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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Roger Key on the
4 occasion of his retirement as Executive Director of the
5 Arlington Heights Park District after 35 years of dedicated
6 service at the end of June 2008; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Roger Key has served the Arlington Heights Park
8 District for 35 years and has been in the park and recreation
9 profession for over 38 years; he has held various positions
10 within the Park District; he began his career in 1973 as a
11 Recreation Coordinator, followed by 3 years as Assistant
12 Superintendent of Recreation, 13 years as Superintendent of
13 Recreation, and 9 years as Director of Recreation and
14 Facilities; and
 
15     WHEREAS, In 2002, Roger Key was promoted to the position of
16 Executive Director of the Arlington Heights Park District; as
17 Executive Director, he manages an agency that serves a
18 community of 78,000 residents with a budget of $24 million and
19 a staff of over 100 full-time and 1,000 part-time employees; as
20 Executive Director, his work ethic, leadership skills, and
21 enthusiasm for the profession have been readily evident on a
22 daily basis; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Roger Key has been instrumental in the development
2 and renovation of many projects in the Arlington Heights Park
3 District, including the re-development of the Pioneer Park
4 Community Center, the development of the Sunset Meadows Driving
5 Range Project, the renovation of the Olympic Indoor Swim
6 Center, the development of the Lake Arlington 50 acre boating
7 facility, the development of the Nickol Knoll Clubhouse and
8 golf course, the re-development of the Historical Museum
9 Intergovernmental Agreement, the development of Melas Park
10 Sports Complex, the development of the Counselor-in-the-Park
11 Program, the re-development of four outdoor swimming pools and
12 one indoor pool, the development of the Children at Play (CAP)
13 Program, and the development of a cooperative senior
14 programming at the state-of-the-art Senior Center; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Roger Key was the driving force behind the joint
16 construction of two community gymnasiums with local school
17 districts, while avoiding duplication of services and the
18 spending of tax dollars; he was also responsible for overseeing
19 the 2006/2007 recreation programming of the District, which
20 included over 260,000 participants and over 1,458,900
21 participation hours; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Roger Key is well known by his peers as a
23 "hands-on" administrator; he is the first to stop by events or
24 activities on the weekends and evenings and has been an active

 

 

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1 "co-worker" at District-wide events, such as the annual Picnic
2 in Park, Guard Competition, the City Swim Meet, and the local
3 Frontier Days community festival; he regularly visits the
4 community centers, pools, tennis clubs, and golf courses and
5 meets with part-time staff, instructors, registrars, and
6 patrons; as a leader, he believes that input from all levels of
7 the organization are important to maintaining quality customer
8 service and well-informed staff; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Roger Key has worked with administrative staff and
10 local officials of the village, school districts, library, and
11 businesses to promote not only quality recreation facilities
12 and programs, but a quality of life that is unique to Arlington
13 Heights; he has been instrumental in numerous cooperative
14 agreements with local government agencies and park districts;
15 he has also coordinated the construction of joint-use
16 gymnasiums and encourages staff development of joint
17 programming and events with local agencies; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Roger Key has also devoted great time and effort
19 toward other professional outreach programs; he has served on
20 the Distinguished Leisure Agency committee since 1996 and
21 chaired the committee in 2002; he has been very involved on the
22 IPRA Mentor committee, working with professionals interested
23 in "mentoring" other professionals; he has served on the
24 Northwest Special Recreation Association's Board of Directors

 

 

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1 since 2002, serving as the board's Chairman in 2006; he is also
2 active in numerous civic organizations, such as the Kiwanis and
3 Rotary Clubs; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Roger Key is an avid runner and swimmer; in 2006,
5 he ran the Chicago Marathon with his daughter; he then
6 qualified and ran in the Boston Marathon in April of 2007 and
7 April of 2008; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Roger Key will be remembered fondly by his
9 colleagues as an ethical, diligent, dedicated, kind, and caring
10 worker, supervisor, and friend; therefore, be it
 
11     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
12 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
13 congratulate Roger Key on the occasion of his retirement and
14 wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be
15 it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17 presented to Roger Key as a symbol of our esteem and respect.