Wheeling Park District 2017 Comprehensive Plan

2017

PARKS & RECREATION COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SUMMARY REPORT

WHEELING PARK DISTRICT Board Approved June 20, 2017

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

WHEELING PARK DISTRICT BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Sue Stein Brian Lichtenberger Mike Burns Cheri Klumpp Rich Rosen James Whittington Paul Zangara

President Vice President Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

STAFF Administration Jan Buchs Marian Krass Matt Wehby Amy Rivas Larry Raffel Jill Nobbe Juan Carlos Acevedo Matt Smith Dante Koeppen

Executive Director Executive Administrative Assistant Deputy Director Director of Administrative Services Superintendent of Planning Superintendent of Finance Communications & Outreach Manager Human Resources Manager Risk Manager

Park and Recreation Services Jennifer Sweeney Jim Waterson Ron Heiman Kim Langner Brien Halterman Katie Klemke Beth Harrington Javier MazĂłn Jannette NuĂąez Michelle Kerns Amanda Hamill

Superintendent of Recreation Programs & Facilities Superintendent of Parks & Facility Maintenance Recreation Facility & Maintenance Manager Parks Administration / Graphic Technician Athletics Programs & Facilities Manager Aquatics Manager Wellness Manager Athletic Manager Guest Service Manager Recreation Services Manager Special Events Manager

Chevy Chase Country Club Jim Tourloukis Jan Berg

General Manager Event Sales Manager

PROJECT SUPPORT Jeff Andreasen

aQity Research & Insights, Inc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... 0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 6 Project Purpose and Process ........................................................................................................ 6 Project Outline ............................................................................................................................. 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 8 Situational Assessment ................................................................................................................ 8 Key Findings .................................................................................................................................. 8 Organizational Findings ............................................................................................................. 8 Programs and Facilities ............................................................................................................ 10 Parks......................................................................................................................................... 12 Key Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 14 Major initiatives ....................................................................................................................... 14 Strategic Project Tasks ................................................................................................................ 17 Guest Perspective .................................................................................................................... 17 Community Perspective ........................................................................................................... 17 Financial Perspective ............................................................................................................... 17 Internal Business and Process Perspective .............................................................................. 17 Employee Learning and Growth Perspective........................................................................... 18 Environmental Perspective ...................................................................................................... 18 REASONING ................................................................................................................................... 19 Vision and Mission ..................................................................................................................... 19 Vision Statement...................................................................................................................... 19 Mission Statement: .................................................................................................................. 19 COMMUNITY INPUT KEY FINDINGS .............................................................................................. 21 Household Survey Summary of Findings.................................................................................... 21 Survey Methodology................................................................................................................ 21 Overall Opinion of the Wheeling Park District: ....................................................................... 23 Local Issues .............................................................................................................................. 25 Value of the Wheeling Park District ......................................................................................... 26 Usage of Wheeling Park District Parks, Facilities, and Programs/Events ................................ 28

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CRC Feedback........................................................................................................................... 30 Chevy Chase Country Club ....................................................................................................... 31 Recent Park Improvements ..................................................................................................... 32 Interest in Expanded/Improved/New Facilities ....................................................................... 33 Interest in Expanded/Improved/New Programs or Events...................................................... 34 Other Findings ......................................................................................................................... 34 Implications.............................................................................................................................. 36 PARK AND FACILITY ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................. 38 Facility Assessment Summary of Findings.................................................................................. 38 Parks and Facilities Inventory and Assessment .......................................................................... 40 Chamber Park .......................................................................................................................... 40 Childerly Park ........................................................................................................................... 41 Denoyer Park ........................................................................................................................... 41 Heritage Park ........................................................................................................................... 42 Family Aquatic Center at Heritage Park ................................................................................... 42 Chevy Chase Country Club ....................................................................................................... 43 Lake Cook Property .................................................................................................................. 43 Mark Twain Park ...................................................................................................................... 45 Park Classifications Description .................................................................................................. 45 Mini-Park.................................................................................................................................. 45 Neighborhood Park .................................................................................................................. 46 Community Park ...................................................................................................................... 46 Regional Park ........................................................................................................................... 46 Greenways / Corridors / Linear Parks / Linkages ..................................................................... 47 Special Use Areas ..................................................................................................................... 47 Conservation / Preservation / Natural Areas........................................................................... 48 Open Space and Facility Standards ............................................................................................ 49 Service Area Analysis .................................................................................................................. 50 Prioritized Facility and Program Needs Assessment .................................................................. 53 PROGRAM ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................... 55 Participation by Category ........................................................................................................ 55

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Constraints to Participation ..................................................................................................... 56 Demands/Interest in Recreational Programs and Events ........................................................ 57 Program and Event Priority...................................................................................................... 58 Summary of Findings .................................................................................................................. 59 Guest Satisfaction and Retention ............................................................................................ 62 Registration .............................................................................................................................. 63 Competitors ............................................................................................................................. 63 Partners and Volunteers .......................................................................................................... 64 Marketing and Promotions ...................................................................................................... 64 Guest Feedback and Pricing Strategies .................................................................................... 65 Miscellaneous .......................................................................................................................... 66 Overall ...................................................................................................................................... 66 Specific Key Issues ...................................................................................................................... 67 Guest Retention and Growth ................................................................................................... 67 Registration .............................................................................................................................. 67 Competition ............................................................................................................................. 68 Performance Measures ........................................................................................................... 68 Partnerships/Volunteers .......................................................................................................... 68 Methods of Promotions........................................................................................................... 68 Guest Feedback ....................................................................................................................... 68 Pricing Strategies/ Financial Performance Measures .............................................................. 69 INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................... 70 Aquatic Programs – Arctic Splash ........................................................................................... 70 Aquatics – Facility Aquatic Center ........................................................................................... 70 Sports – Youth and Adult ......................................................................................................... 71 Summer Camp ......................................................................................................................... 71 Preschool Programs ................................................................................................................. 73 Extended Care Programs (Before and After School)................................................................ 74 Dance ....................................................................................................................................... 75 Fitness Center .......................................................................................................................... 75 Community Events ................................................................................................................... 77

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Heritage Park – HPSC ............................................................................................................... 78 DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................. 80 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 80 Age Segmentation.................................................................................................................... 81 Gender ..................................................................................................................................... 83 Race and Ethnicity ................................................................................................................... 83 Language Spoken ..................................................................................................................... 85 Household Size and Income Characteristics ............................................................................ 86 Education ................................................................................................................................. 86 Trend Analysis Summary ............................................................................................................ 88 COST OF SERVICE METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH .................................................................... 89 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 89 Cost of Service Recommendations ............................................................................................. 91 MAJOR INITIATIVES ....................................................................................................................... 92 HP Signature Facility Development and CRC Utilization ........................................................ 92 Program Offerings Designed Around Core Programs ............................................................ 95 Land Acquisition Strategies ................................................................................................... 95 Neighborhood Revitalization Program ................................................................................... 95 Creation of District-wide Trail Network ................................................................................... 96 Sports Field Development ..................................................................................................... 96 Demographic Shifts in the Diversity of the Community ..................................................... 96 FUNDING AND REVENUE STRATEGIES .......................................................................................... 97 Acquisition Costs ........................................................................................................................ 97 Land Acquisition Impact Fees .............................................................................................. 97 Land Leases ............................................................................................................................. 98 Sale of Naming Rights ............................................................................................................ 98 Foundation Support for Land Acquisition ......................................................................... 98 Existing Park Facilities-Lifecycle Replacement/Deferred Maintenance ..................................... 99 Management of Community Events and Functions .......................................................... 99 Gift Catalogs........................................................................................................................... 99 Park Foundation .................................................................................................................... 99

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Program Earned Income Opportunities ................................................................................ 100 Private Management of a Public Service ........................................................................... 100 Sponsorship Development .................................................................................................. 100 Contract Instructor Percentages ........................................................................................ 101 Capital Fee on Top of a User Fee ......................................................................................... 101 Test Site for Products ......................................................................................................... 101 Establish Contract Leagues ................................................................................................. 102 Partnerships to Share Development and Operational Costs .......................................... 102

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INTRODUCTION The Wheeling Park District was formed in 1961 when the citizens of Wheeling, Illinois, held a special election and voted to create a Park District to serve the recreational needs of their community. The Wheeling Park District was formed with a mission to serve the community’s needs and a vision to be the best-in-class provider of parks and recreation opportunities. Over the last 56 years, the Wheeling Park District has emerged as one of the finest in its category and has won numerous awards to date.

The Wheeling Park District owns and maintains 338.85 acres of community parks, playgrounds and facilities. The District Image 1: Playground at Horizon Park also provides recreational services to a District population of 42,828 residents every year. The District’s adopted mission statement and people-centric goals are an indication that the District will provide future generations with a variety of high quality programs and services that meet their needs.

Located less than thirty miles from the Chicago metropolis among a multitude of various suburbs and “suitcase” municipalities, the District’s service area extends beyond its recognized boundaries. The sprawl of development that is accompanied by most metropolitan expansion creates a limited number of resources available for public use and recreation, increasing the importance on the continued excellence of the Park District, not only to those within the District boundaries, but also to those that extend beyond District boundaries.

Project Purpose and Process The Comprehensive Plan serves as a broad- based strategic planning tool for the entire District that will guide the future of parks, facilities, and recreation programs. The Comprehensive Plan will provide direction to the District for re- development, growth and enhancement of the its park and open space system that includes open space, parks, trails and recreation over the next three years.

This project continues to serve as a long-range plan to meet the District’s vision for parks and recreation. The document considered the community input process that has been performed to date along with inventory and assessment of parks, facilities, and programs. The Plan determined the best land use and land management practices, as well as evaluated the District’s current open space, indoor recreation space and recreation services while compared to community needs, current standards, and trends. The plan established a priority for improvements and investment, along with strong implementation strategies.

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Project Outline The following project approach outlines the process for developing the Comprehensive Plan  Task 1 – Project Kick-Off/Coordination  Review 2007 Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Plan Report  Create Situational Assessment  Finalize Work Plan  Task 2 – Park, Facility, and Program Analysis  Facilities Inventory/Analysis  Program Analysis  Demographic and Trends Analysis  Facility Classifications/Standards  Equity Mapping  Prioritized Needs Assessment  Task 3 – Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan  Facility and Program Major Initiatives  Funding and Revenue Strategies  Implementation of Strategies  Final Report

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The following section of the report consists of a summary of the overall findings and recommendations of the report. The report following the executive summary discusses technical report areas such as community input, park and facility assessments, program assessment, major initiatives, and overall strategic initiatives.

Situational Assessment In 2007, PROS utilized several documents, staff interviews, and overall research of the District to prepare a situational analysis to guide the findings and recommendations of the 2007 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan. This review included the 2005 Community Attitude and Interest Survey, Needs Assessment, Park District Vision, Annual Report, and Village of Wheeling Comprehensive Plan. PROS reviewed the summary and detailed findings from interviews, focus groups, public meetings and the household survey. PROS also interviewed staff throughout the course of the plan in a series of workshops and meetings.

In addition, PROS reviewed and documented relevant information relating to financial resources.

From this review, PROS extracted information and data to clearly understand the vision, needs, issues, and opportunities to support development of the prioritized Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan.

The 2007 Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan concludes in 2017, and a new plan is essential to serve as a guide for the Park District. Much of the 2007 Comprehensive Plan is still relevant to the District, therefore the District pursued to update the 2007 Comprehensive Plan utilizing several documents and overall research of the District to prepare an updated situational analysis.

The analysis served to guide findings and recommendations of a 2017 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan. This new review included the 2015 Community Survey for the Wheeling Park District, Needs Assessment, Park District Vision and Mission, Annual Reports, and the updated Village of Wheeling Comprehensive Plan with the adoption of the Station Area Plan, Town Center Committee Concept Plan (2010), and Active Transportation Plan (2013).

Key Findings The following represents a summary of the overall findings based on staff input, a district wide community survey, data analysis and review of park and recreation related information. These findings are categorized according to the following areas: organizational, programs and facilities, and parks.

Organizational Findings ď ś The District currently has an on-going strategic planning process to guide the agency in planning efforts. The 2017 Comprehensive plan will assist in providing an updated strategic plan, as the District focuses on shorter-term goals and objectives.

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 The District pursues alternative revenue sources to support operational costs from other earned income sources. This area has the potential to expand.  The current Impact Fee Ordinance operated by the Village of Wheeling should be adjusted to reflect and support the needs of the community. The Park District should continue to monitor new developments and keep this issue at top of mind.  Staff continuously strive to improve internal business processes, to better serve their guests more effectively and efficiently. Improvement in internal processes and systems is a strategic theme for the District. An example of this improvement is the District’s efforts in changing financial accounting software in order to improve financial reporting and accountability, new software at Chevy Chase specialized in Food/Beverage operations, adopting a specialized Park and Recreation software (RecTrac), and transferring all HR operations to a new software system provider.  The District has adopted Net Promoter Score (NPS), a system wide guest satisfaction feedback process that measures the willingness of customers and/or guests to recommend Park District programs, activities and/or services to others.  A new registration system (RecTrac), which is a significantly important guest access requirement, was implemented in 2016. The Park District has the potential of capitalizing from this investment by allowing users to register online for programs and activities, and is more user-friendly than is predecessor. Additionally, the program allows to create data and information reports on programs, membership passes, activities, and sales and inventory, to name a few, that assists the District in making informed managerial decisions.  The District currently captures some performance measurement information to demonstrate the staff’s level of efficiency and productivity as well as the outcomes they hope to achieve that can be measured and communicated to the Park Board and the community. Recently, the development of Districtwide Key Points of Measurement (KPM’s) was established and is consistently used by the agency.  The changing shifts in Wheeling demographics and the increase in diversity within various populations had created significant challenges in meeting general service delivery requirements and programming needs in the District. Although the demographics are still changing, data shows that in terms of age, education, income, language spoken at home, and ethnicity, the rate of change has slowed down providing an opportunity to adapt and plan for the future.  Previous demographic projections stated that Wheeling demographics would shift due to a growing baby boomer population, an influx of foreign-born residents, a decline in the age segment below 34 years old, and an increase in household mean and median income. Current data shows that there has a been a stagnation in the growth of the baby boomer age segment and in the influx of foreign-born residents, a decrease in household mean and median income, and in the age segment of those 34 and younger.  Mature adults over age 55 will represent a significantly lower percentage of population (23% of the population by year 2020 compared to 25% accounted in 2015).

