District was not using the fitness rooms. We entered into an agreement with DuPage County to use the Historical Museum for our administrative offices. In return, we save the county money by paying our share of the utilities and upkeep which allows the county to keep the museum open. The DuPage Forest Preserve District leases 41 acres to us on the south side of Danada Forest Preserve that we maintain for them. By doing so we were able to develop two ball fields and other amenities. When the Jaycees decided they no longer wanted to run the 4th of July Parade and Fireworks we stepped in to help the city. We now run the events for the city and they assist us with some finances and other resources. We participate in the Illinois Park and Recreation Association joint purchasing program whereby recreation equipment, office supplies, and maintenance supplies are jointly bid out with park district's from throughout Illinois and purchased for considerable savings. Sharing and pooling resources as well as working together for the benefit of our residents is something I would always support.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 was proud to chair the Master Plan committee. Through the efforts of the staff and input from the board, the new Master Plan was approved in December 2009. It will help set the future direction for the district and provides a strategic plan from 2010-2015. All of the board members have taken a special interest in the Northside Park lagoon project which will enhance the ecological and recreational value of Northside Park while alleviating the flooding problem on North Main Street. Phase I of this project was completed this past fall and phase II is currently underway. Once completed, Northside Park will represent one of the finest parks in our system. Then entire board can take credit for making the Arrowhead Golf Course, clubhoue, restaurant, and banquet facilities a profitable operation. Unaudited financial reports show a $1,011,600 net profit which will allow us to initiate a bunker repair and replacement project without utilizing general Park District operating funds. The bunkers were identified as the number one problem at Arrowhead by our golfers. After I prepared a position statement against the renovation of the Wheaton Grand Theatre, much to the displeasure of the Grand Theatre Board and its supporters, the entire Park Board voted not to support this project. The Park Board is composed of seven members, all of whom play a vital role in setting policies and accepting their fiduciary responsibilities. We work as a team and respect each other's opinion whether we agree or not. It is a pleasue to be a part of such a great organization and to serve with dedicated individuals who want only to give back to the community through their volunteer efforts.