Pictured are Eric Gutbrod, Brian Thorsen and Eric Ramierz
Parks staff Gutbrod, Thorsen and Ramierz assisted Woodridge Park District with clean-up from the tornado last June. They chainsawed and chipped damaged trees. They worked eight hours each day – Ramirez working two days – 6/22 & 23, Thorsen working on 6/22 and Gutbrod working on 6/23.
Woodridge put out a “Call for Assistance,” and several villages and park districts sent staff to assist with clean-up. In addition to neighborhoods, the tornado impacted ten park sites.
Here is the thank you letter from the Woodridge Park District to Executive Director Jim Reuter:
July 15, 2021
Carol Stream Park District, Mr. Jim Reuter
849 W. Lies Road Carol Stream, IL 60188
Re: July 20th Woodridge Tornado Multi-Agency Assistance
Dear Jim,
On behalf of the Woodridge Park District Board of Commissioners, staff and the Woodridge community, we sincerely thank the Carol Stream Park District, you and your maintenance crews for assisting in the multi-agency disaster recovery efforts immediately following the June 20, 2021 tornado. The tornado cut a 2. 7 mile-long 4 block-width path of destruction across Woodridge impacting ten park sites.
The quick response to the “Call for Assistance” was truly impressive. Collectively, over 500 manhours combined with specialized tree removal equipment were volunteered by the Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Bolingbrook, Carol Stream, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Hanover Park, Lemont, Lisle, Lombard, Palatine, and Wheaton park districts.
Our maintenance crews and especially the residents surrounding each impacted park site truly appreciated the quick response, which provided an immediate safe haven and opportunity to provide some level of normalcy for many to recreate and exercise amongst all the destruction.
The damage assessment is ongoing to include the loss of priceless 100 year+ oak and hickory trees along with damage to some capital assets (e.g. park shelters, site furnishings, etc.). Thankfully, no deaths were reported.
As one resident told me a couple of days after the tornado, “it is times like this when we really realize the benefit of our taxes, when We experience a coordinated professional response like this especially in desperate times of need. We shouldn’t take for granted all that you do for the community. Thank Your
Hopefully we never have to reciprocate in your community under similar circumstances, but if so, you can count on the Woodridge Park District to assist. Once again, the parks and recreation field stepped up to the plate when asked. THANK YOU!!
Sincerely,
Mike Adams, Executive Director, Woodridge Park District
Bill Cohen, President, Woodridge Park District Board of Commissioners
As reported back in March, the Carol Stream Park District is the recipient of a grant award in the amount of $180,000 to renovate a 0.95-mile, 8-foot-wide existing asphalt trail adjacent to Mitchell Lake Park. ADA concerns will be addressed throughout the trail by eliminating excessive slopes, so an individual with a mobility issue can flow freely on the entire trail. Work is set to begin in early September and end in early October.
We are opening bids for this project on Wednesday, August 4. For more information, email shaneh@csparks.org.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is administering the funds for the Bicycle Path Grant Program. Funding for the program, which was approved by the Illinois General Assembly in 1989, comes from a percentage of motor vehicle title fees.
The Mitchell Lake Park trail is also joined by the Armstrong and Veterans Park trails. The Veterans Park Trail is joined by the Lies Road trail, which takes a cyclist west to the new Gary Avenue trail and then south to the Great Western Trail.
Attention Community Park Residents!
The Wheaton Sanitary District is planning some work through our Community Park. The work includes the installation of a plastic liner to existing underground piping that directs wastewater from portions of Carol Stream and Wheaton to the Sanitary District’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.
During the week of July 12, the Wheaton Sanitary District is unloading supplies and getting set up to perform this work. They will be staging materials and equipment in Community Park’s parking area, and they may be driving through the park along the tree line from Thornhill Drive to access Gunderson Road with their equipment.
Starting July 19 and for at least two weeks, the Sanitary District contractors will be working on the pipes. We understand the process they are using does not require digging up pipes; however, the work is planned to take place 24 hours a day. Residents will see and hear the work, but the contractor uses every precaution to keep the noise down in the evening hours.
This project has been approved by DuPage County and the Village of Carol Stream. The Carol Stream Park District is not involved in this project, other than Community Park providing an area to stage materials and equipment during this part of the project.
This project is part of a much larger project of the Wheaton Sanitary District, called the Northside Interceptor (NSI) Sewer Replacement Project. Detailed information about this project may be found at Wheaton Sanitary District Northside Interceptor Project.
Posted by the Village of Carol Stream, 5/7/21
The Village of Carol Stream and the Carol Stream Park District have been alerted to a nuisance coyote in the prairie areas around North Avenue and Kuhn Road. The prairie areas span from west of Kuhn Road and surround the Carol Stream water reclamation plant. Your Village and Park District are working with wildlife agencies on a solution but also encourage caution in or near natural areas.
