Rob Nesvacil: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Rob Nesvacil

City: Arlington Heights

Office sought: Arlington Heights Park District

Age: 45

Family: My wife Carol and I have three children: Clara (16), Zach (13) and Josh (11). We have been residents since 1997 and currently live in the Pioneer Park neighborhood.

Occupation: Global Marketing

Education: Bachelors - Graphic Design, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1996) and Bachelors with Honors - History of Art, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1996)

Civic involvement: Arlington Heights Park Foundation charity (2005-2014); Drive to Revive Memorial Park committee (2006-2013); Historical Society's Annual Housewalk, volunteered graphic design work for event logo and poster (2003-2010); "Green Partners" environmental volunteer group at work (2010-present); Den Leader, Assistant Cubmaster and Cubmaster for Westgate Cub Scouts Pack 130 (2011-present); Advancement Chairman for St. Peter's Scouts Troop 37 (2017-present); Friends of Busse Woods Volunteer

Previous elected offices held: Arlington Heights Park District; Township Committeeman

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Currently an incumbent Park Commissioner first elected in 2003.

Website: ReElectRob4Parks.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReElectRob4Parks/

Twitter:

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your park district and how do you intend to address them?

The most pressing issue is the continuing need for a variety of recreational space, indoors and out, in Arlington Heights. Park District surveys and maxed out programs routinely illustrate that a majority of residents support recreational opportunities whether passive or active recreation. The renovation of Olympic Park will help address some of the indoor fitness and sports needs with the new warm water pool, double gym, elevated walking track, fitness center and new activity rooms. That construction project is currently on time and on budget versus plan. Continuing the Park District's positive agreements with every school district in town will also help the residents by optimizing use of recreational fields and school gyms.

If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the park board? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.

During my tenure I've supported programs such as the Drive to Revive Memorial Park, the township food pantry donation boxes at park facilities, the tree saplings nursery at Kingsbridge Arboretum, the 2-person pool pass and the Park District's Envirogroup. For instance, during the Emerald Ash Borer infestation with many mature trees being cut down I asked staff to develop a tree sapling nursery in a park so that we could grow our own replacement trees locally. Compared to store-bought trees this park nursery generates a significant savings per tree and healthier young trees overall. Most recently, after volunteering for my company's environmental group and learning about similar groups at other park districts I encouraged staff to begin a new environment-focused group here in the Arlington Heights Park District. To date, this group of staff and resident volunteers has helped plant natural areas in multiple parks and in their first Food for Soles drive collected 1,700 pairs of donated shoes plus 2,600 pounds of food. Likewise, by volunteering together with local veterans and residents we were able to renovate Memorial Park, making it more inviting, easier to visit and a true gem of the historic Arlington neighborhood.

Which programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?

This question is phrased in a very interesting way. When you think about it "free" programs such Picnic in the Park, National Night Out, and the Annual Tree Lighting and Holiday Display in North School Park do not pay for themselves - they're free to the public. But if they were to be eliminated our community would be missing integral parts of what makes Arlington Heights our unique hometown. To offset the costs, the Park District has been very successful in partnering with local businesses for sponsorships. Community events like these should be continued and the District should also continue to seek sponsors to help pay for them.

Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.

I am a strong supporter of open space and nature in general. I'm happy to say that during my tenure on the Park Board the district has increased its open space through smart, fiscally responsible land purchases. Arlington Heights is a "landlocked" community so any new open space must come from within existing borders. This means it is likely property that is already owned by another group. The key to increasing open space is to be on the lookout for cost-effective land when it comes available for sale or even land that may be donated. The Park District has a preference for purchasing property adjacent to existing property when it makes fiscal sense as well as an agreement with the village to review potential large tracts of land should they become available.

Are there any unmet recreational needs? If yes, what are they and how would you propose paying for them?

As a whole, the Park Board has a policy that classes which do not meet minimum enrollments are canceled. This protects taxpayers by ensuring classes garner enough fees to cover their basic costs and I'm in favor of continuing this practice. Recently, new activities like cardboard fort-building and growing sports like pickleball, lacrosse, rugby and more are evidence of the ongoing need for the Park District to be flexible and adapt to residents' new recreational needs. To do so, I'm a strong proponent for sharing resources and I'm pleased to note the Park District has almost 50 Intergovernmental Agreements including every school district, the village, nearby park districts, and more - saving taxpayers money by avoiding inefficiencies. Should I be re-elected, another area I plan to continue advocating for is further reducing the District's carbon and chemical footprint to help residents enjoy their passive recreational needs such as picnics, strolls or simply watching butterflies sail through the air. During my tenure the Park District has increased the amount of land it devotes to natural areas such as the milkweed patches around Lake Arlington and the Butterfly Garden at Heritage Park (supported by youth volunteers!). I'd like to see this continue along with plans for sustainable energy such as wind and solar power, rainwater collection, and other environmentally-friendly solutions. This may be paid for in whole or in part by working with businesses or charities that provide grants or with the Park Foundation which raises money to support Park District programs.