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It is important to note that 2007 projections had that this segment of the population would represent 26% of the population by 2021.

A geographical imbalance in parkland exists, as the southern sector of the Park District is under-represented in parkland and this area needs to be made a priority.

The relationship with the Village has improved greatly since 2007. An intergovernmental agreement has been established for Heritage Park, as well as the shared driveway and Community Boulevard. Additionally, the Park District is working with the Village in providing most Senior Services programs at the Community Recreation Center.

The District has developed an overall District image and branding program to establish their market position in Wheeling. The themes of branding are apparent throughout the District. However, in reviewing guest feedback information, there is still a need to improve overall District awareness and the District’s level of influence in the Community. Increased resources have been allocated to Communications and Marketing. A new Director of Marketing and Communications, and a new Communications and Outreach Manager, position have been developed. Additionally, a new outreach effort has been developed to improve the image of the District and increase communication with marginalized populations.

An improved and evolving marketing plan is being created with the new Marketing and Communications Director position to guide the staff and provide direction for key marketing components to raise the level of awareness and appreciation of the services and facilities provided by the District.

Programs and Facilities  Significant program opportunities exist with the new plans in conjunction with the Village of Wheeling in relocating Senior Services as part of the Community Recreation Center to provide more recreation opportunities to seniors.  The utilization of the Community Recreation Center shows opportunities for program and facility services growth. An increased emphasis has been placed in expanding the square footage of the Community Recreation Center due to usage needs and trends.

Increasing this space will allow for expansion of programs and facility services including Fitness, Athletics, and Senior Services, to name a few.  Facility use of the Fitness Center could improve through an expansion of space, as well as converting existing facility space into more fitness/wellness cardio space. According to community feedback, there is an interest in more fitness and wellness activities, which would also require relocating fitness space locations to have a more concise and general area dedicated for Fitness at the Recreation Center.  Fitness Center pricing needs to be continuously reviewed and updated to match industry standards. The latest price change occurred in 2016 and saw a correlation in

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increased membership. Due to the recent saturation of the market, continuous Fitness pricing review should be a top priority.

Increased competitive pressure exists from other fitness center providers in the surrounding area for the fitness business. The District needs to continually monitor what other providers are doing in terms of services, programs, and facilities to attract users to keep themselves positively positioned in the market Image 2: Groundbreaking Ceremony – Mark Twain place.

With the re-design and recent renovation of Horizon Park, it has become more of a neighborhood park then its previously design and use. With the new Indian Trails Public Library renovation, there is an opportunity for future program and activity partnerships.

There is a need to better connect with the ethnically diverse market and address their recreation needs, through effective programs and in park design and amenities, they desire. Recent data showed that 60% of the Park District speaks a foreign language, and over 50% self-identifies as either Hispanic, Asian, American-Indian, or Black.

Inroads have been made by creating different cultural programs and continuously supporting the Family Learning Program. These efforts need to continue to outreach to the uniquely diverse Park District population.

Strategically, active adult and senior programs need to have a greater presence in the programming mix, something that will be handled by Village Senior Services. The new trend is to create programs and activities that assist for inclusion with modification based on ability, not age.

Data from the Community Survey and from nationwide trends has determined that teen programming currently does not have support or interest from that age group, but this program segment should be monitored to finds other ways to address their needs.

The lifecycle of the program mix shows a majority of programs were previously in saturation and decline stage, which has been addressed by staff to keep more programs positioned in a growth stage. Close monitoring of trends and active strategies to make necessary program changes has allowed to move most previous programs out of the saturation and decline stage.

Programs have a 32% household participation rate. Overall program registration numbers do not show significant growth. Barriers to participation include: fees being too high, offering programs at inconvenient times, and general lack of awareness.

Current pricing strategies vary according to different program areas, and based on a competitive analysis and cost of recovery.

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 Environmental education and interpretive programming lack a presence in the programming mix. Efforts have been made through different special event programs such as Earth Day, yet it is still lacking and needs revisiting.  According to the needs assessment survey, Community Events have the highest percentage of participation from resident households. Recently, additional resources have been dedicated to Community Events and event location facilities such as Heritage Park Performance Pavilion. Currently attendance is exceeding staff expectations.  Overall instructional program standards to guide the quality of programming do not exist system wide.  With the completion of the renovation of the Devonshire Room and the Grand Ballroom at Chevy Chase County Club in 2016, the area of rentals/coordination has seen an increased demand and offerings. The renovation provides Chevy Chase opportunities for more corporate functions and to serve as a programming space for District special events, especially during colder winter months.  The renovations to the course and banquet halls have been a major strength for business growth at Chevy Chase Country Club. However, the lack of a driving range/learning center remains a weakness to the golf course overall draw.  Community input shows that Chevy Chase is used mostly by men and higher income residents, which provides an opportunity to provide more offerings to women golfers.

Parks  The Heritage Park Sports Complex (HPSC) is a premiere outdoor sports facility in the Northwest Chicago suburbs. Comprised of four (4) synthetic turf fields for baseball, softball, football, and soccer, it has quickly reached near capacity for usage in its third full year of operation. Used primarily as a rental space, the HPSC serves guests from all over Illinois and several Midwest states. Expansion potential is limited, but offseason opportunities are available.  Heritage Park continues to be developed and expanded to provide additional services and offerings.  Creative means to acquire land for parks is needed, as available land is greatly limited in the District. The District is currently reviewing Avalon Sienna Park, but should also evaluate the development of school parks, utility easements, and infill property as other opportunities. Recent acquisitions include a new Husky park entrance and the purchasing of the Lake-Cook property. Additionally, currently the Park District is developing a new neighborhood park at Mark Twain Elementary School that will provide an upgrade to the current playground on site.  Bikeways and connections throughout the Village are highly desired by residents and referenced significantly in the Village’s Comprehensive Plan as a priority. The Park District should work with the Village in accomplishing this goal.

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 A maintenance management system (Park Reporter) exists to help staff manage costs and staff productivity in maintaining parks and recreation facilities yet can be expanded to fully enjoy the benefits of the management system.  Some maintenance standards are in place, yet others are in the process of being developed and need to be fully implemented.  A Facility Development Plan does not exist that includes design standards and corresponding maintenance practices to ensure effective life cycle management – CRIP document addresses.

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Key Recommendations Major initiatives  Heritage Park Signature Facility Development and Community Recreation Center This continues to be the most important and significant initiative for the District. This initiative combines the goal of continued development of Heritage Park with creating better utilization for the Community Recreation Center. Ultimately, each separate part of the initiative will create energy and synergy between the two parts of the park, the outdoor park component and all of its amenities, coupled with the Community Recreation Center’s desire to align program and facility services with guest needs. This includes the possibility of integrating the Wheeling Senior Center operation into its program mix, expanding the Fitness Center, and offering more fitness and wellness programs.

Continued improvements to Heritage Park are recommended in the 2017 Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan. Plans for a significant playground and entryway feature, signage other site improvements will be identified in the Strategic Plan.

In 2016, FGM Architects were hired to provide design services for improvements to the CRC. CRC improvements will continue as a major initiative in the 2017 Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan.  Program Offerings Designed Around Core Programs The Comprehensive Plan process included an analysis of program offerings by the District. As a result of the assessment, core programs were identified. This major initiative recommends aligning program offerings with the needs of guests, according to the needs assessment survey results.  Land Acquisition Strategies The 2017 Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan recommends continuing to pursue strategic land acquisitions to better serve the community, specifically addressing areas of deficiency, specifically north of Lake Cook Road, and south of Hintz Road.

Discussions are currently underway for possible land acquisition opportunities, including the Avalon Sienna property. The District does have a deficit of park acreage and the Park Board reviewed and evaluated a Land Acquisition Strategy Report in 2009. These potential land acquisition opportunities will provide the District with the ability to increase its acreage and be closer to the standards set by the District Neighborhood Revitalization Program. This includes a focus on ongoing improvements

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at neighborhood parks and includes lifecycle replacement for park infrastructure.

Since 2007, the District acquired 31 acres of the Lake Cook property that was purchased in 2009. This property includes a 13-acre lake, 10.5 acres of wetland and several acres of open space. The land will be preserved as open space and utilized for passive recreation activities. Additionally, the District acquired a residential property on Norman Avenue adjacent to Husky Park in order to increase access and visibility to the park. The land area added to Husky Park was .2 acre.  Creation of District Trail Network A highly desired need of residents in the community is the development of strong trail connectivity. This requires the Park District working with the Village to adopt an overall trail system master plan.  Sports Field Development The Comprehensive plan process included a thorough review of the Wheeling Park District's inventory of sports fields, their capacity for use, and the demand by users.

The analysis shows a need for large multi-purpose fields. Focus moving forward is for a field house with indoor athletic spaces.  Demographic Shifts in the Community The Park District understands the shifting demographics of the community and the need to continue its efforts in diversifying programs and services in response to the changes in demographics. Strategic initiatives, strategic objectives, measures, and outcomes are represented in the following Wheeling Park District Strategy Map. Subsequent to the map is a listing of all the project tasks, listed in alignment with the strategic initiatives.  Environmental Responsibility The Wheeling Park District has generally operated with a sustainable approach.

Formalized policies and plans have been enacted to provide a broad-based overview of best environmental management practices. To further strengthen this approach, the Wheeling Park District Environmental Action Plan was formally adopted by the Park District Board of Commissioners in December 2015. To continue the Park District’s commitment to be an active leader in an area that is vital to the communities we serve, it is recommended that environmental responsibility be included as a Strategic Initiative.

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Wheeling Park District Strategy Map Mission: To provide memorable experiences in parks and recreation that enrich our communities Vision: To become the provider of choice in parks and recreation within the communities we serve

Table 1: Wheeling Park District Strategic Map

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Strategic Project Tasks Other key recommendations included in the strategy section of the Comprehensive Plan include the following strategic project tasks. This list does not include the full list; they are highlighted for this Executive Summary section: Guest Perspective  Developing a process to annually review the program lifecycle matrix and increase the percentage of growth oriented programs  Shift the program balance and adjust to guest needs to include fitness/wellness, nature/interpretive, environmental, and mature adult programming  Review labor allocation of recreation program staff to ensure alignment with core programs  Develop a process to annually review key access mechanisms, including the registration system, web site, program guide, and telephone system  Develop overall guest service and recreation program standards Community Perspective  Continue on-going efforts to expand the corporate support program  Develop methods to communicate and deliver services to ethnically diverse markets  Develop a reputation in the community as being The Leader in the Village for health, fitness, and wellness activities  Expand staffing to include volunteer program oversight Financial Perspective  Continue to grow fund balances  Develop a capital budget strategy for major improvements designated in the Comprehensive Plan  Continuously review and adjust pricing for all programs and activities that are competitive to industry standards  Approve and implement cost of service policy  Restructure the chart of accounts to develop core programs as cost service units Internal Business and Process Perspective    

Develop a system wide internal guest communication process Develop documentation of key support processes Develop a system wide performance measurement process Continue to update the technology plan

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 Develop an institutionalized strategic planning process that is deployed through all departments of the District  Develop and implement construction, design, and maintenance standards  Develop a security plan Employee Learning and Growth Perspective  Provide employee training in process management and basic statistical process control tools  Develop an institutionalized strategic plan process that is deployed through all of the divisions of the District and displays evidence of fulfilling the mission and vision  Add core competencies as part of Wheeling Park District  Develop training for the implementation of standards  Provide team training for process improvement initiatives  Develop an on-going employee satisfaction measurement system Environmental Perspective  Include environmental responsibility as a Strategic Initiative  Create a culture of environmental responsibility that will foster and promote a commitment to sustainability throughout the area  Assess the financial considerations, as well as the needs and desires of all the communities in making sound environmental decisions  Continue the recommendations of the Environmental Action Plan

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REASONING The Wheeling Park District aspires to become the provider of choice in parks and recreation within the community it serves. The implementation of the Comprehensive Plan will establish the framework for the accomplishment of that vision. The District provides services that positively affect the quality of life in the community and provides opportunities for socialization, skill development, health and wellness.

Future Major Initiatives and Strategies create energy, excitement, and direction for the District.

By accomplishing the elements of the Plan, the District is positioned to be one of the best providers of recreation services, not only in the state of Illinois, but also, throughout the nation.

With its commitment to its guests, the continuous improvement of its processes and systems, staying ahead of demographic changes, and better aligning services with guest needs, the District will be highly regarded for its best in class approaches.

Vision and Mission A starting part for any organizational comprehensive plan effort is a review of the vision and mission. These statements become the overall strategic framework of the plan. The following section includes a summary of goals that relates to the Park District’s mission.

