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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are pleased to congratulate Greg Bott on the | ||||||
4 | occasion of his retirement as Executive Director of the | ||||||
5 | Plainfield Park District; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Greg Bott earned degrees in recreation and | ||||||
7 | physical education from North Central College; he worked in | ||||||
8 | park maintenance at the Naperville Park District before joining | ||||||
9 | the Plainfield Park District in 1981; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Greg Bott was promoted to Superintendent of Parks | ||||||
11 | of the Plainfield Park District in 1983; he faithfully served | ||||||
12 | the Plainfield Park District as Executive Director for 28 | ||||||
13 | years, from September of 1985 to June of 2013; and
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14 | WHEREAS, When Greg Bott's directorship began in 1985, the | ||||||
15 | Plainfield Park District had 5 employees, 5 park sites, and | ||||||
16 | served 15,000 residents with an annual budget of $340,000; | ||||||
17 | today, the park district is comprised of more than 1,500 acres, | ||||||
18 | over 80 parks, including several building sites, and serves | ||||||
19 | more than 100,000 residents with 250 employees and a $11.2 | ||||||
20 | million budget; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Under Director Bott's leadership, the Park |
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1 | District received nearly $7.5 million in grant funding for | ||||||
2 | projects for community parks such as Van Horn Woods, Renwick | ||||||
3 | Community Park, River Edge, Eaton Preserve, Mather Woods, | ||||||
4 | Electric Park, Norman Greenway, Northwest Community Park, Clow | ||||||
5 | Stephens, Village Green, and portions of the DuPage River | ||||||
6 | Trail; and
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7 | WHEREAS, During Director Bott's tenure, the district has | ||||||
8 | evolved to meet numerous challenges, including a natural | ||||||
9 | disaster in 1990, rapid population growth, limited resources, | ||||||
10 | and tough financial conditions, including tax caps; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, Under Director Bott's leadership, despite the | ||||||
12 | financial challenges of declining tax rates for 2 decades, the | ||||||
13 | district has demonstrated positive financial performance with | ||||||
14 | well-managed budgets, maintained reserves, a moderate debt | ||||||
15 | burden, and the rise of the district's bond rating three grades | ||||||
16 | to an AA rating by Standard and Poor's Rating Services; | ||||||
17 | therefore, be it
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18 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
19 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
20 | we commend Greg Bott for his many years of dedicated service, | ||||||
21 | congratulate him on his retirement, and wish him success and | ||||||
22 | happiness in the future; and be it further
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1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
2 | presented to Greg Bott as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
3 | respect.
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