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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Plainfield Township Park
4District on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its
5founding in 2016; and
 
6    WHEREAS, On October 22, 1966, the citizens of Plainfield
7Township authorized the establishment of the Plainfield
8Township Park District; Robert Anderson, Frederick Hagerman,
9Duane Maas, Charles Stansberry, Jr., and Joseph Rutten served
10as the first Board of Commissioners; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In November of 1967, the Plainfield Township Park
12District entered into an agreement to purchase a portion of
13Section 11 in Plainfield Township for a public park entity; the
14site, purchased from the Plainfield Township government for
15$20,000, became the first property owned by the District; the
16property is now Four Seasons Park at Lockport Street and
17Interstate 55; and
 
18    WHEREAS, In March of 1968, the Plainfield Township Park
19District Board of Commissioners began discussions with the
20Village of Plainfield about taking over the village parks;
21within a single month, the Board and the Village reached an
22agreement for the District to assume management of the Village

 

 

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1Green, Boy Scout/Ottawa Street, the Marybrook/Kelly
2properties, the Ottawa Street baseball diamond, the Memorial
3Triangle, and the McLaughlin Trust property; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Within just two years, the Plainfield Township
5Park District grew from an idea into an organization managing
6seven park properties; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Plainfield Township Park District has had five
8full-time Executive Directors, Ed DeMarco (1977-1983), Jon
9Foens (1983-1985), Greg Bott (1985-2013), Garrett Peck
10(2013-2014), and the current Executive Director, Carlo
11Capalbo; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Thirty-nine dedicated community members have
13served on the Plainfield Township Park District Board of
14Commissioners; their commitment and vision has guided the
15District from its inception through a period of tremendous
16growth during the mid-1990s and its continued plans for future
17expansion; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Fiduciary responsibility to the residents has
19always been a priority of Plainfield Township Park District
20administration; the District has a AA bond rating from Standard
21and Poor's and has received Certificates of Achievement for
22Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance

 

 

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1Officers Association of the United States and Canada since
22006; the District has also been awarded over $8 million in
3grant funding to aid in the development of parks and trails and
4to fund various programs and park improvements; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The Plainfield Township Park District has
6expanded its boundaries and now encompasses more than 43 square
7miles; the District serves more than 100,000 people and manages
891 parks on approximately 1,300 acres; the recreational
9facilities and amenities owned and operated by the District
10include 65 playgrounds, two skate parks, three dog parks, 17
11basketball courts, many pathways and bike trails, and numerous
12sports fields for baseball, football, soccer, and softball, as
13well as the Recreation Administration Center, the Recreation
14Administration Center Annex, the Normantown Equestrian Center,
15the Ottawa Street Pool, and the Streams Recreation Center; the
16Park District also leases the Heritage Professional Center and
17manages the Plainfield Township Community Center through an
18intergovernmental agreement with Plainfield Township; and
 
19    WHEREAS, A time capsule was dedicated and placed in the
20ground on October 22, 2016 under a commemorative stone at the
21entrance sign of Gregory B. Bott Community Park; the capsule
22will be opened in 2066 during the Plainfield Township Park
23District's 100th Anniversary; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
3recognize the Plainfield Township Park District on the occasion
4of its 50th anniversary, its expansion in service to its
5communities, and its promising approach towards the next 50
6years; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to the Plainfield Township Park District as a symbol
9of our esteem and respect.