Vision Statement “To become the provider of choice in parks and recreation within the communities that we serve.”  Three Primary Areas of Focus to Achieve the Vision:  Participation – The Wheeling Park District commits to continually reach out to the community, seeking input to identify valid park, recreation services, and facility needs.  Open Space – The Wheeling Park District commits to strike a balance between maintaining its facilities and preserving open space within the existing urban environment.  Partnerships – The Wheeling Park District commits to build purposeful partnerships that are of civic priority, fiscally responsible and enhance the community.

Mission Statement: “We provide memorable experiences in parks & recreation that enrich our communities”  Organizational Values: As an organization, Park Board, and as team members, we value:  Respect  Communication  Integrity

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     

Innovation Recognition and Appreciation Continuous Learning Fun Empowerment People

These statements will provide the foundation and guidance for development of the Comprehensive Plan. Key words within the mission and vision are: “providing memorable experiences” and “becoming the provider of choice.” This will require continued improvements throughout the system, becoming more guest focused, and providing excellent services to the community

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COMMUNITY INPUT KEY FINDINGS The community input process for the 2017 Comprehensive Plan focused on the household survey conducted by aQity Research & Insights during 2015. Those results and findings are detailed later in this document. While stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and community forums were not conducted specifically for this Plan, the District consistently gathers feedback from program and facility guests through surveys, comment cards, and staff interactions with guests.

Household Survey Summary of Findings A household survey was conducted by aQity Research & Insights during the months of November and December 2015 to help establish the priorities for the future development of parks and recreation facilities, and programs and services within the community. The survey was designed to obtain the opinions of the community in regards to their level of satisfaction in the services provided by the Wheeling Park District, measure the rate of participation and usage of Park District parks/facilities, understand the constraints to participation, understand the best channels of communication, and calculate the net promoter scores among recent users and participants. The results of the study provided an in-depth understanding of the key issues, general Map 1: Geographical Distribution of Survey Participants perceptions, organizational concerns and overall views of the Park District that will help in guiding a general comprehensive plan.

Survey Methodology  These findings are based on a phone and online survey of (n=306) Wheeling residents (heads of households).  Online survey respondents came from postcard invitations sent to every Wheeling household (two waves).  Follow-up phone surveys were conducted with residents who did not complete the online survey.  Respondents were given the option to complete either survey (online and phone) in English or Spanish.  Of the 306 respondents, 79 completed the survey by phone and 227 completed it online.

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 The survey was conducted “blind”. The Wheeling Park District was not identified as the survey sponsor.  This type of study helps avoids self-selection bias from those who may feel less familiar or are not involved with the Park District.  Secondly, it ensures more frank and objective feedback on the Park District and its facilities, services and programs.  Data collection began on November 9th and ended on December 6th, 2015.  For data analysis, the sample was weighted to reflect the actual distribution of the Wheeling population by gender, age, children in the household, and ethnicity, based on US Census data.  Assuming no sample bias, the margin of error for a sample of n=306 is +/- 5.6% (at the 95% confidence level).  In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys may introduce some error or bias in the findings of any opinion poll.  In the analysis, regional differences are reported based on the following definitions:  Northwest (NW): North of Dundee Rd., West of railroad tracks  Northeast (NE): North of Hintz Rd., East of railroad tracks  West-Central: Between Dundee Rd. and Hintz Rd., West of railroad tracks  South (S): South of Hintz Rd.  In this document, any differences reported among subgroups (e.g., by age, gender, region, users vs. non-users, etc.) are statistically meaningful at the .05 confidence level.  This means that the likelihood of that difference occurring by chance is less than one in five.  Based on these significance tests, we report the subgroups who are most likely to give a certain response or represent a certain behavior compared to the overall sample.  When reporting these differences, the percentages shown represent the proportion of the subgroup who gave this response (which is generally higher than the overall response).  For example, in the table below:  50% of all survey respondents agreed with a certain statement.  Among those under age 55, 90% agreed and likewise 75% of those age 55 to 64 also agreed.  Women were more likely to agree (60%) than men (36%), as were Park District users (62%)

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EXAMPLE: Agree/Disagree with Statement

Overall

Most Likely • Under age 55 (90% of whom agree), 55-64 (75%)

Agree

50%

• Women (60%, vs. 36% of men) • WPD Users (62%) • Ages 65+ (50% of whom disagree)

Disagree

40%

• Men (50%, vs. 34% of women) • Non-WPD users (55%)

Not Sure

10%

• No meaningful differences.

Table 2: Example of % Breakdown

Overall Opinion of the Wheeling Park District:  Virtually all Wheeling residents (95%) are familiar with the Park District, and hold it in very high regard.  Four out of five (81%) give the Park District favorable esteem scores, with only ten percent rating it unfavorable. The remaining 9% were neutral.  The Park District’s average esteem rating (on a 0-10 scale) is a very favorable 7.4. Only the Indian Trails Public Library Four receives a higher score (8.1).  The Forest Preserve District and the Village receive lower (yet still favorable) scores of 7.0 and 6.3 respectively.

Table 4: Esteem Ratings Local Agencies

Table 3: Esteem Ratings Park District

 The Park District’s strong esteem ratings are generally in line with other neighboring park districts (which receive an aggregate average of 7.7), and slightly higher than the statewide benchmark of 7.2.

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 The oldest Wheeling residents are most favorable with the Park District. Younger residents under age 35 and Hispanic residents tend to give lower yet still positive scores (7.1 and 6.7 respectively).  The District’s top strengths are the quality and variety of its programs and activities, cited by 32% overall.  Specific facilities are also frequently valued, specifically the pools and aquatic park (16%), the CRC in general (7%) and the fitness center specifically (9%), and Heritage Park (8%).  When asked what they dislike about the Park District or what it could do better, the most frequent responses were “nothing I dislike” (18%) and “cannot think of anything” (16%).  The most frequent negatives concerned:  Administrative issues with the Park District (18% -- better communication needed, less waste, dislike policies)  Dislikes over costs and fees (17%)  Park improvements (16% -- more trails, more open space, more safety).

Table 5: Top likes and dislikes

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Local Issues  A clear majority of Wheeling residents are very satisfied with:  The availability of recreational activities and programs in the community (71%, including 55% “very satisfied”);  The number of parks (67%, with 50% “very satisfied”);  The amount of open space (65%, with 44% “very satisfied);  Only the level of village services (streets, water, police, fire) generates higher satisfaction at 78% overall (with 61% “very satisfied”).

Table 6: Satisfaction with Local Issues

 Of the local issues tested, residents are clearly least satisfied with:  Property taxes (61% are dissatisfied overall, with only 23% satisfied);  The quality of public schools (50% satisfied vs 37% dissatisfied).  While satisfaction with the level/number of recreational activities, parks and open space is very strong, fewer than ten percent consider any of these to be among the most important local issues. Instead, Wheeling residents are most concerned with:  Property taxes (53% rank this as among the top two local issues);  Crime and safety (50%);  Quality of public schools (29%);  Village services (30%).

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 Older residents (ages 55+) and women tend to be most satisfied with the availability of parks and programs in their community. Households with children and men tend to be slightly less satisfied (though still favorable).

Table 7: Most Important Local Issues

Value of the Wheeling Park District  Most residents (53%) had no idea how much of their residential property taxes go to the Wheeling Park District. Only three percent overall estimated correctly that Park District’s share is seven percent of property taxes.

Table 8: Estimated Percent of Property Taxes Going to the Park District

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 When informed of WPD’s actual seven percent share of property taxes, residents overall feel it is a “somewhat” good value.  The average value rating on a 0-10 scale is 6.1, slightly above neutral.  By comparison, the statewide benchmark from 2013 is 6.7, and from park districts neighboring Wheeling the average is 7.3.

Table 9: Perceived Value of Property Tax Dollars to Wheeling Park District

 Overall, 50% feel the Park District represents a good or excellent value, while the remaining 50% were either neutral (30%) or said it was a poor value (20%).  Older residents, recent Park District users/visitors, NW residents, and upper income households tend to rate the Park District more favorably than average.  Conversely, those age 35 to 44, non-users of the District, residents in the South region, and Hispanic households tend to give lower scores (closer to neutral).

The level of tax sensitivity among Wheeling residents is also coupled with concerns about the Park District’s fees for its programs and memberships.  Consistently between 10% and 20% of residents voice concerns over the District’s fees for memberships and programs. This is generally the most frequent negative comment cited regarding the Park District.

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Usage of Wheeling Park District Parks, Facilities, and Programs/Events  Three-fourths (72%) report using or visiting a District park or facility in the past year.  Usage is consistent across most subgroups. The best predictor of using a District park or facility is the presence of children under age 18 in the household (87% among those with children, vs. 66% among households without children).  The most widely used facilities and parks are:  The CRC (used by 56% of all residents)  Heritage Park (32%)  Chevy Chase Country Club (22%)  The outdoor aquatic center (19%)  These four facilities draw residents evenly from throughout Wheeling (though Northeast residents tend to use Heritage Park more than average).  The remaining Park District properties are used less often, and users tend to be nearby residents. For example, 11% used Childerly Park in the past year, and most of those visitors (69%) live in the NW part of Wheeling.

Table 10: WPD Parks/Facilities used or Visited in the Past Year

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 Thirty-two percent of Wheeling households report taking part in a Park District program or event in the past year, most often:  Special events sponsored by the District (42% of recent participants)  Youth swimming and aquatic activities (39%)  Adult fitness activities/programs (34%)  Adult swimming/aquatics (23%)  Outdoor concerts (23%)

Table 11: Participation WPD Program/Event in Past Year

 Among those who have experienced District parks and facilities, or programs and events, satisfaction with each is extremely positive.  Programs and events receive especially strong ratings, as does the level of maintenance and upkeep of District properties and facilities.  No more than 10% are dissatisfied with the exception of perceived safety at Park District facilities (13%), and the number of parks available in the community (13%).

Table 12: Overall Satisfaction with WPD Programs/Events

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CRC Feedback  The CRC has drawn attendance from a majority of Wheeling households in the past year, especially among Hispanics, households with children, and upper income residents.  Most often the report using the fitness center, followed closely by the indoor pool.  Non-users of the CRC usually cite lifestyle issues (too busy) or lack of interest as reasons for not taking advantage of the facility. About one in ten each report going elsewhere for recreation and exercise (e.g., health clubs, other facilities), or high fees at the CRC.  A few cite the limited parking and difficult access to the facility off of Dundee Road as concerns regarding the CRC and other nearby Park District properties (Heritage Park, aquatic center).

Table 13: Usage of the Community Recreation Center

 Awareness of the facility is very high. Nearly nine in ten non-users know that the CRC is located behind Village Hall.

Table 14: Awareness of Community Recreation Center location

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Chevy Chase Country Club  Men and higher income residents are most likely to report using Chevy Chase in the past year. Most non-users have not been to the facility either because:  They do not golf and therefore feel they have no need to visit (42%);  They are unaware of the facility or its events (29%).  As a result, suggestions to draw interest and attendance at Chevy Chase focus on ideas for events, and family activities that are not necessarily related to golf.  These events would help raise awareness, as 40% of non-users did not know that this is a public Park District facility.  Relatively few (14%) cite greens fees or costs as a deterrent to using Chevy Chase.

Table 15: Usage of Chevy Chace Country Club

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Recent Park Improvements  Just over half (53%) of Wheeling residents have seen recent improvements to local neighborhood parks.  While not statistically significant, those in the NE and West-Central regions tended to notice these improvements.  Among all residents reporting recent local park improvements, satisfaction with these upgrades is very strong (84% satisfied, including 63% “very satisfied”).

Table 16: Awareness of and Satisfaction with Local Park Improvements [Neighborhood]

 Similarly, about half (48%) report seeing park improvements in other parts of the village over the past year (especially younger adults, Hispanics, and those with children).  Likewise, these improvements are very well received, with 80% satisfied (including 64% “very satisfied”).  Even non-users of Park District facilities who have noticed recent improvements approve.

Table 17: Awareness of and Satisfaction with Park Improvements [WPD]

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Interest in Expanded/Improved/New Facilities  A majority of residents currently use or express an interest/need for:  Walking and biking trails (85%)  Indoor fitness facility (65%)  Nature center (63%)  Indoor pool (58%)  Outdoor pool or aquatic park (52%)  Indoor gym facilities (51%)  In addition, one in three households express a need/interest in an off-leash dog park.  One in four (23%) are interested in golf facilities.  Demand for a skateboard park registered at just 6% overall.  Residents feel that their demand is already being well met for many of these facilities, especially the amenities provided by the CRC and aquatic center (fitness facility, indoor pool and outdoor pools, gym space).

Table 18: Current Usage/Need for Recreational Facilities

 The amenities that may warrant attention going forward are:  A nature center (only about one in three think this need is somewhat being met)  An off-leash dog park (27% feel this need is being addressed).

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Interest in Expanded/Improved/New Programs or Events  At least three in five households express an interest, attendance or need for: :  Outdoor summer events such as concerts, movie nights, performances, etc.

(70%);  Weekend family events and festivals (61%);  Learning activities for all ages (60%).  In addition, nearly half express interest in nature programs and education (48%).  Just over a third are interested in programs for senior adults (36%).  The remaining programs tested generated less need or interest (28% or less for swimming lessons, youth fitness programs, unique athletic events, or sports training programs).  Many feel that a gap remains in providing a number of these programs or events.  The biggest opportunities for the Park District is to expand its offering of outdoor summer events, learning programs, and weekend family events.

These also ranked among the highest priorities for the District.  While many express initial interest in nature education programs, it was seldom mentioned as a number one priority.  Most felt that current programs offered by the Park District or other sources (swimming lessons, youth fitness programs, activities for seniors) are at least somewhat meeting demand.  In addition, only 12% overall felt that programs for seniors are most important.  Among those ages 65 and older, 33% feel that senior activities should be the top priority, but nearly as many (25%) felt that none of the program or event options tested represent a pressing need.

