Fox Valley Park District has new director

The Fox Valley Park District's new executive director is Jim Pilmer, the director of neighborhood standards for the city of Aurora.

Pilmer will take over Nov. 9 for Nancy McCaul, who announced in June she was retiring.

Pilmer, who lives in Aurora, has been a Waubonsee Community College trustee since 1993. From 2002 to 2009 he was director of parks and recreation for Aurora. He then was an administrator at Aurora University, and has been with the city since 2012.

The Fox Valley Park District is the second-largest in Illinois, with 165 parks and serving more than 233,000 people in Aurora, North Aurora and Montgomery.

"We're in the recreation business; we make people happy and we transform people's lives through our programs, facilities and events," Pilmer said in a news release. "I truly believe everybody should have the right to walk out their door and have access to a park, recreational facility, trail, open space or a part of nature to enjoy themselves."

Pilmer one of 60 applicants from a nationwide search, has a three-year contract, and will be paid $150,000 a year.