HR0089 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0089 LRB098 10793 MST 41233 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Chuck Balling, Executive Director of the Glenview Park District, on receiving the 2012 Robert Artz Lifetime Achievement Award; and

WHEREAS, The Robert Artz Lifetime Achievement Award is named in honor of Robert Artz, who in 1979, was the newly elected executive director of the Illinois Association of Park Districts; although his life was cut short, his vision for parks, recreation, and conservation lives on; the award is presented to a person whose professionalism, dedication, and commitment have a lasting effect on parks and recreation; and

WHEREAS, Chuck Balling has spent his career devoted to Illinois parks and recreation; in Gurnee, he was instrumental in open space land acquisitions and development of new facilities including a $1.5 million renovation to Viking Park Community Center and development of the award winning Hunt Club Aquatic Center; in Glenview, he led the development of Community Park West, a 95-acre multi-use park, which included securing a $750,000 donation from the Glenview Youth Baseball Association; he negotiated with the Village of Glenview the successful transfer of the 32-acre Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie and Evelyn Tyner Center, a Platinum LEED-certified nature museum, as well as the 90-acre Gallery Park; and

WHEREAS, Chuck Balling has implemented cutting-edge business practices; his strategic planning process, which he has helped other park districts and organizations implement, is a unique collaborative effort; and

WHEREAS, Chuck Balling takes pride in mentoring future leaders and emphasizes continuing education and professional involvement; for 35 years he has dedicated himself to parks and recreation; and

WHEREAS, The Robert Artz Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Chuck Balling on January 25, 2013, at the All-Conference Awards Luncheon held during the IAPD/IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago; more than 1,500 representatives and guests of Illinois park districts, forest preserves, conservation, recreation, and special recreation agencies attended; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Chuck Balling on receiving the 2012 Robert Artz Lifetime Achievement Award; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Chuck Balling as an expression of our esteem and respect.