Local park districts have a shot at national honor

"And the Gold Medal Award goes to - "

The finalists in a national competition of what some consider park districts' equivalent of the Oscars have a decidedly suburban flare this year. Five local park districts - including all four finalists in one class - are in the running to win a National Gold Medal Award, a 44-year-old stamp of excellence.

"It's a prestigious thing," said Glen Ellyn Park District Superintendent of Recreation Kathleen Esposito. "We want residents to know we are doing a good job. They should be proud of us."

Glen Ellyn, Bartlett, Elmhurst and Gurnee park districts are the four finalists in the Class IV category for districts with 25,001 to 50,000 residents. Schaumburg Park District is a finalist In Class III, which includes districts serving between 50,001 and 100,000 residents. Winners will be announced during the National Recreation and Park Association's Annual Congress and Exposition Oct. 25-29 in Minneapolis.

Finalists nominate themselves in an 11-question application. Bartlett park officials touted their partnerships within the community. The district has added 176 new programs in the past year, including 29 new free programs. The district also opened its first dog park, Riley's Run.

"We're just continuing to move forward, and we're continuing to develop parks," Executive Director Rita Fletcher said.

Glen Ellyn, meanwhile, touted its resource management as well as its brand new state-of-the-art recreation center.

The 42-year-old Gurnee Park District makes its first appearance as a finalist. As officials put together the 12-minute video that is required of finalists and due in early July, they will focus on how well they have managed limited resources.

"We're extremely pleased with where we are," Executive Director Susie Kuruvilla said. "We do have challenges we face in terms of resources. But we work closely with the board to overcome those. They support our initiatives and the community, in general, supports the park district a great deal."

The park districts are judged by a panel of five members of the Ashburn, Va.-based American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration. According to the award's administrator, Jackie Wallenstein, judges mainly focus on planning, implementation and use of resources related to a community's needs.

The group received applications from 59 park districts across the country, including nine in Class IV.

Elmhurst Park District won the award in 1993 but has since been shut out. However, Executive Director Rich Grodsky said the district remains proud of its current streak of four consecutive finalist nominations.

"It does tell our residents that the quality of the Elmhurst Park District's services are of the highest caliber nationally," he said.

Among the projects the district continues to promote is the renovation of the 142-year-old Wilder Mansion, an Elmhurst landmark that was acquired by the park district in 2000.

Three-time Gold Medal Award winner Schaumburg Park District faced the stiffest competition to earn a nomination. Wallenstein said Class III received the most applications with 24 entries; finalists include park districts in Texas, Wisconsin and Missouri.

Jean Schlinkmann, Schaumburg parks executive director, said the district emphasized its "Greenlight Plan," an environmental initiative that pushes energy efficiency and awareness. Aside from offering environmental education classes for schools throughout the region, the district has increased recycling, installed more-efficient lighting and renovated the 30-year-old Atchen Island pool.

Schlinkmann said the environmentalism dates to the early days of the district and revolves around the 135-acre Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary and five other conservation areas in the district.

"We have a staff that is very dedicated to it," she said. "It is part of our philosophy, and Spring Valley was the basis of that."

The local finalists say the Gold Medal Awards help the districts in ways not seen on a plaque. For Grodsky, it also serves as a way to see what other districts do and determine if any ideas could help back home. The competitors also believe park districts provide a community with strong values.

"The quality of life issues are paramount," he said. "Across the nation, people want a good quality of life and we provide that on various levels."

• Staff writers Ashok Selvam and Peter McGrain contributed to this report.