Doug Wolf retiring from Basketball
This story was shared by Greg Schwarze, DuPage County Board Member, District 6.
Doug Wolf, 82 years old, has finally hung up his gym shoes and put away his basketball after playing the sport for nearly 70 years. The West Chicago resident and member of the Carol Stream Park District has been playing the last decade at Fountain View Rec Center with a group of 50- and 60-year-olds whom Doug considers “Spring Chickens”. Many in the group have been playing at the Carol Stream Park District for nearly three decades, first at the Simkus Rec Center and then at Fountain View. Retired Fire Fighter Greg Schwarze started playing at the park district back in 1999 and has enjoyed growing old with the group. “We don’t move as fast but can fire up 3-pointers much more often,” Schwarze said. Doug has been appreciative of the group not only for allowing him to play with them but being welcomed with open arms. “The guys have been wonderful. They threw me an 80th birthday party at the gym a couple of years ago, so I made sure to go easy on them once the game began!” said Doug. Wolf and the rest of the group keep in touch via a text group of the old-timers. He texted them May 28 to say he was needing to retire due to arthritis issues. Most of the guys came out to wish Doug well.
Row 1 –
Tony Bordignon
Greg Schwarze
Doug Wolf
Fred Wilcox
Andy Stahl
Row 2 –
Roger Hughes
Mike Hall
Harold Lonks
Row 3 –
Matt Johnson
Missing –
Rich Ostrowski
Jim Roach
Adrich Beteta
On June 5, Carol Stream Park District Commissioners, State Senator Seth Lewis, park district Staff and Carol Stream residents participated in the celebration and ribbon cutting of the first outdoor pickleball courts in Carol Stream. There are six courts located in Armstrong Park, 391 Illini Drive, Carol Stream.
Participants enjoyed an evening of free demos, tournament, concessions and raffle. The first 100 attendees received a pickleball Koozie cupholder.
For more information about court play and reservations, see our Adult Sports Pickleball webpage.
See ribbon cutting Video.
See Photos (coming soon).
Armstrong Park – 391 Illini Drive – Park in South Lot
Photo:
Row 1 –
Tony Bordignon
Greg Schwarze
Doug Wolf
Fred Wilcox
Andy Stahl
Row 2 –
Roger Hughes
Mike Hall
Harold Lonks
Row 3 –
Matt Johnson
Missing –
Rich Ostrowski
Jim Roach
Adrich Beteta
On May 7, 2024, Executive Director Sue Rini along with Director of HR and Administrative Services Chris Quinn and Director of Parks and Facilities Shane Hamilton had the unique opportunity to represent the Carol Stream Park District at the Illinois State Capitol Building for “Parks Day at the Capitol”. This is a day for Parks and Recreation Agencies throughout the State of Illinois to showcase their Agency to legislators, legislative staff, government employees and State Capitol visitors and demonstrate how park districts, forest preserves, conservation, recreation and special recreation agencies positively impact Illinois’ economy and quality of life.
Executive Director Rini was able to spend time with the local legislators who serve the Carol Stream area and talk with them about the important role our Park District has in the Community. Sue discussed some of the many benefits, events and offerings that the District provides to the Carol Stream Community as well as the importance of OSLAD grants which are used to provide funding for Park Districts to develop and improve our parks and outdoor spaces.
The Carol Stream Park District Board and Staff appreciate the support we receive from the following Legislators:
The Carol Stream Park District is pleased to announce that the Park District Board of Commissioners has officially approved the installation of Pickleball Courts at Armstrong Park. The Board’s decision reflects a commitment to meeting the recreational needs of the community and embracing the growing popularity of Pickleball.
Six outdoor pickleball courts are set to be installed on the existing inline skating rink at Armstrong Park. The installation of these courts will pave the way for exciting programming opportunities, including outdoor tournaments, classes, and lessons, enriching the recreational experience for all residents. Residents can take advantage of free practice play during all other hours.
Sport Court Midwest, based in Elmhurst, IL, has been selected as the vendor for this project, leveraging their expertise and favorable pricing through Sourcewell, a competitive purchasing cooperative. Sourcewell serves various governmental, educational, and nonprofit entities by providing access to competitively solicited contracts for a wide range of goods and services.
The total project cost amounts to $155,600, covering various aspects such as prepping and repairing the asphalt of the existing rink, installation of Sport Court Pickleball surfacing, including six sets of Pickleball nets with fencing between the courts. Additionally, the Sport Court flooring comes with a remarkable 15-year warranty on color and cracks, ensuring durability and longevity. The fencing is backed by a 2-year warranty.
