Plainfield Park District

Ellie Bearden was recently honored as the Park District's HEART Champion for July. HEART stands for Help, Empathize, Acknowledge, Respect and Thank. Ellie was honored for helping with Ottawa Street Pool's Glow Night, filling in for a guard during swim lessons to allow for a break, and helping swim test a camper on her break. Congratulations Ellie!

The Plainfield Park District recently announced the hiring of Joseph Quinn as director of parks. Joe has served as a division manager, parks and grounds, in the parks department the last two-plus years. His responsibilities included managing all parks and grounds maintenance work, special event equipment setup and special projects; schedules and supervision of work crews; and overseeing the completion of general maintenance-related projects. He also assisted the previous director of parks in creating a list of board- and director-prioritized projects. Joe came to Plainfield after serving as the athletic field specialist at Addison Park District, where his duties included full care of all athletic fields, repairs to equipment and vehicles, tree trimming and removal, pesticide and herbicide application, snow removal and aiding in all areas of the parks and grounds department. Joe has extensive auto mechanic skills, with previous positions including general manager at Batavia Auto Mart, and working as an independent mechanic contractor through ARL Automotive in Warrenville. He previously served as head grounds at Addison Trail High School (2005-2019), where his duties included oversight of 90 acres of property, the grounds crew, grounds department, large projects and day-to-day operations. Joe was also responsible for planning and designing landscape projects, and maintaining and repairing all grounds equipment, tractors, trucks, driver’s education cars and buses. Joe began his career in 1996 in Glenbard Township High School District 87, serving as the temporary custodian at Glenbard West High School before advancing to permanent custodian and grounds crew at Glenbard North High School. He then returned to Glenbard West as head grounds in 2004, overseeing the grounds crew, planning large projects and day-to-day operations of 19 acres of property. Joe resides in Yorkville with his wife Nancy. In his free time, he is the driveline specialist/clutch mechanic as part of the pit crew for a top alcohol dragster.

The Plainfield Park District announced today that its Annual Budget document earned the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). This is the eighth straight year the Park District has earned the distinction. A press release issued by the GFOA stated, “The award represents a significant achievement by the Plainfield Park District. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the Plainfield Park District had to satisfy nationally-recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation.” The guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as: - a policy document - a financial plan - an operations guide - a communications device According to the GFOA, budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award. The GFOA advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 22,500 members and the communities they serve.

In honor of Park and Recreation Month, we are highlighting the essential and powerful role our park and recreation staff play in building a better community. First up are our seasonal workers in the parks department. "Our seasonals are a very important part of our department, especially during the mowing season," said Interim Director of Parks Joe Quinn. "They help us keep up on mowing, string trimming, weeding, tree pruning, and bush trimming. They are always willing to do any kind of work and work overtime if needed. All of our seasonal employees are hard working, dedicated team players." Pictured are (from left) Yulissa Lozano, Israel Lozano, Brett Mouw and Cole Menefee. Not pictured are Guy Desimone and Dave Soehlke.

Van Horn Woods DiscGolfPark will be opening soon. In the meantime, our collaboration with Werk Force Brewing Co., is ready now! Four-packs and drafts of For the Love of Disc Golf are available at Werk Force, 14903 S. Center St., in Plainfield. A portion of sales from the beer will be donated for the maintenance and upkeep of the Van Horn Woods DiscGolfPark.

The Plainfield Park District Board of Commissioners, Plainfield Park District staff, Plainfield Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce and a host of dignitaries celebrated the grand re-opening of the Park District's Recreation/Administration Center with a ribbon cutting, light refreshments and tours of the building June 6. The renovation of the Recreation Administration Center was funded with a $608,148 grant through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, administered through Will County. The improved office space features increased energy efficiency, improved ventilation and additional offices and workspaces. Those in attendance included Park District Board President Bill Thoman, Commissioner Colette Safford, and Commissioner Sayed Abedi; Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel, Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County Board Member Jacqueline Traynere, and multiple members of the Plainfield Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce. https://lnkd.in/gQhQwXHY

Genaro Guzman was recently honored as the Park District's HEART Champion for May. HEART stands for Help, Empathize, Acknowledge, Respect and Thank. Genaro was honored for buying a lunch for a teenager who did not have enough money to buy his own lunch while out with a group of his friends. Genaro has worked for the District for 15 years. "I love my co-workers and working in different environments with different objectives every day," Genaro said.

Natalia Szwajnos was recently honored as the Park District's HEART Champion for April. HEART stands for Help, Empathize, Acknowledge, Respect and Thank. Natalie was honored for picking up a shift at Normantown Equestrian Center (NTEC). Natalia started at NTEC last July and works as a barn coordinator, hand and instructor. "I always love meeting happy parents and seeing how excited the students and parents get," said Natalia. "The best thing about my job is always being around the horses and taking care of them."

For the second consecutive year, Plainfield Park District has been named a finalist for the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management as selected by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The Park District is one of four finalists in the Class III Category (population of 75,001-150,000) for the Grand Plaque. Grand Plaque recipients will be announced at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference in Atlanta, October 8-10. Other Class III nominees are Waukegan Park District (Ill.), City of New Braunfels Parks and Recreation (Texas) and City of North Port Parks & Recreation Department (Fla.). “It’s a tremendous honor to again be in contention for the Grand Plaque,” said Plainfield Park District Executive Director Carlo Capalbo. “This second Gold Medal continues to demonstrate our excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services with fiscally-sound business practices." Founded in 1966, the Plainfield Park District is the 9th largest park district in the State of Illinois, serving over 110,000 residents in Will and Kendall Counties including the areas of Plainfield, Joliet, Romeoville, Crest Hill and Bolingbrook. This past January, the District was recognized as an Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency. The accreditation is a rigorous evaluation process by a joint committee of park and recreation professionals and elected officials and includes having to meet various standards and criteria in providing exceptional park and recreation services to the community. Plainfield Park District achieved a score of 503.4, exceeding the total possible of 500 points (bonus points awarded for certain accomplishments). In late 2023, the Plainfield Park District was chosen the BEST park district in the Herald-News Best of Will County Readers’ Choice Awards. The District was also chosen as one of the best in family recreation. In 2022, the District joined the ranks of elite park and recreation agencies across the country by earning accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the NRPA. CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies, and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community. https://lnkd.in/gYjwN4cw