Coyote mating season, which sees more aggressive male behavior, ended in March. We are now in den preparation season which may result in more daytime sightings. We often see this increased daytime activity through June as they look for food sources for their recently weaned pups.
We ask the community to do the following to deter a coyote:
At this time, it is in the community’s best interests to use caution and stay aware of your surroundings in or near these prairies areas.
Previous Living with Wildlife article.
The Carol Stream Park District is trying an anti-litter experiment in our parks by removing some trash cans. One will think this experiment is counterproductive to preventing litter in our parks. The fact of the matter is, taking your trash home is the result of an environmentally sensitive mindset. Sounds simple, but how do you change the mindset of residents who are used to having trash cans in our parks?
The challenge will be in getting the word out to our residents and asking them to give this idea a try! We expect to hear, “you’ve tried that before and it didn’t work,” or “our tax dollars pay for this.” Tax dollars do pay for many things at the park district, and we constantly look for the best way to manage the trust our residents have placed in us to use those tax dollars wisely. Nearly 50-60% of the services we provide are not covered by tax dollars, so 40-50% of the park district services are funded by the revenue generated through our programs. We watch every penny spent and are transparent in our financial reporting as recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 20th consecutive year.
The WALK YOUR TRASH HOME Program is another example of the park district’s effort to do more with less. COVID drastically cut into the earned revenue side of the park district’s business and resulted in staff being cut by more than 25 percent leaving fewer staff to maintain our 456 acres of open space, 46 parks and playgrounds, and empty trash cans. Removing trash cans from various locations gains us 40 hours a week of staff time to use towards open space, sport fields, park and playground upkeep.
You are right; we tried this experiment a few years ago and it didn’t work. Residents left their dog waste and trash where cans “used to be.” There are many people who don’t bother to use the trash cans – even when they are available. But we’re going to try this again with the addition of educating our residents on ‘why’ we are doing so.
Over the years, national and state parks have experimented with the removal of trash cans, especially in areas that are hard to get to with a maintenance vehicle. For example, national parks in Southwestern Pennsylvania are “Trash Free Parks”. Their Leave No Trace program advocates for visitors to the parks to share the responsibility for managing solid waste. Further, their notices at the entrances to the parks say, “Trash cans have been removed from the park to protect and improve the environment. This program is designed to encourage reuse and recycling practices. We all share the responsibility for managing solid waste and the park’s environment.” Because of environmentally sensitive visitors, the land remains pristine.
The Chicago Park District removed a number of trash cans from five of its largest parks in 2001. The concept was simple: According to the parks superintendent at that time, “a lack of garbage cans will encourage people to “bag up” their garbage and “take it home.” The Chicago Park District found out that less trash was being thrown out, and parks were cleaner.
Walking your trash home is an environmentally conscious mindset; it also represents respect of our community and fellow residents. A litterbug will continue to litter, trash can or not. And the Carol Stream Park District will still pick up trash at parks. But human trash belongs to the human who produced it; so why not take it home? Leaving dog waste bags where a can “used to be”, or any waste for that matter, pollutes your community and neighborhood; it’s disrespectful to your neighbors.
The Carol Stream Park District is asking that our residents to be a good neighbor, to be environmentally conscious and help us in this new way to keep our parks clean. When having a picnic in one of the parks, bring extra bags for your garbage and take it home. Take your dog waste home. Better yet, help us by picking up trash when you see it. Take a walk through a park and do your part. If every resident does his/her best to keep our parks and neighborhoods clean, we become a better community. Help us to teach each other and future generations to be responsible members of our community.
We hope you join us in supporting the WALK YOUR TRASH HOME campaign and be responsible and environmentally sensitive to the Carol Stream Community.
Opinion piece by Jim Reuter, Executive Director
So here we are, one year later and still under the “pandemic”. What a year! Better, yes…vaccines are getting out there and people are getting more comfortable (and excited) to get out and get back to “normal”. But I pose this question…is that what we want?
I consider myself a Christian and of course I believe there is a higher power and I believe that that higher power doesn’t want “normal” again, which in my mind, through this tragedy, we have been able to find some light…and in my business, finding light at the end of the tunnel is what gets us through. That and hope.
But what is “normal” or should I say what was “normal”? Normal was commuting to the work every day and on the way in and on the way out…heavy traffic. Normal was working 10-12 hours a day, trying to get home and get the kids to band practice, softball practice, soccer practice, etc. sometimes two or more kids to two or more locations and oh yeah…we need to eat dinner, we’ll do that at 8pm or later, watch a little television, play on our devices or check work emails (again) go to bed and do it all over again tomorrow.
