Summer Newsletter 2023

2023 Recreations

Meet Our New Staff Members!

By: Catherine Saponieri, Marketing & Communications Manager

Meet the North Park Facility Manager for the Park District of Franklin Park. She oversees and coordinates all events and programs at the Centre of North Park facility.

Melissa has been a proud resident of Franklin Park for the past 28 years. She has fond memories of taking walks to local parks with her friends from middle and high school. These are the same parks she now takes her kids to nearly 20 years later!

She started in the hospitality industry over 5 years ago which is where she gained her experience in facility operations. Motivated by her passion for community development, Melissa aspires to continue her growth within the Franklin Park community. She is eager to help coordinate special events that will leave a lasting impact and form cherished memories.

Outside of work, Melissa enjoys quiet nights spent at home and spending time with her family. She also enjoys shopping with her kids and watching sports with her husband, dad, and brother!

Melissa is looking forward to meeting more of Franklin Park’s residents. Please reach out to her if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Meet the Marketing & Communications Manager for the Park District of Franklin Park. She oversees all Park District communication channels, branding efforts, and marketing collateral. Catherine graduated from Dominican University with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing this past May.

Catherine started working for the Park District of Franklin Park in 2019 as a Pool Attendant. Since then she has had roles in Youth Athletics, Center Staff, and After School Program. Recently, she was the Marketing Intern for the Park District of Franklin Park.

In her time outside of work, you can find Catherine spending time with family and friends, crafting, and listening to podcasts. She also enjoys exploring other cities, watching the latest hit TV shows, and playing soccer.

Catherine is looking forward to meeting and connecting with Franklin Park community members to establish strong relationships. She encourages you to share your photos from our parks, special events, and programs with her! Feel free to reach out to her for any suggestions, questions, comments, or concerns.

Melissa Renta, North Park Facility Manager

Catherine Saponieri , Marketing & Communications Manager

Take a Trip Around Franklin Park

By: Catherine Saponieri, Marketing & Communications Manager

New Additions to Our Parks

By: Jen Costa, Parks Services Assistant

Birch Park, located on 2952 Birch Street was renovated in June 2008. Since then, it has had many visitors and hosted countless baseball games. One feature that was overlooked was the skate park due to the limited amount of skating equipment. To revamp this area, the Park District and frequent skateboarders collaborated to determine how to provide a better configuration and build excitement back to that area. As part of the renovation, we added a new four-foot bank ramp and coaster. We also placed a fresh coat of resurfacing paint on the current equipment to give the skate park a brand- new look. We invite the community to visit Birch Park and test out the new equipment!

This summer, we unveiled an exciting, season-long initiative called the Park Passport Adventure, designed to ignite the spirit of exploration in young minds. We invited children ages 2-14 to travel around Franklin Park and fill out a booklet with 10 adventures. In this booklet, children answer trivia questions, share what they saw, or check off an event they attended to show that they visited the park or facility. Accompanied with the booklet is a map that allows children to learn where the park is and its features making it an allin-one activity guide.

The goal of the Park Passport Adventure is for children to explore the neighborhood, visit new parks, and enjoy all the fun the Park District of Franklin Park has to offer. If 5 adventures are completed, your child will win a Park Passport bag. If all 10 adventures are completed, your child will be entered in a raffle to win a FREE 2024 Pool Pass for them and a maximum of 4 other family members. That’s over $200 worth of passes for free!

Once completed, booklets can be returned to the Community Center no later than August 31. Winners of the raffle will be announced on September 1. You can pick up a booklet at any of our facilities or download it today by scanning the QR code.

Available at:

Community Center: 9560 Franklin Avenue

Pool on Pacific:

9715 Pacific Avenue

Centre at North Park: 10040 Addison Avenue

Ice Arena: 9711 Waveland Avenue

Another addition coming to the parks this summer is a multi-level playground train at Junction Park. Currently, a wooden train sits near the entrance of the park making it one of its most-well known features. This August, the Park District will replace this piece of equipment with a new interactive train with a slide, crawl tunnel, and multi-level decks. This will provide children with years of enjoyment and draw more attention to the park. To stay updated on the progress of the addition, follow us on our Facebook page!

Get your Paddles Ready!

By: Nigel Burnett, Athletic & Facility Manager

In the past few years, pickleball has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States and around the world. It combines the sports of ping-pong, tennis, and badminton and is played with a paddle and plastic ball. It can be played in an indoor or outdoor setting on a badminton size court with modified tennis nets. As we seek to promote physical activity, we knew that pickleball would be a great addition to our community.

Pickleball has many health and social benefits, such as reduced muscle and joint strain, better cardiovascular health, improved cholesterol and blood pressure, and more social inclusion. These are just some of the many reasons why pickleball is also becoming the nation’s most popular court sport of choice.

We plan to begin Open Play sessions on September 6th 2023 at the North Park Sports Arena located at 10040 Addison Ave, Franklin Park IL, 60131. For more information about pickleball, reach out to Nigel Burnett at nburnett@fpparks.org.

OPEN PLAY FEE | HOURS & DAYS

Resident $2 / Non-Resident $ 6

• Monday 9:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

• Wednesday 9:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

• Friday 9:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Keeping it Cool at Ice Arena Summer Camps!

By: Carla Deak, Ice Arena Manager

There’s no such thing as summer break for our dedicated figure skaters and hockey players! When it’s hot outside, you can find them on the ice working on their skills, building their strength, and improving their game.

The Ice Arena offers both a skating and hockey camp every June and July. While our camps are intended for skaters with prior experience, our campers are split by age and ability so you will likely find groups spread out between our Main Arena, Studio Arena, Party Room, and outside, working on things specific to their skill set. In addition to their on-ice instruction, skating camp engages in activities like stretching, dance, and pilates to benefit their movement on the ice. Hockey players will also head outdoors for things such as soccer and off-ice conditioning to improve their strength and agility. Our goal is for every skater to make improvements, learn a new skill, and most importantly, have fun with friends while practicing the sport that they love.

Skating camp meets Tuesday, Thursday, and half-day Friday. Hockey camp meets Monday, Wednesday, and half-day Friday. In addition to camps, the Franklin Park Ice Arena

also offers Summer skating and hockey lessons, hockey clinics, adult hockey leagues, public sessions, and private ice rentals. There’s always something cool going on here!

9560 Franklin Avenue Franklin Park, IL 60131

Phone 847-455-2852 • Fax 847-455-9053 www.fpparks.org • contact_us@fpparks.org

Administrative Office Hours:

Monday–Thursday, 9 am–8 pm

Friday, 9 am–5 pm

Saturday, 9 am–12 pm

Sunday, closed

@ParkDistrictof FranklinPark

@PDFPparks

@FPparks Scan to visit our website!

Franklin Park, Illinois 60131

ALL AGES

Bring your family out to touch and explore the different trucks that keep our community clean, safe, and running smoothly. Children of all ages are welcome to climb on and experience these large machines from right behind the wheel. Get up close and look at a firetruck, ambulance, police car, tractor, dump truck, and many more.