Annual speech touches on upcoming Wheeling projects
Work on Heritage Park -- made possible by a land swap agreement with the village last year -- will be one of the major projects for the Wheeling Park District this year.
That work and implementing an updated comprehensive plan were two of the main projects the organization touted for 2008 during its annual "State of the Park District" address Tuesday for residents, park board members, village trustees and others officials.
Jan Buchs, executive director of the park district, also looked back on what the organization has implemented in the past year, including programming that was expanded because of community input.
Buchs said fitness programs have increased, and more of the park district's offerings are being held in the schools.
"More and more people are participating in the Wheeling Park District," Buchs said. "The response has been tremendous."
She said when the district redesigned Malibu Park, the staff went out to the neighborhood to make sure that it was a real community park.
The land swap with the village also allowed Wheeling space to build a new village hall and gave the park district an additional 18 acres for Heritage Park after a purchase from adjacent St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.
Buchs said the park district plans to turn to the community once again to ensure that residents have input on what they want from that park.
"This partnership truly enhances the community," she said.
The acquisition of more acreage also follows what the community has said it wants: more open space in Wheeling, Buchs said.
In the past year, the district was also officially recognized as a distinguished agency, and Buchs herself was honored as professional of the year by the Illinois Association of Park Districts.
The district and the board have also been working on a comprehensive plan, and that will be put into action to guide the district for the next 5 years.
"We've got a lot on our plate," park board president Tom Webber said. "This agency has always been a work in progress."