Table 19: Top Priority for Park/Recreation Facilities and WPD Programs/Events

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Other Findings  The top two sources that Wheeling residents rely on for information about District facilities, programs and events are:  The Park District brochure/program guide (cited by 42%), which is most preferred by women along with both the oldest residents (ages 65+) and households with children.  The Village of Wheeling website/mailings (41%), especially favored by younger/newer Wheeling residents and Hispanics adults.  Just over a third (35%) report access the Park District website for this information.  Those who tend to prefer the District website are under age 35, women, and non-Hispanic households.  Nearly as many look to Park District mailings (28%), which are most favored by households with children.

Table 20: Most Frequent Sources for Information

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 The survey concluded with an opportunity to express one thing that the Park District can do to improve or better serve Wheeling residents.  Many were unable to offer any additional comments or suggestions (30%). Those who did most often suggested:  Expanded or improved parks and open space (20%), most often requesting an off-leash dog park (6%), more trails (7%), and enhanced safety in park areas (3%);  Administrative suggestions (15%), especially better communication of programs, facilities and events that are available to residents (9%), followed by a more intuitive website (3%);  More program offerings (12%), especially youth programs (4%), fitness classes (3%), programs for all ages (3%), and activities for seniors (2%); Lower fees/costs (10% -- along with another 3% seeking lower property taxes).

Implications  Overall, the Wheeling Park District is very highly regarded by village households.  Virtually everyone is familiar with the Park District, and most have recently used or visited one of its parks or facilities. In addition, a third of residents have participated in a recent District program or event.  Consistently, recent users and participants express very strong satisfaction with the quality of these experiences. They are especially satisfied with the district’s maintenance and upkeep of its properties.  Likewise, many recognize recent improvements to Park District parks and are very satisfied with these initiatives.  Along with these strong levels of satisfaction and usage, opportunities for improvement remain.  Increased communication of Park District facilities, and especially its programs and special events, should remain a top priority. Many residents currently look to non-District sources (e.g., Village of Wheeling newsletters and website) for park district information; as a result there is less control over what information is shared. Efforts to improve the District website to make it the “go-to” source for recreation information needs to be a priority, while still recognizing that the printed program guide is still heavily used.  Specifically, many express a lack of awareness of the programs and events that the District offers (and others remain unfamiliar with certain facilities, specifically Chevy Chase). Residents are especially interested in seeing more special events such as season festivals, outdoor summer events and concerts, and family activities. Increased marketing of existing programs and consideration of expanded events or schedules need to be considered. This may also represent an opportunity to partner with other agencies (the Village, Indian Trails Library, schools) to raise awareness.

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 While most Park District facilities are well-known and utilized, many residents still do not recognize that Chevy Chase is a District facility.  This historic and impressive facility is a missed opportunity for the District. As the Park District explores new ideas for events, family activities, etc., it should consider Chevy Chase as a potential venue. Several respondents offer a wide range of suggestions (open house, weekend family events, craft or food fairs, performances, etc.) that they feel would draw them to the facility.  Expanding some of the outdoor summer events (e.g., concerts, movie night, etc.) that generate strong interest and moving them indoor to Chevy Chase during colder months should also be considered.  The Park District also needs to demonstrate the excellent value that it represents to the community, especially given its relatively low dependence on property tax dollars.  Communicating efforts to responsibly control costs and to “do more with less” while providing high quality recreational opportunities is key.  Cooperative efforts with other agencies will support the message (the Heritage Park project is an excellent example).  As described above, raising awareness of the wide variety of facilities (including Chevy Chase), parks, and extensive program and event offerings will also demonstrate your strong value.  This message of value is especially important given a strong anti-tax sentiment in Wheeling.  Facility improvements that warrant further consideration include:  A nature center (the Lake Cook property would be an excellent opportunity for this type of facility);  An off-leash dog park (currently an unmet need within the community);  Upgrades to the CRC, particularly the fitness facility (frequently mentioned by fitness center members).  As reported, expanded outdoor summer events, family activities and learning activities are considered the highest priorities for new or expanded recreational activities.  While some express interest in more senior programs and activities offered by the Park District, even among those who would be served by these programs (ages 55+) are divided on whether or not they represent a priority.  Keep in mind that the oldest Wheeling residents are among the most satisfied with the Park District, which suggests that they currently feel well-served.

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PARK AND FACILITY ASSESSMENT Park District parks and recreation facilities were assessed to identify gaps between the current offerings and those desired by the community. The outcome of this task is critical for determining facility and programming strategies necessary to meet the needs of users, and sustain and preserve facilities. The steps performed included:    

Facility Inventory and Assessment Park Classifications Facility Standards and Service Area Analysis Priority Facility Needs Assessment

Facility Assessment Summary of Findings General findings from this assessment are as follows.  With the redevelopment through the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Wheeling Park District, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and Village of Wheeling, Heritage Park has become the District’s signature park as well as a regional draw for active recreation such as baseball tournaments as well as passive recreation such as nature walks and summer concerts. The future development of Heritage Park should remain a major focus of the Park District, to be approached carefully and thoughtfully.  Overall, the District’s parks are well maintained and the majority of facilities are within reasonable life-cycle condition. Many of the properties were not originally designed in the most productive manner creating many inefficient spaces. As the District continues to develop park properties these deficiencies are addressed and corrected through listening to the public and designing the parks in creative ways that reflect the desires of the neighborhood residents as well as the needs of the community. Parks that have been renovated since the 2007 Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan include neighborhood parks such as Northside Park, Husky Park, Meadowbrook Tot Lot, Pleasant Run Park and Horizon Park. With each of these renovations, new and innovated playgrounds with fully synthetic surfaces are designed, pathways looping the entire park site are added and a focus of adding site amenities such as shelters, benches, trash/recycling receptacles and bike racks is included. With all park improvement projects, safety, security and accessibility remains a top priority.  The Park District has established a Capital Replacement and Improvement Plan (CRIP) to ensure that long-term maintenance issues and operations are addressed. Through the establishment and implementation of design and construction standards, the District has been able to effectively track the costs in constructing and maintaining parks and facilities as each project is undertaken.

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 Limited land acquisition opportunities and the uncertainty of the community’s buildout create a difficult situation for the District. The majority of parks are concentrated in a centralized area creating equity issues within the District’s service area. These limitations are also compounded by transportation constraints and the overlay and coordination of multiple jurisdictions. While the Park District has a Land Acquisition Strategy, parks and facilities are still concentrated in the same centralized area.

Improvements have been made since November 2007 however, the District should pursue a formal process for identification of properties for possible acquisition to proactively position itself as opportunities arise. This should include adjacent housing to select parks to improve access and current opportunities such as the Avalon Sienna property.  The redevelopment of parks follows a program established by the neighborhood listening sessions. To that end, it meets the needs of the community, and it reflects positively on property values and the quality of life. The existence of Buffalo Creek and the diversion channel provides a unique opportunity for the District to create a central trail and greenway corridor. The recent focus on flood plain revisions and erosion control by the Village of Wheeling create an impetus for exploring feasibility of trail development. However, the challenge of limited right-of-way including property lines abutting the creek will complicate development but should not diminish the District’s pursuit of this concept. The Park District continues to explore the opportunity to create greenway corridors particularly along the diversion channel. However, establishing an active transportation plan utilizing greenways remains a high priority.

The Park District was member of the Wheeling Active Transportation Steering Committee that guided the development of the “Active Transportation Plan for Wheeling”. This Village of Wheeling led plan was produced by the Active Transportation Alliance and funded through the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), Community Planning Program Grant.  The District is extremely fortunate to have the Community Recreation Center (CRC) as a flagship facility. The CRC represents the level of investment and quality that truly establishes a benchmark for all other development in the District. The programming and activity rooms are large with tremendous flexibility including the potential integration of the Village of Wheeling’s Senior Services center. However, the fitness center presents a challenge with limited space for equipment and support functions such as larger locker rooms and other amenities that are desired by the target market.

For the Fitness Center to be viable as a revenue center, a detailed business plan should be developed to quantify the market opportunities, space and equipment needs, as well as a detailed financial pro-forma that provides the basis for expansion and growth. The CRC remains the flagship facility of the Wheeling Park District, and through a branding strategy, with the complete renovation of Heritage Park it has become integrated into Heritage Park.

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Parks and Facilities Inventory a nd Assessment An inventory of parks and facilities is presented in Appendix 1 and a location map is presented in Appendix 2.

The Wheeling Park District has committed to a Neighborhood Park Improvement Plan as well as a Major Park Improvement Plan as adopted by the Board of Commissioner in March, 2012. Parks and/or facilities remaining to be completed as part of the Park Improvement Plans from 2017 through 2020 are noted in this section. In addition, Special Use Facilities which have been designated for capital improvements as part of the Capital Replacement and Improvement Plan (CRIP), such as Chevy Chase Country Club and the Family Aquatic Center at Heritage Park are also noted in this section.

Chamber Park Chamber Park functions as a neighborhood park with special use facilities that include three (3) historic buildings and hosting of holiday events.

It is located adjacent to a concentration of assisted living and health care related facilities. Current partnerships exist with the Historical Society related to the Wheeling Historical Society Museum, Carriage House and Chamber Church.

Image 3: Arial view of Chamber Park

This park does experience some rentals of the Church. The layout of the property with the large parking lot along the south side of the park and large basketball court creates inefficiency issues. A redevelopment plan exists for this park. Improvements for access and connectivity with adjacent properties, overall layout and programming should be addressed. Programming opportunities include potential drop in camps at the buildings along with increased rental (with some improvements to the buildings).

The closing of the adjacent Wheeling Senior Center building is not expected to adversely affect the overall usage of the park. However, it may impact future design decisions. In 2014, pickle ball courts were added to Chamber Park in response to an increased demand for this active adult sport which utilizes the CRC gym for indoor play.

At the time the pickle ball courts were designed, a general site concept plan was also prepared to address the inefficiency issues within the southeast parking area that included the basketball courts.

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Childerly Park Childerley Park functions as a neighborhood park. It is adjacent to multifamily development. The park is heavily used and is directly off of Route 83. It has a historical building on site, reported to be the oldest church in Wheeling. The park was redeveloped in 1996 with improved playgrounds, rental pavilion and passive areas. It hosts seasonal events.

Other businesses and agencies rent facilities here to host programs and camps.

Image 4: Childerly Park

The sand volleyball courts are not reported to have much use. The ADA accessible path allows for pedestrian connection to neighborhood with the opportunity to expand as a loop trail around the entire park. Erosion control measures along the banks of Buffalo Creek, which runs through the south portion of the park were recently completed by the Village of Wheeling and, the replacement of the pedestrian bridge that crosses Buffalo Creek, connecting the adjacent neighborhood to Childerley Park was also completed. As part of the Neighborhood Park Improvement Plan, this park is slated for improvements within the next three years.

Denoyer Park Denoyer Park functions as a neighborhood park adjacent to a neighborhood and utility easement. It is a beautiful setting with wetland and natural areas. A railroad line is located next to the utility easement.

Pedestrian circulation is good with possible trail system connection along utility easement from Lake Cook Road to McHenry Road (north/south). The park is well landscaped and maintained very well. Image 5: Denoyer Park Arial View This park was redeveloped in 2002. As part of the Neighborhood Park Improvement Plan, this park is slated for improvements within the next three years. Opportunity to expand passive uses into the adjacent natural areas should be explored.

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Heritage Park Heritage Park is the District’s signature park and although it could be considered as a community park, it is classified as a regional park due to its’ significant drawing power to attract athletic tournaments from well beyond Wheeling. This property includes the existing Community Recreation Center and Family Aquatic Center. It is located adjacent to the Wheeling Town Image 6: Heritage Park Arial View Center project and is considered part of the Municipal Campus that includes Village Hall and the Wheeling Police Department building.

Heritage Park was completely redeveloped as part of an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Wheeling Park District, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) and the Village of Wheeling. The development and construction which took place for the course of nearly three years (June 2012-May 2015) ultimately added nearly 18 additional acres to the property as well as flood relief for the Village of Wheeling and the communities downstream of the Des Plaines River.

The redevelopment of Heritage Park reflects the design as outlined in the Heritage Park Master Plan and Report prepared by the Wheeling Park District and adopted by the Board of Commissioners in January, 2009, and the subsequent Heritage Park Master Plan Update, adopted by the Board in September 2016. As such, Heritage Park now includes a performance pavilion with lawn seating, a sports complex, additional parking, walking paths and extensive areas of naturalized landscaping.

Family Aquatic Center at Heritage Park The Family Aquatic Center currently contains a main pool with 377,779 gallons of water. Amenities includes one body slide, one tube slide, two drop slides, diving board, sand volleyball courts, children’s sand play area, waterfall, spray features, spray pad with 8,079 gallon tipping bucket, and an activity pool with basketball and floating lily pads. Because of significant usage over the past 20 years, there are many areas that need an update and/or

Image 7: Family Aquatic Center Tsunami Splash

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renovation in order to keep the facility operating at a sustainable level. The Family Aquatic Center will continue to renovate and maintain the facility with repairs and restoration to current amenities but the overall development of Heritage Park provides great opportunities for the expansion of the Family Aquatic Center. The Wheeling Family Aquatic Center Master Plan study conducted in November 2014 proposed capital improvements with amenities added designed towards capacity holders and thrill riders to generate additional excitement, revenue, and an opportunity for people to experience something new. Expansion keeps momentum high and if attractions are added for age groups who have been previously neglected, it provides opportunities for new segments of the population to be attracted.

