Buffalo Grove Park District wins $500 Safety Award

The Buffalo Grove Park District has received a $500 award through the Park District Risk Management Agency's (PDRMA) Risk Management Grant and Recognition Program for the radar speed limit sign at the Alcott Center.

The Alcott Center building was originally a District 21 school, with much less parking. As the park district added parking lots at the back of the building, it created heavier traffic on the east side of the building, which also has two entrances.

It was superintendent of communications and marketing Mike Terson's idea to install the radar speed limit sign at the Alcott Center last year. The posted speed limit is 11 miles per hour. The sign lets people know how fast they're going, and starts flashing the speed when the vehicle is going faster than 11 miles per hour. If a vehicle goes above 15 miles per hour, the sign flashes, "slow down."

"We've made a lot of efforts over the years to try to get people to drive slower on the property; and, this seemed like another way to do what we can to keep people as safe as possible. We have a lot of preschoolers and seniors walking in and out of the building; and, sometimes people drive through way too fast." said Terson.

The grant award submission was the idea of the district's risk manager, Dani Hoefle. She completed and submitted the application, which was one of 11 selected by PDRMA, of the 37 proposals they received.

"The Buffalo Grove Park District staff are extremely creative and innovative when it comes to solving safety related issues," said Hoefle. She added, "This is the fourth safety grant from PDRMA the district has received since 2017. Other submissions included an aquatic glare board, a device used to have the lifeguard staff identify blind spots prior to scanning, and a frame used to test window evacuation tools in the case of an emergency. It is an honor to be recognized for our dedication to the safety of our staff and patrons."

Buffalo Grove Park District executive director, Ryan Risinger said, "Often times these seemingly small efforts don't always get recognized; so, it was nice to see something like this that was entirely staff driven be awarded in this way. People driving too fast through the Alcott Center parking lot has been an ongoing issue for years; and, this is one way that we can be proactive to help make sure no one gets hurt."