Arlington Hts. needs to get behind parks

My family and I wholeheartedly support our parks! Our park district is one of the gems that makes Arlington Heights the great town it is; past, present and future.

We all have an opportunity this Election Day to make our parks even better by voting yes for the park district referendum.

Not only has our village grown bigger since the original buildings were first built, the way our kids, adults and seniors use our parks is completely different now as compared to the 1960s.

The park district listened to our input and presented a revised plan for our other community centers (Pioneer is already done). The centers are desperately in need of updating, and the changes reflect a direct response by our elected board to what we requested, and our town currently needs.

I’m also very appreciative that the park district listened to residents’ ideas and scaled back the plans to make this referendum a lower cost, more multipurpose and in general consolidates the best ideas from all constituents.

For example, basketball programs have nearly as many participants as the soccer program but the gyms are half the size they need to be to accommodate all the teams. And, there is almost nowhere for adults and seniors to turn to for fitness opportunities so I like that the plans that include walking tracks, workout space and more fitness areas.

The referendum averages only about $2 a month more than what we pay now for park facilities and programs! Or, stated another way, $25 per year for the average homeowner.

The park updates are not only very affordable but they will also make our facilities and sports fields more usable for all ages from kids to adults to seniors for many years to come.

I encourage everyone to support our parks and vote yes!

John D. Dahl

Arlington Heights