Chevy Chase Country Club Chevy Chase Country Club is owned and managed as an enterprise fund by Wheeling Park District. The 34,690 square foot Clubhouse offers a full-service banquet operation, golfer’s bar and grill, and a 500 square foot golf and gift shop. Banquet guests have the option of holding events in the Devonshire Room, which seats up to 250 comfortably, the Image 8: Chevy Chase Country Club Arial View Gable Grill for smaller events, or the Grand Ballroom, with seating for up to 500. Both banquet rooms have their own built-in bars and bridal suites. Surrounding the facility is Traditions at Chevy Chase – a 6,610 yard, 5-star, par 72, 18-hole championship golf course. Traditions at Chevy Chase was renovated in 2003, while all banquet facilities were updated in 2016.

Because of significant usage, there was a capital improvement plan for new golf carts that arrived in 2017. The building is also in need for exterior painting along with a new chiller unit replacement. Evaluation of the existing shorelines throughout the golf course have recently been conducted and stabilization and enhancement should be considered.

The renovations to the course and banquet halls have been a major strength for business growth at Chevy Chase Country Club. However, the lack of a driving range/learning center remains a weakness to the golf course overall draw Lake Cook Property In the late summer 2009, a large parcel of land on the south side of Lake Cook Road, between Milwaukee Avenue and Northgate Parkway, became available for acquisition. The undeveloped property was slated for a variety of different development concepts, in conjunction with the

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Prairie Park development to the southeast; however, economic conditions, as well as the character of the land, made the proposed development unrealistic. Subsequently, the owner sought to discard the property.

At the same time, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) was struggling with the cost of removing Image 9: Lake Cook Property certain soils from Heritage Park as part of the Heritage Park flood control project. While this was an opportunity to provide the MWRDGC with a location to place the excavated soils, saving several million dollars in trucking and unloading costs, the primary opportunity was the addition of open space to the Park District. As identified in the 2005 Community Attitude & Interest Survey (CAIS), providing natural areas/wildlife habitats was a need not being met by the Park District. With its 13-acre lake, wet prairie, sedge meadow and scrub upland, the Lake Cook property presented an excellent opportunity to address this need. In December 2009, the Wheeling Park District Board of Commissioners authorized the purchase of 31 acres of land on the south side of Lake Cook Road. Subsequently, MWRDGC determined that the land was not necessary for placement of excavated soils.

The purchase of the Lake Cook property represents the largest acquisition of land since 1990. As with Heritage Park, it is important to develop a planning process that seeks support from community leaders and the general public. It is equally important to understand the sensitive nature of the property, as well as the delicate balance between the need to maintain the natural characteristic of the land while allowing the public to use the property in a responsible manner.

As such, it is critical to gather support through a process that utilizes the expertise and knowledge of individuals and organizations in an advisory capacity.

As the planning process becomes more defined, Park District staff will assist the Board of Commissioners in prioritizing program elements and developing alternatives as necessary. As the program development progresses, the design work of the conceptual site plans will begin. These plans will present alternative means of addressing the functional and aesthetic components of the site while integrating the program being developed. Funding opportunities will also be explored as part of the master planning process.

Although the property currently is undeveloped and inaccessible to the public, The Lake Cook Property is classified a Conservation/Preservation/Natural Area

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Mark Twain Park The Park District has always look towards opportunities to collaborate with other public agencies through the village when opportunities arise that can benefit the community. A partnership with Community Consolidated School District 21 to develop Twain Elementary School as a neighborhood park site presented an excellent opportunity to provide a neighborhood park to an underserved area in the Dunhurst neighborhood and upgrade an aging playground to serve the children at Twain school.

Image 10: Mark Twain School and Adjacent Park Pre-Construction

In November 2016, the Park District applied for a grant to receive matching funds towards the construction of the playground.

In January 2017, the District was notified that it’s grant application had been selected to receive the funds. As part of this joint project, the Park District has taken a leading role in providing the planning, design and construction of the components that make a neighborhood park a valuable addition to Image 11: Mark Twain New Playground the neighborhood residents while also ensuring that the School District needs are met.

It is recommended that this type of partnership be pursued throughout the community.

Park Classifications Description Mini-Park The Mini-Park is used to address limited, isolated or unique recreation needs of concentrated populations. Typically, in a residential setting, the size of a mini-park ranges between 2,500 square feet and one (1) acre in size. Service area is Âź mile radius and 1,000 persons. Length of stay is onehalf hour or less. These parks may be either active or passive, but speak to a specific recreational need rather than a particular population density and could include recreation oriented squares.

It is recommended that the District avoid developing any additional mini parks other than those associated with high density housing, due to the level of maintenance and investment required compared to the overall productivity and effectiveness of the park. Current mini-parks include: ď ś Meadowbrook Park

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Neighborhood Park Neighborhood parks serve a variety of age groups within a limited area or "neighborhood."

Neighborhood parks generally range in size from one (1) – ten (10) acres with a service area of ½mile radius and serve 5,000 persons. Length of stay is one hour or less. A neighborhood park is intended for passive recreation and contains flexible open space that can be utilized for activities such as picnicking and use of playgrounds. If present, active recreation facilities should be utilized for practice/pick-up activity only; facilities are generally unlighted and there is limited parking, if any, on site. Publicly accessible open space at school sites may also be included as a subset of neighborhood parks. These park sites are generally five (5) acres or less in size. Storm Drainage and Management facilities and other public utility/infrastructure sites are not considered adequate properties for neighborhood parks. The majority (8 of 10) parks are classified as Neighborhood Parks.

Current neighborhood parks include:         

Childerly Park Denoyer Park Horizon Park Malibu Park Northside Park Pleasant Run Park Chamber Park Husky Park Mark Twain Park

Community Park Community parks are larger than neighborhood parks and generally serve multiple neighborhoods. They range in size from ten (10) – fifty (50) acres and have a service area of two (2) miles in radius and serve 15,000+ persons. Length of stay is generally two to three hours. The community park may include areas for intense recreation activity such as sport field assets of game/tournament quality, swimming pools, tennis courts, volleyball courts, and playgrounds, etc.

Opportunities may exist for passive recreation such as trails for walking and biking, fishing, view sheds, sitting, and picnicking. With Heritage Park’s change in classification to a regional park, currently there are no community parks.

Regional Park Regional parks typically provide more diverse recreational opportunities than the community and neighborhood parks. Although many contain sport field assets and complexes, an emphasis is also placed on passive recreational opportunities. A regional park usually serves a 5-8-mile service area, contains a minimum of ten (10) acres per 1,000 persons of the population, and generally contains between 200-999 acres of land.

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An indoor recreation building or an interpretive center that reflects the character of the park may often time be located at a Regional Park. Active recreational facilities located in a regional park can include active play areas, sport field assets, hard surface courts, golfing, swimming, boating, multi-purpose play fields, picnic facilities, and various types of trails – hiking, biking, and equestrian. Many regional parks are specialized in their offerings to the public and draw participants from throughout the community and surrounding region. Heritage Park is the sole park included in this classification, and will have an even greater regional presence with the Park’s re-development. Regional parks include:  Heritage Park Greenways / Corridors / Linear Parks / Linkages Greenways / Corridors / Linear Parks / Linkages are built connections or natural corridors that link parks and/or amenities together. Typically, these corridors are developed and/or dedicated for one or more modes of recreational travel such as walking, jogging, biking, in-line skating, hiking, and horseback riding. These corridors do not have any specific standards beyond providing sufficient area to protect resources and provide maximum usage; they are unique to the community based upon local conditions such as drainage-ways and utility right of ways, therefore, there is no set standard.

Linear parks are public spaces that border vehicular routes and define the driving experience with distinctive settings and may feature landscape/hardscape elements, trails, historic elements, art, and memorials. Linear parks serve the overall community and links destinations. Length of stay is generally one (1) hour or less. There are no specific standards for size or acreage since each community will vary. Currently there are no classified Greenway Parks in the Park District inventory.

Special Use Areas Special use areas are for single purpose recreation activities. These may include areas such as aquatic centers, stand-alone sports complexes, recreation and community centers, senior centers, golf courses, plazas and squares, nature centers, conservatories, arenas, entertainment districts, community gardens, or amphitheaters. School sites may also be classified under the Special Use Area when not categorized as Neighborhood Parks Current inventory of Special Use Areas includes:      

Community Recreation Center at Heritage Park Family Aquatic Center at Heritage Park Chevy Chase Country Club Mark Twain School Gymnasium Tarkington School Gymnasium.

Performance Pavilion at Heritage Park

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ď ś Sport Complex at Heritage Park Conservation / Preservation / Natural Areas Conservation/Preservation/Wilderness areas include areas for protection and management of the natural, cultural, and habitat environment with recreation use as a secondary objective. This includes dedicated watersheds or natural/non-developed areas. Recreation use might include passive recreation such as viewing and studying nature and wildlife habitat. There are no specific standards for size or acreage other than they should be sufficient to protect the resource and provide for appropriate usage. Denoyer Park could be classified in this area if the land and body of water were obtained directly north of the site.

This should become a priority for the Park District to identify existing parcels or potential acquisition parcels that could be included in this classification. Existing Park District properties that should be classified in this area include: ď ˇ Lake Cook Property

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Open Space and Facility Standards Open space and facility standards are guidelines that define service areas based on population that support investment decisions related to facilities and amenities. These standards are for all service providers, not just the District. These standards consider public service providers such as schools, and not-for-profit recreation services groups. Standards can and will change over time as the program lifecycles change and demographics of a community change.

Wheeling Park District Open Space and Facility Standards 4/11/2017

38,550 Population 42,800 Population

2007 District Current District 2007 District Current District National Guideline Wheeling Park District Board Surplus/Deficit (2017) Inventory Inventory Service Level Service Level Standard Adopted Standard (11/07) Surplus/Deficit (2006) Population - 42,800 Facility Type Neighborhood/Mini Parks (# of Parks / Acres) 9 / 50.5 10 / 64.35 1.3 acres / 1,000 1.5 acres / 1,000 2 acres / 1,000 1.50 ac / 1,000 Need 7 Acres Meets Standard Regional Parks (# of Parks / Acres) 1 / 83.00 1 / 104 2.2 acres / 1,000 2.42 acres / 1,000 3 acres / 1,000 2.50 ac / 1,000 Need 13 Acres Need 3 Acres Greenways/Linear Parks/Linkages (#of Parks / Acres) 0/ 0 0/ 0 0.25 ac / 1,000 Need 10 Acres Need 10.7 Acres Special Use Areas (#of Sites / Acres) 6 / 125.5 12 / 139.5 3.2 acres / 1,000 3.25 acres / 1,000 5 - 10 acres / 1,000 3.20 ac / 1,000 Meets Standard Meets Standard Conservation/Preservation/Natural Areas 0/ 0 1 / 31.0 0.72 acres / 1000 Total (# of Parks / Acres) 16 / 258.5 17 / 338.85 6.7 acres / 1000 7.91 acres / 1,000 7.45 ac / 1,000 Tennis Courts 2 0 1 Court / 19,278 0 Court / 42,800 1 Court / 5,000 1 court / 10,000 Need 2 Courts Need 5 Courts Outdoor Basketball 9 8 1 Court / 4,284 1 Court / 5,350 1 Court / 2,500 1 court / 5,000 Meets Standard Need 1 Court Playgrounds 16 20 1 Playgrnd / 2,410 1 Playgrnd / 2,140 1 Playgrnd / 1,250 1 Playground / 2,000 Need 3 Playgrounds Need 2 Playgrounds Shelters/Gazebo 10 12 1 Shelter / 3,900 1 Shelter / 3,567 1 Shelter / 5,000 1 Shelter / 5,000 Meets Standard Meets Standard Trails (miles) 2.3 4.3 0.06 miles / 1,000 0.10 miles / 1,000 0.4 miles / 1,000 0.4 miles / 1,000 Need 13.3 Miles Need 12.8 Miles Dog Parks 0 0 n/a n/a 1 site / 50,000 1 site / 50,000 Need 1 Site Need 1 Site Skate Parks (Inline, Skateboard) 0 0 n/a n/a 1 site / 50,000 1 site / 50,000 Need 1 Site Need 1 Site Indoor Recreation Space (Square Feet)* 1 / 69,674 1 / 69,674 1.81 sf / person 1.62 / per person 1 sf / person 2.00 sf / person Need 7,436 Square feet Need 15,926 Square Feet Aquatic Center 1 1 1 pool / 38,550 1 pool / 42,800 1 pool / 20,000 1 pool / 50,000 Meets Standard Meets Standard *Note: Indoor Recreation Space does not include school gynmasium space since it is not a facility available exclusively for full-time programming for District residents and hence actual usage hours would be much lesser than optimum capacity

Neighborhood/Mini Parks Chamber Park Childerley Park Denoyer Park Horizon Park Husky Park Malibu Park Meadowbrook Park Northside Park Pleasant Run Park Twain School Park

Acres 6.3 12.7 4.5 10 5 1.2 2.8 3.1 4 14.75

Regional Parks Heritage Park

Acres 104

10

64.35

1

104

Greenways/Linear Parks/Linkages

Acres

0

0

Special Use Areas Chevy Chase Country Club Family Aquatic Center Community Recreation Center Arctic Splash Indoor Pool Fitness Center HP Sports Complex HP Performance Pavilion Twain School Gym Tarkington School Gym & Fields Holmes Fields London Fields Wheeling H.S. Sports Field 12

Acres 125.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8.5 5.5 139.5

Conserv/Preservation/ Natural Areas Lake Cook Property

Acres 31

1

31

Note: Highlighed text indicates changes and/or additions to the 2007 District Facility Type Inventory and/or Acres

Table 21: Open Space and Facility Standards. See full size table in Appendix 1

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Service Area Analysis Service area maps and standards help staff and key leadership to assess where services are offered, how equitable the service delivery is across the Wheeling Park District, and how effective the service is as it compares to the demographics of where the service is provided. In addition, reviewing facility standards against the population allows the District to assess gaps in service, where facilities are needed, or where an area is over saturated. This allows the District to develop appropriate capital improvement needs to make decisions on what level of contributions they will make against what other service providers are providing.

