093_HR0221
LRB093 11545 HSS 14721 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of
3 the State of Illinois wish to congratulate the Illinois
4 Association of Park Districts (IAPD) on the occasion of its
5 75th anniversary; and
6 WHEREAS, The IAPD was established on May 17, 1928; it
7 provides education, research, and advocacy for its 362
8 members, consisting of 279 park districts, eight forest
9 preserve districts, four conservation districts, one
10 conservancy district, 35 city agencies, one State agency (the
11 Department of Natural Resources), and 34 associate members in
12 the allied fields of law, landscape architecture, and public
13 finance; and
14 WHEREAS, The mission of IAPD is to advance its members in
15 their ability to provide outstanding park and recreation
16 opportunities, preserve our natural resources, and improve
17 the quality of life for all people in Illinois; and
18 WHEREAS, The IAPD is the oldest statewide association of
19 its kind in the country; it is the only park association with
20 a primary membership of elected board members who serve
21 without compensation on local park and forest preserve
22 boards; its member agencies and their staffs are nationally
23 recognized leaders in parks and recreation and have won the
24 National Gold Medal Award more times than any other state;
25 and
26 WHEREAS, A.D. McLarty of Springfield is credited as the
27 association's organizer; in 1928, he was secretary of the
28 Illinois Municipal League and believed an association
29 dedicated to park districts would further the cause of public
30 parks and recreation in Illinois; he became IAPD's first
31 secretary; and
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1 WHEREAS, Early legislation addressed by the association
2 sought to establish uniform laws for organizing park
3 districts and the powers of elected officials, establish the
4 powers of park districts for acquiring land for open space
5 and public parks and recreation, and address liability
6 issues; over the years, the association has worked in
7 bipartisan partnership with its legislative leaders in
8 Illinois and Washington, D.C. to secure funding for open
9 space, outdoor recreation, wildlife preservation, senior
10 health interests, and after-school recreation and nutrition
11 programs for youth; and
12 WHEREAS, As a grass-roots organization, with its 2,100
13 elected officials and more than 300 park and forest preserve
14 agency leaders, IAPD's voice for parks and natural resources
15 is strong and respected; therefore, be it
16 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18 we congratulate the Illinois Association of Park Districts on
19 celebrating its 75th anniversary; and be it further
20 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21 presented to Dennis Flanagin, chairman of the Illinois
22 Association of Park Districts for 2003.