SECTION PRESIDENT'S | SUBSECTION LETTER LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Palatine Park District A rich history. A bright future. Palatine Park District has been serving the Palatine area since its formation over 70 years ago with just one acre of land. Voters created the Park District as an independent unit of local government and elected the first Board of Park Commissioners in 1945. At that time, the local population was 3,000. Two years later, the Park District acquired 11 additional acres to form Palatine’s first park, Community Park, offering five recreation programs and classes for the community. Since that time, the Park District has continued to grow and serve the community in innovative ways while remaining a fiscally responsible steward of community assets and tax dollars. Palatine Park District has grown to a multi-facility organization managing over 730 acres of land and offering thousands of programs for the community. This year, in 2018, the Park District is proud to be celebrating several important milestone anniversaries. This year marks the 50th year of Palatine Park District Preschool. The Preschool Program has grown to include four different preschool sites that are all state-licensed. Over the years thousands of children have attended our nurturing and developmentally appropriate preschools in preparation for their entry into Kindergarten. The Preschool Program serves 150 children each year and is our featured anniversary on this brochure cover. Another 50 year milestone will be marked this summer at Palatine Hills Golf Course. PHGC celebrated its first full season in 1968. The course was designed by the late Edward A. Lawrence Packard, a renowned golf course and landscape architect who worked on over 250 golf course projects in his lifetime. Palatine Hills is an 18 hole parkland golf course that requires golfers to use all the clubs in their bag during a round. Watch for information in our Spring program brochure regarding summer celebrations of this important anniversary. Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center has been an integral part of the arts environment in Palatine since it was built in 1928 as part of the original Palatine High School. The auditorium is named after the first principal, Mr. Charles S. Cutting, and the interior has several features of historical importance which the Park District works hard to maintain, leaving the theatre looking very much like it did 90 years ago. A special anniversary celebration will be held in the theatre—watch for more information in our Fall program brochure.
And while the Park District is proud of its long history serving the community, we are always looking for ways to create new partnerships and bring our level of service to new heights. With this forward thinking model in mind, Palatine Park District recently entered into a new intergovernmental agreement with Harper College to partner in the creation of a new Health and Recreation Center. This project has been in the works since 2014, culminating in a multi-million dollar renovation of Building M on the college’s campus in Palatine. This building will help Palatine Park District meet the three top needs identified in a communitywide survey conducted in 2015 by a third-party contractor: an indoor pool, expanded fitness center, and fitness programming. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 10, 2017 and the newly renovated facility is scheduled to open in Fall 2018. This intergovernmental agreement and the resulting facility will have a tremendous impact on meeting the community’s needs for generations to come. All of these examples show that while Palatine Park District has a proud and strong history in the Palatine Community, the board is consistently looking ahead to create new opportunities for our residents while remaining true to our mission of providing a variety of safe, enjoyable and affordable parks, programs, and recreational facilities that will enhance the quality of life. On behalf of the Park Board of Commissioners, thank you for your past support. We look forward to continuing to serve you in the future. Best regards, Nick Sawyer President
Winter 2018 | Palatine Park District | 847.991.0333 | palatineparks.org | 7