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Map 2: 22: Neighborhood/Mini Parks Service AreaArea Table Neighborhood/Mini Parks Service

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Map 3: Population Density Map

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Prioritized Facility a nd Program Needs Assessment The purpose of the Prioritized Facility and Program Needs Assessment is to provide a prioritized list of facility / amenity needs and recreation program needs for the residents of the Wheeling Park District. The quantitative data comes from the District-Wide Overall Ranking based on January 2016 Community Survey.

The top four prioritized facility needs are in order of ranking:  Trails for Walking & Biking  Indoor Fitness Facility  Nature Center  Indoor Pool/Aquatic Center The top four prioritized program needs are in order of ranking:  Outdoor Summer Concerts/Movies/Performances  Weekend Family Events/Festivals  Learning Activities/Programs For All Ages  Activities for Seniors

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Facility Trails for Walking and Biking

Indoor Fitness Facility Nature Center Indoor Pool Outdoor Pool/Aquatic Center Indoor Gym Off-Leash Dog Park Golf Skateboard Park

District-Wide Overall Ranking

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Percentage 85% 65% 63% 58% 52% 51% 33% 23% 6%

District-Wide Overall Ranking based on January 2016 Community Survey for the Wheeling Park District Table 23: Wheeling Park District Prioritized Facility Needs Assessment

Programs Outdoor Summer Concerts/Movies/Performances

Weekend Family Events/Festivals Learning Activities/Proigrams For All Ages Nature Programs and Education Activities For Seniors Swimming Lessons Youth Fitness Programs Unique Athletic Special Events (e.g. triathlons, etc.)

Specific Sport Training Programs Other Programs/Events

District-Wide Overall Ranking

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Percentage 70% 61% 60% 48% 36% 33% 28% 27% 21% 8%

District-Wide Overall Ranking based on January 2016 Community Survey for the Wheeling Park District Table 24: Prioritized Program Needs Assessment

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PROGRAM ASSESSMENT In 2015/2016 aQity Research & Insights conducted a community survey (from November 9December 6, 2015) for the Wheeling Park District. Results were based on phone and online surveys of 306 Wheeling residents. The survey was conducted “blind�, the Wheeling Park District was not identified as the survey sponsor.

Participation by Category Of those surveyed 32% reported that they participated in a Park District Program/Event in the past year, while 68% did not. Community/special events were by far the most attended (42%), followed by swimming and aquatic related activities (39%) and then adult fitness activities/programs (34%).

Table 25: Percentage of Participation by Category

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Participation is especially high among households with children, a majority of whom (56%) report taking part versus 22% of those with no children. There were no differences by age, gender or region.

Constraints to Participation As with non-usage of District parks and facilities, the barriers to participating in District programs and events are most often lack of time, and not having children in the household.  The presence of children appears to be the strongest determinant of program or event participation.  One in five feel that the Park District’s program fees would need to be lowered for them to participate more often.  About as many (18% overall) express limited awareness of the Park Districts program offerings.  Very few (9%) cite other sources for recreational programs and events, or report negative experiences with prior Park District programs or events (2%).

Table 26: Reasons for Non-Participation

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Demands/Interest in Recreational Programs and Events The top demands/interest in recreational programs/events among the households surveyed were:  Outdoor events top the list of activities that generate the highest levels of demand, interest or current usage, specifically: Outdoor concerts and events in the summer (cited by 70% overall).  Weekend family events and activities (61%).  Similarly, three in five express similar levels of interest and activity in learning programs across all age groups (60%).  Nearly half are also interested in nature programs and education opportunities.  Beyond these options, no more than roughly a third of resident’s voice interest in the other programs or activities tested.

Table 27: Percentage of Current Usage and Need for Recreational Programs and Events

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Program and Event Priority Of the programs and events tested, a wide range were selected as the top priority.  Most frequently, one in five residents feel outdoor summer events are most important (especially among those under age 35).  Nearly as many (16%) opt for weekend family events. Again, younger residents (under age 45) and those with children are most interested.  Tied for third (12% each were): Learning programs for all ages (especially among adults ages 35-44); Learning programs for all ages (especially among adults ages 35-44); Activities for seniors (including 33% of adults age 65+, and 19% of those ages 55-64).  Nearly as many adults age 65+ (25%) said none of the options tested were a priority (vs. 15% overall).  While nature programs initially generated some interest, only five percent cite it as their top priority (meaning other activities are more important).

Table 28: Top Priority for Park District Programs and Events

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Summary of Findings Overall, the Wheeling Park District is highly regarded by village households. Of all participants surveyed, the majority had recently used, or visited, a park or facility. One in three participants had participated in a recent District program or event. Consistently, users and participants expressed strong satisfaction with the quality of these experiences. The overall satisfaction with District programs/events had an average mean of 8.2, with 75% of the respondents saying they were “very satisfied”.

Even with a strong satisfaction, improvement opportunities remain in various areas. Further, increased communication of programs and special events should remain a top priority.

Specifically, the District needs to clearly establish and differentiate its brand, as well as convey the value it represents to the community.

Park District staff recognizes the competitive pressure of other service providers and competitors.

Previously, most competitors consisted of neighboring park districts. Yet, new entrants to the recreational and programming market has changed the industry in the last 10 years. Private industry providers, including fitness centers, preschools, swim schools, day camps, and travel sports, are now the main competition to the programs and activities offered by the Park District.

Therefore, it is imperative that the Park District demonstrate the increased value that it can provide the community, especially given its limited share of funding coming in through property tax dollars. Additionally, the current plans to renovate and expand the Community Recreation Center are paramount to keeping the District moving forward and competitive in the current market place.

The district needs to continue to strive to make a conscious effort to have its’ staff reflect the diversity of the community. Recreation programs also need to meet the needs of the ethnic and racial minorities in the community. In 2016 the District added a part-time Outreach Coordinator who has been invaluable in reaching out to the Latino and Spanish speaking community, as well as ethnic and racial minorities, marginalized populations and hard to reach segments of the community. This position has transitioned into a full-time Communications & Outreach Manager.

This new position will offer more opportunities for the district to assess the desired recreational opportunities of the Wheeling Park District community, and will enable the District to connect with segments of the population it may not be currently in communication.

Core programs remain relatively constant, while allowing for shifts in demographics and trends.

As a result, the core programs identified in 2007 were as follows:      

Aquatics Athletics (youth and adult) Youth development Mature and Active adults Community Events Fitness/wellness

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 Rentals/coordination services (contractual services, facility bookings, pavilion rentals, party services, etc.)  Golf With the completion of the Heritage Park Sports Complex in 2014/2015 and the Heritage Park Performance Pavilion in 2015, as well as the renovation of the Devonshire Room and the Grand Ballroom at Chevy Chase County Club in 2016, the area of rentals/coordination have taken a dramatic shift.

The area of mature and active adults is changing as well. The Wheeling Pavilion Senior Center is set to close January 1, 2018, and the Park District and the Village of Wheeling have agreed on housing the majority of Senior Center programs to the Community Recreation Center. This will offer the park district an opportunity to reach out to more of the senior population segment, especially wellness and fitness programs and memberships. While the CRC will serve as the host facility, the Village’s Human Services Department will continue to manage their senior programming and special services.

Based on the comprehensive review of the program delivery system and relating the information to the core program elements, the recommendation is to alter the core program areas. This recommendation is as follows:  Make rentals/banquet services its’ own program area  Add birthday party services as a program area  Add contractual services as a program area As a result, the core programs recommendation are as follows:       

Aquatics Athletics Birthday Party Services Community Events Fitness/wellness Golf Rentals/Banquet services (field rentals, facility rentals, pavilion rentals, weddings, corporate & social functions, golf outings)  Youth development  Mature and Active Adults  Cultural Arts (Dance/Art) and Programs Labor resources should be aligned with core program areas. As programs shift through time, resources should be re-directed toward higher and greater needs. In November of 2016, a full time Special Events Manager was hired based on the large number of community events that are now being offered by District. This was driven, in part, by the results of the 2015/2016 community 60 | P a g e

survey in which 20% of respondents chose outdoor summer concerts, movies, etc., and 16% chose weekend family events/festivals as a top priority of programs and events they would like to see at the Park District. Furthermore, based on the constant growth in participation in the sports of soccer and futsal, and the continuous increased demand in this area, a part time Soccer Coordinator has been added to assist the current Athletic Manager.

The needs assessment survey conducted by PROS Consulting in 2007 results indicated that 37% of residents participated in programs and that 85% rated program quality as good or excellent.

They recommended that the District develop a strong brand around core program areas, driven by market demands to try to increase participation. The community survey conducted by aQity Research & Insights in late 2015 showed that 32% of the households surveyed participated in a program/event in the past year, with 56% of households with children reporting participating in a program/event in the past year. The results also show that 88% of program attendees were very satisfied with their overall experience. Therefore, while District programs/events continue to be highly rated and those participating are very satisfied, marketing plans need to be developed to increase participation. This will include rebranding some programs and creating some new ways of advertising programs and events using customer focused strategies that include targeted messaging, creating meaningful partnerships, and staying connected with our guests and residents as a whole.

The District needs to continue to build on the programs currently offered, but also needs to develop new market areas. For example, the plan for a new preschool wing can add more technology to all of the preschool rooms and allow for the continued growth of that popular program area both during the school year program and summer camp program. To become a leader in birthday party services and rentals/banquet services, the District needs to focus in these areas as a core service.

When surveyed by aQuity Research in 2015, Wheeling households mentioned three primary reasons that prevent participation in Wheeling Park District programs/events. The barriers to participation included: being too busy, not having time, absence of children in the household, cost/fees being too high, and being unaware/unfamiliar with programs/events. High fees and inconvenient times showed up in the 2007 PROS Consulting survey as well. This feedback creates a great opportunity for the District to generate new guests by making improvements. In the summer of 2016, the district offered more one day events/programs in the way of special events, concerts, movies, and one day fitness events (Zumba Party, Family 2K, and Kids Triathlon). The aQuity Executive Summary recommended that the District needs to demonstrate the excellent value it represents to the community, especially with its relatively low dependence on property tax dollars. The message of value is an important one given the strong anti-tax sentiment in the community. For those that responded that they don’t have children or that their children are grown, the District needs to do a better job of marketing the programs and services that it offers adults, especially since they currently represent a large segment of the population, will continue

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to be more active at the Park District with the expansion of the CRC and Senior Services moving to the CRC Guest Satisfaction and Retention In 2014, the District began to use the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to measure guest satisfaction.

NPS is a metric for assessing customer loyalty for a company's brand, products or services. District users/participants are asked “On a zero through ten scale, how likely are you to recommend the Wheeling Park District to friends and neighbors?� Zero means not at all likely and ten means extremely likely. Customers are then divided into three categories: Promoters, Passives and Detractors. Promoters (score: 9-10) are the most loyal, Passives (score: 7-8) are satisfied, yet unenthusiastic, and Detractors (score: 0-6) are unhappy. The Net Promoter Score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters As was recommended in 2007, this method is used throughout the district creating a consistent, overall system wide process that helps reduce service variation and ensure the collection of reliable, measurable data. In the 2015/2016 Agency Goals, the district aims to achieve a NPS of 80%. However, this percentage needs to be reevaluated as it may be unattainable under the NPS system. In the aQuity Community Survey from 2015, the NPS was measured among survey participants. The average rating was an 8.1 (43% being Promoters, 38% Passives and 19% Detractors). To understand and analyze the NPS of the Park District, it is best practice to compare the score within the industry. Unfortunately, at this current time, it is unknown if other park Districts are using the NPS measuring method.

It is also recommended that additional tools are used in addition to the NPS to measure the quality of programs and activities. These include program specific surveys, focus groups, secret shopping, lost guest research, and pre and post evaluations, among others. The data collected through these processes could be entered into a guest feedback database that would demonstrate trends and changes from year to year.

One of the recommendations from the 2007 Comprehensive Plan included a tool to measure internal guest satisfaction. One of the Districts greatest assets are its staff, and improving internal customer service needs to be a top priority in 2017. A staff person, or a group of staff, needs to oversee this system and ensure that follow up occurs for the deployment of improvement areas.

Due to the changing demographics from 2007 to 2017 within the Park District boundaries, it is recommended that a research study, including focus groups, be conducted with the goal of understanding how to better serve ethnic and racial minority populations. For example from 2000-2010 the Hispanic population grew from 21% to 31% and Asian population from 9.3% to 13%.

Program participation numbers, guest retention rates, participation levels, program standards met, and cost recovery levels for rentals and programs are tracked for the recreation department.

Staff update their program policies and procedures annually or as needed.

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Registration In April 2013, the District was notified that its’ registration software, CLASS, would no longer be supported as of November of 2016. The District researched registration software systems and ultimately chose Vermont Systems Inc in July 2015. The transition to RecTrac 3.1 in April of 2016 was very challenging and was fraught with obstacles. Internal users needed to learn a new system and become proficient to better serve customers. Additionally, the system provided many technical difficulties that had to be addressed on live mode. Although the system has been implemented for a little over a year, staff made great strides in becoming proficient with the system. In February of 2017, key staff were identified and a RecTrac Coordinator Group was established. The coordinators strengths in various aspects of RecTrac were identified and a listing of those were shared with all of the Recreation Staff so they knew which coordinator to seek out when they had a question or issue with a RecTrac process. There are also key staff who will be attending a training symposium at Vermont Systems headquarters in 2017 to cover various topics that will help the District progress better understand some of the system’s key features.

