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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate the citizens of
4 Gurnee and the employees and administration of the Gurnee Park
5 District on the occasion of the park district's 40th
6 anniversary in 2008; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The Gurnee Park District was formed on September
8 7, 1968, when the residents of Gurnee authorized the creation
9 of the district in a local referendum; the park district spent
10 its formative years developing a comprehensive park and
11 recreation plan for the residents of the district; the park
12 district serves as a municipal agency that continues to enhance
13 Gurnee's quality of life and well-being while protecting its
14 natural resources for the benefit of present and future
15 citizens; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The Gurnee Park District developed its first park
17 site, Viking Park, in 1973 and 1974; shortly after, numerous
18 improvements were made to the park, including the restoration
19 of the dance hall, the construction of a new restroom,
20 concession building, and a lighted ball field, the expansion of
21 the parking lot, and the addition of new playground equipment
22 in 1984 and 1985; space for these improvements was procured
23 through agreements for shared use of land with the Gurnee Grade

 

 

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1 School District and the Special Education District of Lake
2 County; and
 
3     WHEREAS, In 1971, the Gurnee Park District leased the
4 Gurnee Beach property from the Village of Gurnee and continued
5 the swim program originally established by the village in 1958;
6 in 1973, the park board joined the village officials in
7 designing the facility as Verne Gowe Memorial Park in honor of
8 Mr. Gowe, who had made significant contributions towards the
9 development of the facility; in 1982, the village transferred
10 the title of this property to the Gurnee Park District;
11 throughout the years, the park district has improved this site
12 to make it one of the most popular water parks in the area,
13 featuring a clean, sandy beach, water slide, concessions, and a
14 picnic area; and
 
15     WHEREAS, In 1977, the residents of the Gurnee Park District
16 approved a referendum to generate funds for the acquisition and
17 development of neighborhood parks and improvements to Viking
18 Park and Gowe Memorial Park; with these funds, plus federal and
19 State grants, the park district built Woodlawn Park and
20 Chittenden Park and purchased the Russell Road park site; in
21 1992, the district completed construction of Russell Community
22 Park, which features a large playground, basketball courts, 2
23 baseball fields, a parking lot, and a restroom/shelter
24 building; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Through numerous donations by developers,
2 additional park sites were acquired by the Gurnee Park
3 District, including Prairie Oaks Park, which was completed in
4 1978; The sites for South Park and Cedar Park were donated by
5 the Marriott Corporation and were built in cooperation with the
6 Village of Gurnee in 1982; in 1991, Kings Park and Westgate
7 Park were built; in 1992, the district completed Southridge
8 Park, a park completely funded by developer donations; The
9 first phase of the Pembrook Community Park in Pembrook was
10 constructed in 1992; The Belle Plaine park site, located north
11 of Grand Avenue in Gurnee, will provide neighborhood park
12 facilities for the eastern portion of the village at a future
13 date; and
 
14     WHEREAS, The Gurnee Park District's services extend far
15 beyond Gurnee's parks; the park district operates school/park
16 sites at Spaulding Grade School and O'Plaine School and
17 continues to work with the school district and plans to
18 maintain the open space at O'Plaine School; the park district
19 also partners with the Warren Special Recreation Association to
20 meet the needs of people with physical, mental, and emotional
21 disabilities, so that such people can participate in numerous
22 social, educational, aquatic, camp, and sports programs; and
 
23     WHEREAS, In response to the Gurnee Park District's growing

 

 

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1 population and identification of leisure interest needs, the
2 Board of Commissioners have a Master Plan for future
3 developments, which includes the expansion of Viking Park for
4 additional soccer fields and the completion of Pembrook Park,
5 which features ball fields, a sand volleyball/ice rink,
6 practice soccer fields, tennis courts, and a walkway system;
7 the park district's 2008-2011 Strategic Plan includes
8 initiatives to maintain and enhance standards of excellence in
9 its parks and facilities, differentiate the park district
10 through exceptional customer service, enhance its excellence
11 in customer-driven programming, enhance the park district's
12 image through effective marketing, maintain the financial
13 stability of the park district, and to continue fostering good
14 community and intergovernmental relations; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The Gurnee Park District has received a
16 Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial
17 Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the
18 united States and Canada (GFOA) for its comprehensive annual
19 financial report for an astounding 10 years in a row, a
20 testament of the park district's unerring commitment to
21 excellence; the park district's programs and staff have been
22 recognized for excellence on numerous occasions by the Illinois
23 Parks and Recreation Association; and
 
24     WHEREAS, In celebration of the Gurnee Park District's 40th

 

 

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1 anniversary, the park district will hold a special event on
2 October 4, 2008 from 2 to 6 PM in Viking Park in Gurnee; and
 
3     WHEREAS, The Gurnee Park District strives to be the most
4 effective, efficient, and responsive governmental agency that
5 the Gurnee community will ever encounter, a feat that the park
6 district has certainly been fulfilled for the citizens of
7 Gurnee; therefore, be it
 
8     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
10 congratulate the citizens of Gurnee and the employees and
11 administration of the Gurnee Park District on the occasion of
12 the park district's 40th anniversary and wish them continued
13 success and happiness in the future; and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15 presented to the Gurnee Park District Board of Commissioners as
16 a symbol of our esteem and respect.