The project, which is expected to begin in early May with anticipated completion by Memorial Day 2024, will be partially funded through a Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Grant in the amount of $50,000.
“The Board’s decision to move forward with the installation of Pickleball Courts at Armstrong Park supports our dedication to enhancing recreational opportunities and options for our residents,” stated Sue Rini, Executive Director of the Carol Stream Park District. “With no current existing outdoor Pickleball courts in the area, this initiative will meet a pressing need in our community.”
“We are excited to see the positive impact that the installation of Pickleball Courts will have on our community,” expressed Renee Bachewicz, Director of Recreation. “This project represents a significant step forward in our efforts to provide diverse and inclusive recreational opportunities for all residents.”
March Enews includes:
Community and Walter Park renovations (see progress photos)
Legislative Breakfast
Citizen of the Year Nominees
Parks Volunteer Jeff Bates
Spring 2024 Activity Guide
Adult Trips mini-guide
Spring Break mini-guide
Coral Cove Water Park Early Bird Pass Sale!
Hiring Event – coming up March 13
Cape Cod Trip – still taking registrations
Flashlight Egg Hunt event
Spring Fling Family Breakfast event
Fitness $20 Membership for Week Sale
Fitness Personal Training Sale
Nominees for Citizen of the Year are esteemed Carol Stream residents
who have selflessly volunteered their time within one or more community groups over the
past year or more. All nominees are recognized at the Citizen of the Year Awards banquet.
The upcoming event is March 2, 2024. The Carol Stream Park District recognizes two
remarkable individuals by nominating Jon Nelson for Special Citizen of the Year and Jared
Brown for Male Citizen of the Year.
Jon Nelson and his family have been actively engaged with the Carol Stream Dolphins
Swim Team since 2016. Jon started volunteering as a Timer, keeping track of the times of
each swimmer. From 2019-2021, Jon volunteered as the Parent Board President,
organizing fundraising and social events for the team. He acted as liaison between the
community, parents and Park District, taking on a major leadership role to ensure the
team’s success. In 2017 Jon volunteered as Timing System Operator, taking on an
invaluable role. Jon’s experience, knowledge and expertise assure the success of the
Dolphins Swim Team and swim tournaments, making the Dolphins an award-winning team.
Jon’s dedication make him an easy choice for this year’s Special Citizen of the Year
nomination.
Jared Brown, an Illinois Air National Guard member with two overseas deployments, and a
Carol Stream resident for over 30 years, has been committed to helping the Carol Stream
Park District succeed in youth sports leagues. Jared has been involved in tee ball, baseball
and soccer programs as both head and assistant coach. He has coached spring and fall
seasons of his son’s tee ball, as well as his other son’s 8U baseball team. Jared was also
head coach for U6 soccer and assistant coach for U8 soccer. When a coach could not
make it for playoffs, Jared stepped up to assume head coaching responsibilities, and the team won the championship. Jared provides insightful knowledge of sports to the kids, and
the Park District is honored to nominate him for Male Citizen of the Year.
Both nominees deserve congratulations and consideration of these prestigious community
awards.
Construction is set to begin this February for the Klein Creek Stream Bank Stabilization Project (Section III). For more information and updates during construction, see the Village of Carol Stream’s project website available at www.carolstream.org. The project is an undertaking of the Village in cooperation with the Carol Stream Park District and partially funded by grants from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and DuPage County Stormwater Management. Construction will close some of the paths in Armstrong Park, as well as the parking lot off of Idaho Street (Kids World). A map of the closures will be maintained on the project website. The construction will involve heavy equipment, so please obey all signs and detours. A lot of dirt will be relocated to improve the sledding hill, so expect periods with heavy truck traffic on the surrounding streets. Substantial completion is scheduled for July 3, 2024, followed by 3 years of maintenance and monitoring of the native plants.
For more information, see the project website at the Village of Carol Stream, carolstream.org.
The Carol Stream Park District Board, Administration and Employees embarked on a Community Needs Assessment (hereinafter referred to as “CNA”) survey in May 2023 to obtain resident opinions about our programs and services and to gauge how much residents engage with the Park District, whether they are active participants in programs or just enjoy the beauty of the parks and trails within the community. Conducting a CNA survey every five years helps us understand resident needs for change or improvement. The survey guides us in the evaluation of trends and determines if the park district is focused in the right direction. The results serve as a guide for developing ideas and action plans that will allow the District to grow and evolve to meet the changing needs of the community.
We are pleased to share the results with you.