The registration system is a key guest process that should be reviewed on a regular basis. This includes having a process team from all staff areas involved in registration looking at ways to improve the system.

The registration software allows for better tracking of program registrations, pass information, and rental information. With the new system the District is focusing on getting emails for all of the households in the system. This will allow for better target marketing, as well as the ability to send receipts via email (attaining a goal included in the Environmental Action Plan to create cost savings on postage and paper).

With the new registration software came a new on-line registration system, WebTrac. In early 2017 staff worked with Vermont Systems to redesign the Splash Page to make it easier for the user and will continue to investigate ways to enhance WebTrac. Currently guests are only able to register for certain programs on-line. Staff would like to expand the number of programs that patrons can register on-line, as well as add memberships and rentals to WebTrac. The District will be tracking the number of guest that register on-line and develop trend charts over the next five year period.

Competitors The amount of competition from similar providers only continues to increase. It is important to identify niche markets and identify value propositions for programs. This is particularly true for the Fitness Center and Family Aquatic Center as competitive pressures are significantly coupled with aging facilities. Youth sports face competition from private and sport specific providers.

Periodically, completing a provider analysis will help improve guest retention. This analysis should be completed approximately every two years. In addition, each major program/facility area should identify its most important guest requirements.

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Key guest requirements should include items such as price, registration process, program promotion and awareness, quality of instruction, to name a few. This reinforces what’s most important to guests, and how the District should focus efforts on the requirements. Results from the survey completed by aQity Research show that 61% of households reported that the Wheeling Park District is top-of-mind when thinking about nearby recreational activities. Yet, two in five consider other sources, which often can be nearby park districts and private fitness facilities. The District needs to monitor its’ competitors on a regular basis to continue to be a top providers of parks and recreation in the area.

Partners and Volunteers The Park District continues to create partnership opportunities for community events and programs by partnering with the Wheeling Jaycees, the Village of Wheeling, School District #21, School District #23, Harper College, the Family Learning Program, and among local businesses.

Some partnerships that the District is looking to expand in 2017 include working with the Indian Trails Library District, the Wheeling/Prospect Heights Chamber of Commerce, and National Louis University.

With a strong marketing team now in place this should assist the district in developing more partnerships. Further, with the increase in the number of events, concerts, and family activities, this will provide more opportunities for collaborations. Additionally, the marketing team will be tasked to evaluate current and potential partner opportunities to ensure that the most successful partners are pursued. Staff must also seek to establish, for all partnerships, written policies and standards that must be evaluated and updated regularly. Partnership agreements should be made to be as equitable as possible.

Since 2007, the use of volunteers in recreation programs has diminished dramatically due in part to high staff turnover and lack of free time among residents, especially parents. A greater use of volunteers is needed to complement the staff efforts and minimize operational costs, while furthering community involvement. It was recommended in 2007 that the District should explore the option of dedicating a portion of a staff member’s time to oversee the program. This was done in October of 2016 with the addition of a Special Events Manager position whose duties include creating a new volunteer program. As part of this program, the Special Events Manager is expected to develop volunteer job descriptions, formalize a training and orientation program, recruit volunteers and create a reward and recognition program.

Additional incentives and referral programs for volunteers could be developed to recruit new volunteers as well as motivate them. There could be a rewards system that logs volunteer hours which can be redeemed for various discounts and bonuses at the District’s facilities or programs.

Marketing and Promotions The area of marketing and promotions has grown exponentially since 2007. Current promotional efforts are varied and reach out to various target segments. The methods used include the

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seasonal program guides, the District website, flyers, posters, banners (lobby & roadside), press releases, school newsletters, pre-school newsletters, camp newsletters, email blasts, Facebook posts, and Twitter posts, to name a few. However, the addition of social media outlets continues to grow.

With the changes to the Park District marketing personnel, it will be important to evaluate the District’s overall marketing and promotions strategy with the ever changing landscape of social media and marketing in general. Also, the community relations/promotions staff should do some return on investment measurement to ensure that dollars are being spent in the most effective ways.

While the Park District Fitness Center has its own identity with its own logo, it often can be overlooked by its’ location in the recreation center and with the location of the community center being hidden by Wheeling Village Hall. Therefore with the plans to renovate and expand the CRC, it will be important for the Fitness Center to have a prominent location and street frontage signage. Revamping the Fitness Center logo should also be considered with the renovation/expansion in an effort to rebrand the facility to allow it to stand out amongst its competitors. This is important not only for the Fitness Center, but also for Arctic Splash, the Family Aquatic Center, Heritage Park Sports Complex and the Heritage Park Performance Pavilion.

Additionally, the District should consider changing its’ street name address to reflect is geographical location on Community Boulevard, similarly to the Wheeling Police Department and Wheeling Village Hall who are adjacent to the Park District and addresses are 1 and 2 Community Boulevard, respectively.

The Park District must maximize their holistic approach to program offerings. It is imperative to recognize the revenue potential and cost efficiencies associated by having a systems approach to marketing and promotions. This could include cross selling/promoting programs, offering sales training and diversity training for service staff and bundling services. In December of 2016, the District held its first Community Appreciation Day that offered guests a chance to speak with and ask questions to program and facility staff. There were also demonstrations of classes that guests could participate as well as giveaways. Staff also created a coupon book for guests to use to receive discounts on select classes if they registered during the event that many guests utilized.

To increase guest participation and awareness of Park District program and activities, It is suggested that this event be held several times a year.

Guest Feedback and Pricing Strategies Guest feedback methods used by staff include the NPS process, social media, in-depth surveys, and word of mouth. Staff needs to establish more formal methods to capture and track guest feedback. The Park District works diligently to inform the public of currently offerings, yet there seems to still be a certain lack of awareness by the community. It is worth investigating further into the specifics of the confusion to ensure that future marketing initiatives and promotions would eliminate those hurdles. For example, in the aQuity Research survey one of the two top

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sources Wheeling residents rely on for information is the Village of Wheeling website/mailing (41%). aQuity recommended increased communication of District facilities, especially programs and events. Additionally efforts to improve the District website to make it a “go-to� source for District information needs to be a priority.

Programs do have pricing strategies in place as well as cost recovery goals. With 20% of those household surveyed in the aQuity Research Community Survey responding that cost/fees were too high as a reason they have not participated in a program or event in the past year, the District needs to review pricing strategies and evaluate if they are still good practice.

It is recommended that the District assess what services it should be providing based on its alignment with purpose, cost recovery performance, analysis of use and target markets, and analysis of competitors and impacts.

Miscellaneous After program improvements are developed and implemented, it would be good to follow up by digging more deeply into the information that was gathered through the 2015/2016 Community Survey. The two top priorities for program/events were outdoor summer concerts, movies and weekend family events/festivals which was addressed in 2016 with the creation of the Summer Entertainment Series that offered 21 concerts/events and the addition of a fall Oktoberfest and winter Frozen Fest. While many (37%) of non-attendees had a difficult time identifying programs or events they wanted in the survey, the top three were more general sports programs, more fitness/exercise programs, and more improved youth programs. Therefore, staff needs to investigate if these needs are being met. Additionally, residents mentioned that they wished to see more learning and environmental education programs. Learning programs such as drawing, cooking, and computer science have been added with mixed response. However, awareness of the district offering these programs could be an issue, as well as the barrier of price.

Environmental education programs still need to be added to the programming mix. This may be best done by partnering with another park district or the local Library District.

It is also good practice to bring in the business community to determine how the District could better serve taxpaying guests. Chevy Chase offers opportunities, as well as Performance Pavilion, for corporate picnics. Additionally, the Park District can offer corporate aquatics rentals, and corporate fitness outreach opportunities.

Overall Overall, the Park District is doing a commendable job with its recreation program offerings. The key is to continue age segmentation of program offerings targeting all age groups and skill levels as well as staying on top of trends. The focus must be on capturing the users at a young age and aim to retain them as lifetime users of the system. There appears to be low capacity in some programs and high capacity levels in other areas. Staff must focus on creating a balance in its offerings. The District must leverage the Community Events to establish partnerships and

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sponsorships for other core programs to generate revenue to offset the operational costs.

Offering more drop-in type programs, as is currently done with open gym, pickle ball, badminton, and ping pong, is also a trend that should continue and be expanded upon especially with the the plans to add an additional gymnasium in the CRC renovation/expansion. The plans for the renovation/expansion of the Community Recreation Center also offers the ability to update and modernize the facility which can lead to offering of new programs and the rebranding of current programs.

Specific Key Issues Guest Retention and Growth  Need to use tools such as NPS, specific surveys, focus groups, secret shoppers, lost guest research and pre and post evaluations to collect data to track trends and changes.  Conduct a research study to gather information that will help to increase participation rates in recreational activities among ethnic and racial minority populations.  Hold external and internal customer service training for various staff including, fulltime and part-time staff.

Registration  Continue to learn and utilize data provided by RecTrac  Continue to integrate on-line registration, WebTrac, into additional areas including memberships and rentals  Create a marketing plan to make the public more aware of the new on-line registration system  Continue to collect email addresses for households in the registration system to move towards email receipts and communication, including its use in the target marketing of programs and events  Have the RecTrac Coordinator group meet quarterly (or as needed) to discuss issues and solutions with RecTrac, as well as providing training on pertinent topics.

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Competition  Aquatic Programs face competition from Arlington Park Districts, Buffalo Grove Park District, Prospect Heights Park District, Palatine Park District and private swim schools such as Big Blue Swim School. The staff must find ways to create a unique identity for their programs and establish a competitive advantage.  There is a high degree of competition for camps and preschool programs.  There is a high degree of competition for fitness and wellness offerings.  The Fitness Center has moved to no initiation fee and including drop-in fitness classes to all memberships. This should allow it to become more competitive as well as the future expansion/renovation of the facility.  Guest retention and knowing how much of the market the District controls in each core program area will help them to manage the competition better.

Performance Measures  All core program areas have standard performance measures that need to continue to be monitored  Overall measures can include: registration numbers, revenues, success rate of classes, guest satisfaction levels, occupancy rates, number of new programs, % of programs in mature/saturated lifecycles, guest retention, and core program cost recovery, etc.

Partnerships/Volunteers  Limited volunteer use.  Volunteers will be addressed with the addition of the Special Events Manger.  Strengthen and grow partnerships with assistance from the Special Events Manger and Marketing and Outreach Coordinator.  Develop more outreach into the business community and unique sponsorship opportunities with the Community Events Methods of Promotions  The methods of promotion utilized vary.  Use of social media for marketing and promotions needs to be analyzed frequently.  Overall, inconsistent usage of methods of promotion and limited cross promotions or packing for events.  Web site needs to be revamped and the new online registration system promoted.  With the new Director of Marketing & Communications on board, create a marketing plan for each area and facility.

Guest Feedback  Continue to use, but evaluate the use of NPS to measure a guest satisfaction.  In the case of Community Events, the public input process needs to be put into place using tablets.  Use electronic means (Survey Monkey, Constant Contact, etc.) to collect feedback in a more efficient and effective way

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Pricing Strategies/ Financial Performance Measures  Competitor pricing is considered for all programs.  The Fitness Center has moved to no initiation fees and included drop-in fitness classes to all memberships, which allowed it to become more competitive.  Evaluate what services should be provided based on alignment with purpose, cost recovery performance, analysis of use and target markets, and analysis of competitors and impacts to create a Cost Recovery/Subsidy Allocation Model that can be applied to its programs and events.  Demonstrate the excellent value that the Park District represents to the community.  Investigate alternative ways of funding programs for those who cannot afford them by reevaluating and rebranding the scholarship program.

