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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Mike Rylko on the
4 occasion of his retirement as Executive Director of the Buffalo
5 Grove Park District; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Mike Rylko attended Eastern Illinois University
7 from 1969 to 1973, when he earned his bachelor's degree in
8 recreation administration; he earned his master's degree in
9 Public Administration from Northern Illinois University in
10 1988; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Mike Rylko has had a long and distinguished career
12 in park administration since May of 1973; prior to his service
13 as Executive Director of the Buffalo Grove Park District, he
14 served as Director of Parks and Recreation at the Streamwood
15 Park District for 8 years; he also served as Superintendent of
16 Recreation in Streamwood and Buffalo Grove; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Mike Rylko has served as the Executive Director of
18 the Buffalo Grove Park District for the past 26 years; during
19 his tenure as Executive Director, the District has grown from a
20 120-acre area with 10 park sites to a 419-acre area with 50
21 sites; the District's staff has also grown from 11 employees to
22 54 full-time employees and over 750 part-time and seasonal

 

 

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1 staff that serve a population of over 44,500; and
 
2     WHEREAS, As Executive Director, Mike Rylko oversaw the
3 construction and operation of a 78,000-foot Fitness Center and
4 a Golf and Sports Center; he was responsible for the
5 acquisition of over 106 acres of land and over $5 million in
6 park development and bikeway grants; he was also responsible
7 for the purchase and renovation of a school building, the
8 renovation and expansion of the Raupp Memorial Museum, and the
9 renovation of an indoor and outdoor pool, and the construction
10 of a Spray 'N Play water park; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Under Mike Rylko's direction, the Buffalo Grove
12 Park District earned Distinguished Park and Recreation Agency
13 status in 1996, 2002, and 2008 and was a National Park and
14 Recreation Gold Medal Finalist in 2009; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Mike Rylko has been an active member of the
16 Illinois Park and Recreation Association and the National Park
17 and Recreation Association for over 37 years; he served as
18 President of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association in
19 1997; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Mike Rylko has been the recipient of numerous
21 awards and accolades during his career, including the IPRA 1994
22 Professional of the Year Award, the President's Award of

 

 

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1 Outstanding Service in 1983, 1994, and 2000, and the IPRA
2 Robert Artz Distinguished Service Award in 1999; he was honored
3 as Rotarian of the Year in 1991 and 2004; he also received the
4 Bill Reid Community Service Award in 2007; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Of his many accomplishments, Mike Rylko is most
6 proud of the Bill Reid Community Service Award, the Robert Artz
7 Distinguished Service Award, and the development of Willow
8 Stream Park; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Mike Rylko serves as a model of hard work,
10 integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of
11 Illinois; therefore, be it
 
12     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
14 congratulate Mike Rylko on the occasion of his retirement and
15 wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it
16 further
 
17     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18 presented to Mike Rylko as a symbol of our esteem and respect.