As long as I mentioned that I am a Christian, let’s talk church. Pre-pandemic, get up, drive as fast as we could to get to mass on time, stay the hour and then head home or to another practice or game…phew! Now, church is something that people are craving as they have had to attend virtually (until recently) and mass times are busting at the seams. Church is that thing that when we have it we take it for granted and when it’s harder to get to and when we think we need some extra help (like during a pandemic) we pay more attention. If you’re anything like me, the relationship I have built with God these last 12 months is stronger than it’s ever been and just as a side note…it works.
Back to “normal”. I drive into work around 6:30am and observe, as the weather gets nicer, people walking on the trails and sidewalks, riding their bikes, walking their dogs, jogging. People are outside more now than ever and the parks and playgrounds have kids on them. Pickleball is everywhere and kids, yes I said kids…are playing outside!
This pandemic, like you I’m sure, has shown us how to slow down, how to appreciate our families and friends, people as a whole. How to read a book, take up a new hobby, learn an instrument, ride a bike again, adopt a dog, get some fresh air and get dirty. The weather is breaking here in the Midwest and the times I have visited my local garden center, I have not been able to find a parking place. Which to me indicates that as soon as Mother Nature allows, you will see people in their yards like never before. I have been part of a virtual cooking group (now in person) this whole time and have met a steady group of friends every Wednesday morning for coffee and that will not stop, the job will just have to wait.
So I ask again…do you want to go back to what we considered “normal”? Slow down, smell the flowers, cook and eat a great meal with your family and friends and I think you will find the answer.
The Carol Stream Park District’s Armstrong Park North Parking Lot project has been selected for funding through the FY2021 DuPage County Water Quality Improvement Program Grant. The maximum funding amount is 25 percent of the related projects costs. The DuPage County Stormwater Management Planning Committee approved funding for the Armstrong Park project is no more than $40,395 for qualified costs, which equates to a 25 percent reimbursement.
The Armstrong Park North Parking lot, located off Idaho Street, is identified in the recently approved Klein Creek Watershed Plan to replace an existing asphalt parking lot with permeable pavers and a vegetated swale system. It is an excellent project for Water Quality Improvement Program funding as it incorporates two Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will contribute to the pollutant load reduction of the Klein Creek Watershed. Specifically, this project will reduce two pollutants of concern from the 303(d) list for the West Branch DuPage River: phosphorus loads will decrease by 65% and sediment by 90% for the project’s drainage area of 53.7 acres. Incorporating these BMPs into the north parking lot will also encourage stormwater infiltration, groundwater recharge, and provide an educational awareness of the importance of reducing non-point source pollutants, as well as improve aesthetics of the area. Further, the proposed project improvements have been identified as a specific project to be completed in the Klein Creek Watershed Plan. The project will be completed by fall of 2021.
DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee Chairman Jim Zay said, “The projects we selected to partially fund will not only greatly benefit the DuPage waterways but will also serve as examples to the public of projects that can be undertaken on a smaller scale at area homes and businesses.”
The Carol Stream Park District is excited to announce that it will be moving its preschool program in April to the Simkus Recreation Center, 849 W. Lies Road. The new location offers three new classrooms and a brand new playground (Fall 2021); year-round access to the gym and gymnastics rooms; ability for parents to see their child’s teachers, classrooms and meet other parents; possibilities for extended care and enrichment; opportunities for parents to enroll in other programs and classes while their child is in class; and parking is plentiful and with better accessibility to the Simkus Recreation Center. The move is planned for an extended spring break starting March 29, with in-person classes beginning on Monday, April 12.
The park district preschool program has been a community tradition for over 40 years, giving first-time students a balanced play-based learning experience that focuses on the development of pre-kindergarten skills.
An open house is planned for current preschool participants on Friday, April 9. Registration opens in May for the Fall 2021 through May 2022 school year, and an open house is planned for Tuesday, May 4, for new participants and families. Summer preschool programming at the Simkus Recreation Center begins in June. The summer preschool program is a great way to familiarize young children to the preschool year that begins in September.
The Carol Stream Park District is refinancing outstanding bonds for savings. In conjunction with the refinancing process the District underwent a Moody’s Rating and received an upgrade. This upgrade means the District can refinance at an even lower interest rate. That translates to lower repayments on future debt. We are estimating a present value savings of $1.8M through this refinancing process.
New York, August 03, 2020 — Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded the Carol Stream Park District, IL’s general obligation unlimited tax (GOULT) and general obligation limited tax (GOLT) ratings to A1 from A2, affecting $38 million in rated debt. The upgrade to A1 reflects the district’s strong financial performance over the past few years resulting in sound fund balance and liquidity. The A1 rating also reflects the district’s low pension burden and economic ties to the Chicago metro area supporting the district’s comparatively high resident incomes.
We are happy to announce that we are able to open PLAYGROUNDS! We ask that patrons keep capacity limited to no more than 50 people and follow social distancing guidelines as well as other Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines.
“Be a Good Human”
Thanks!