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INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS Aquatic Programs – Arctic Splash  2007 Recommendations:  Sell program benefits and advantages  Measure and track performance feedback  Cost experience revenue to expense goals  Incorporate facility standards  Initiate performance measures and incentives for Part-Time Staff  Provide mandatory diversity training in addition to guest service training  Partner with NWSRA, Wellness Centers, Arthritis Foundation and others  Promotional messages to talk about the health benefits of swimming  Staff must elaborate on benefits as opposed to features  2017 Recommendations:  Redesign the in-house swim program to better communication with parents, list skills to be learned at each level, and incorporate safety components, and consistent lesson plans  Gather feedback via surveys (online and paper) and NPS scores to be used as a performance measure tool and for potential new offering ideas  Schedule swim lesson informational meet and greets with instructors and leaders to promote and help keep consistent numbers from summer into fall  Seek out multilingual instructors to help with the diverse population and changing demographics in  Establish incentives to seek and retain qualified lifeguards and swim instructors  Standards and customer service training for all aquatic staff and lifeguards  Initiate fitness components into Arctic Splash programming in order to promote the health and wellness benefits of swimming and aquatic fitness  Investigate potential new Arctic Splash programs/events  With the expansion and renovation of the CRC, promote birthday parties with updates in the Arctic Splash area as well as adjacent, redesigned party rooms  Promote Arctic Splash, with the assistance of the new registration software, by targeting those in swim lessons with introductory emails, follow up emails, and program conclusion emails Aquatics – Facility Aquatic Center There were no 2007 Recommendations.  2017 Recommendations:

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 Restructure birthday parties to be more simplified while giving more options  Create a new birthday party area with a tent to provide shade and picnic tables  Initiate a fitness component into the Family Aquatic Center to promote health and wellness  Seek out opportunities to promote and market private rentals  Revamp and expand special events at the Family Aquatic Center Sports – Youth and Adult  2007 Recommendations:      

Separate leagues and programs from competitors to create unique position Reposition and rebrand the program offerings Add additional sport programs such as rugby, coed soccer, softball, field hockey Use college students in sports administration to volunteer Establish an adult’s sports newsletter Seek partnerships similar to the ones employed for youth soccer, baseball, and camps  Effective pricing strategy  2017 Recommendations:  Continue relationships with the current rental groups and seek out other organizations until the facility is maxed out  Utilize the Heritage Park Sports facility to market the District’s programs and special events  Execute a plan to continue to develop and grow the pickleball program with help of First Serve  With the addition of a second gymnasium in the expansion and renovation of the CRC expand pickleball, soccer and futsal programs as well as drop-in programs  Continue to develop and grow the soccer and futsal programs  Seek to maintain the number of guests participating in in-house programs and use them to promote other athletic programs as well as generate interest in evolving programs  Recruit and create a core of volunteers to assist in in-house athletic programs Summer Camp  2007 Recommendations:  Staff should sell the benefits versus the features of the programs

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 Reposition and rebrand the program offerings to make them more appealing to the younger audience  Change the program names, format, and timings to give them a more energetic and vibrant feel  Teen Camp needs to focus on travel, outdoor adventure, science, and music.  Start a teen advisory group to help develop activity ideas and promote the District’s teen camps  Do pre and post evaluation forms for all camps  Identify guest satisfaction levels with additional measures such as; camp skills, age segment participation, retention rates, cost per experience, and user satisfaction  Specialty camps should be developed that focus on outdoors, science, outdoor adventure, sports and travel  A parent child camp should be developed  Programs that are experiencing moderate to slow participation in growth should be monitored carefully and repositioned if enrollment drops further  2017 Recommendations:  Continue to include the camp brochure as a as a pull-out piece in the winter brochure as well as distributed to all District 21 students and mailed to past camp participants  Continue to offer flexibility to families schedules and budgets  Expand Art Camp and market to families who are active within the park district  Continue to offer Post Camp to fill the gap between camp concluding and the start of the school year  Continue to offer a Parent Meet & Greet to give parents a well-rounded, detailed understanding of summer camp to help them feel more connected and confident sending their child to summer camp. Utilize detailed calendars as well as weekly Summer Camp newsletters as communication tools  Monitor the feedback and the needs of parents to stay on top of camp offerings.  Revamp the Counselor In Training program so it can continue to thrive with more structure, lesson-plans, goals, etc  Incorporate the Heritage Park Performance Pavilion into some of the camps  Consider specialty camps that incorporate nature, theater, music, or dance for the future if camp enrollment continues to thrive  Continue to send surveys to parents to gather feedback and program for new ideas and make adjustments as needed

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Preschool Programs  2007 Recommendations:  Elaborate on benefits as opposed to features for the program so the descriptions are 65% benefits, 25% features, and 10% advantages  Offer joint programming with another park district. For example, residents of Wheeling would get a resident discount if they joined a preschool program at Buffalo Grove Park District and vice versa  The joint program would reduce competitor clutter and also help free up program space to offer higher revenue generating programs in the preschool rooms  A need exists to establish a core volunteer base to preschool and appoint a member of the staff or a part-time volunteer coordinator to manage volunteer services  When mailing surveys, staff should send a referral form and offer discounts as an incentive to return the survey with a participant referral  2017 Recommendations:  Continue to use enhanced preschool class descriptions to better promote the cognitive and social benefits of the program  Create a new logo and rebranding of Preschool in coordination with the renovation of the preschool space  Once the new preschool space is completed in the expansion/renovation of the CRC, use those benefits to promote the program  Continue to offer discounted and early registration to returning participants year to year to increase participant retention  Create a preschool wing with modernized space and technology in every room  Create a secure preschool wing with enlarged lobby for student drop off and pick up  Continue to reach out to residents to explore is how best to connect with the changing demographics in Wheeling and what those groups are seeking in early childhood offerings  With the expansion/renovation of the CRC, investigate potential new programs including parent/tot classes and more drop in activities for preschool aged children  Incorporate intergenerational activities/special events between preschool and the Village of Wheeling Department of Senior Service participants whose program will be housed in the CRC permanently, January of 2018

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Extended Care Programs (Before and After School)  2007 Recommendations:  Lack of growth indicates that there is a need to rejuvenate the program or redirect resources elsewhere  After diminishing from 5 sites to 3 sites, if the trend continues, consideration should be given to eliminate the program as long as registration keeps declining  If program holds steady, there needs to be a new sense of excitement created to attract additional audiences  Change program name, pricing strategies, formats and timings so the overall image of the program has a vibrant and energetic feel  Themes for each month could be created to keep a high level of creativity going  The program needs to establish standards and measurements for program performance, facility performance, financial performance, and partnerships  Focus groups should be established to gain feedback from parents on ways to provide a better service

 2017 Recommendations:  Continue to offer a drop-in 5 punch card and 10 punch card to accommodate the need for flexibility  Continue to communicate with parents through calendars and newsletters  After much marketing and open houses and free trials to incorporate CIA programs at Twain and Whitman schools it has been concluded that these schools do not need/want an after school program, so commit to offering CIA at Tarkington and Field schools. Continue to offer bussing from Twain and Whitman to Tarkington and Field schools.  Continue to monitor the before and after school program needs with District 21  Enhance the marketing of the CIA program and continue to research the demographics at the schools  Explore options like field trip days in the afternoons for kids, occasionally bringing them to the CRC for swimming  Maintain strong ties with the school district and continue to foster a positive partnership help ensure the sustainability of the program

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Dance  2007 Recommendations:  Seek to differentiate the programs by creating unique themes or an identity for the program groups  Revamp so as to generate a vibrant and exciting feel to the programs.  Offer Youth Dance programs over summer in a shorter time frame with classes held 2-3 times per week  Explore the opportunity to offer tiered level of instruction for Adult Dance programs  Host dance lessons, workshops, competition at Chevy Chase during the off season  Promote using additional methods including email blasts, promotions and giveaways at schools and cross promotions with the local music stores or boutiques  Competitor pricing must be factored into the pricing strategy and the staff must also explore offering incentives for referrals and group participation discounts  2017 Recommendations:  Continue to utilize a Dance Coordinator to enhance and revamp the dance classes where necessary  Offer dance programs for all ages, through adult  Continue to promote and expand ethnic and regional cultural dance offerings  Promote dance through more targeted marketing and use of social media  Continue to offer a meet and greet so parents and children can meet the dance coordinator and instructors  As the program grows investigate holding the dance recital at the Chevy Chase Country Club  Work with the Chevy Chase Country Club to begin offering adult dance classes at Chevy Chase Fitness Center  2007 Recommendations:  Perform an analysis regarding a possible expansion of the facility  Move the Senior Center to the CRC  Group Exercise rooms should be located adjacent to, or as a part of, the Fitness Center  Give Guest a choice between annual memberships and three month memberships

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 Include a membership introductory fee  Develop niche market opportunities in the corporate market, active adult market, young teens and high school athletes, youth younger than age twelve and special populations.  Senior age should be raised  Personal Trainers should create outreach in the community  Offer a 14 day corporate pass  Build a brand within the fitness center brand for corporate market complete with glossy brochure that lists prices and amenities.  Become the leader in community for fitness/wellness by creating healthy community initiatives  Make efforts to personally reach out to active adults. Provide a Personal Trainer that works specifically with older adults  Play a role in keeping athletes (and non-athletes) fit and strong using Personal Trainers to cultivate these relationships and create more members  Partner with the school district to develop programs for youth to help develop lifelong heathy habits and future fitness center membership  Target programs for guests with special needs by partnering with NWSRA.  Expansion of Group Fitness space

 2017 Recommendations  Continue to expand and promote the “STRONG” campaign  Expand and update the Fitness Center to include more space for equipment and open space for stretching  Expand and update the Fitness Center to include new locker rooms that will only be utilized by fitness center members  With the revision of memberships in 2016 to include group classes, utilize the expansion and renovation of the group exercise rooms to market memberships  Once the expansion and renovation is completed evaluate membership pricing  Continue to add classes and programs aimed for active adults with the Wheeling Park District Fitness Center becoming a designated Silver Sneakers facility  Promote the Silver Sneakers program to the Village of Wheeling Department of Senior Service participants whose program will be housed in the CRC permanently, January of 2018  With the expansion and renovation of the Fitness Center heavily market and promote personal training

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 With the expansion and renovation of the Fitness Center heavily market and promote memberships  Rebrand the kids fitness classes to STRONGKids  Continue to offer and expand one day wellness events  Continue to partner with the Village of Wheeling Board of Health on the Wheeling Walks program and work with them to increase the promotion of and participation in Wheeling Walks  Increase efforts toward community outreach with participation in local health fairs and promotion of fitness at the district’s community events  Maintain strong ties with the Indian Trails Public Library District and continue to foster a positive partnership to offer health and wellness workshops  With the assistance of the Director of Communications, develop relationships with local businesses and organizations to revitalize corporate memberships  With the renovation and expansion of the Fitness Center, investigate potential partnerships with medical groups or physical therapy providers Community Events  2007 Recommendations:  Create a niche for the Park District and seek to differentiate itself from other similar service providers by undertaking a larger communications campaign highlighting the unique features and the experience of participating in Wheeling Park District’s events  The Community Events offerings must be a factor of community needs and recommendations. It is important to obtain a community buy-in into the events in order to ensure high participation rates and overall event success  Staff must translate the feedback gathered during and after the events into an objective guest feedback measure and retention rate.  Volunteer groups supply volunteers for specific Community Events, there must be a set of volunteer policies and procedures that must be consistent for volunteers across all Community Events. Perform some sort of volunteer recognition service at all Community Events as a way to appreciate the volunteers and encourage greater volunteerism.  The partnership and sponsorship package initiatives are commendable and must be extended to other park district programs by packaging events together for a larger sponsorship opportunity

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 2017 Recommendations:  Enhance the Heritage Park Performance Pavilion (HPPP) site with the addition of picnic tables for the grass area, a more permanent structure for concessions and a ramp for the west side of the pavilion  Continue to offer a wide variety of community wide events at the HPPP site with an emphasis on the Summer Series  More aggressively promote community wide events by collaborating with Director of Marketing and Communications & Communications and Outreach Manager  Maintain strong ties with the Indian Trails Public Library District, Village of Wheeling, Wheeling/Prospect Heights Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations to collaborate on community wide events  Create a better way of measuring how many people attend free events as well as a more efficient way of gathering feedback on the events from the community  Create a Volunteer Program to build a consistent group of volunteers to assist in events and other areas of the district by reaching out to the high schools, colleges, and businesses in the area  Retool the partnership and sponsorship packages for special events by collaborating with the Director of Communications and Marketing  Collaborate more with the Chevy Chase County Club to offer unique special events at the site as well as collaborating with the CCCC staff to offer special events  Investigate offering more cultural events based on the changing demographics of the Wheeling community Heritage Park – HPSC  2007 Recommendations:    

Set to be renovated in the near future Improved access points into the park Extended loop trails throughout the park Improvement should focus on being an active center for sports programs and community functions

 2017 Recommendations:  Continue to market the HPSC (Heritage Park Sports Complex) as a destination facility  Continue to market HPSC as a rental facility for youth and adult athletics

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 Continue to host tournaments drawing teams from all over the country and Canada  Investigate additional lighting on the back of the baseball field lighting system to allow for more evening time use of the soccer fields behind the HPSC  Investigate the possibility of adding turf to a few areas of green space behind the existing turf fields for multipurpose fields  Continue to monitor concession trends to keep the concession stand a competitive choice for food and drink options  Work with tournament companies to cross promote other district facilities, specifically the Family Aquatic Center and Chevy Chase Country Club, to the teams they recruit for their tournaments

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DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS The Demographic, Market, and Trends Analysis provides a clear understanding of the market size, economic factors, and trends that will assist in determining the potential client base within the target market area.

Methodology Demographic data used for the analysis was obtained from aQity Research & Insights, Inc. Demographic data for the 2007 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan was provided by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc), yet for this analysis data provided by ESRI was only available for the year 2010. Although data provided by ESRI is still relevant, to better estimate the current demographic trends, and 2020 projections, aQity aquired data provided by the US Census for the year 2015. All data was acquired in March, 2017, and Wheeling Park District boundaries (see Map 4) were utilized as the demogrphic analysis boundary. Given that Park District boundaries are not perfectly aligned with Census Block groups, aQity conducted an analysis of “block” level data from 2010 and projected the growth of these areas to better estimate current demographic data. “Block” level data is captured from smaller area segments than Census Blocks, and are Map 4: Wheeling Park District Boundary better aligned with Park District boundaries. This process allowed the information provided to be statistically more significant for the demographic estimates provided in this report.

Following a decade of growth in which the District grew by 12.3% from 1990 to 2000 (Table 29), the Park District population witnessed a period of stagnation in which it is estimated that the total District population grew by less than 4.0% from 2000 to 2006, amounting to an additional 1,450 persons. From 2006 to 2015, total District population grew by 5.2%. Currently growth is still projected for the District, with a total projected population by the year 2020 of 43,473. Yet, it is important to note that the Village of Wheeling has either recently completed or begun several housing projects that are not currently projected in the 2015 Census data nor 2020 projected

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data. These areas include, (1) Northgate Crossing (288 projected apartments and 12 townhomes), Wheeling Town Center (301 projected apartments), Kraus Lane Subdivision (8 projected townhomes), 501 W. Dundee (230 projected apartments, and 415 N. Wolf (39 projected townhomes).

With these new housing projects developing , or Wheeling Park District; recently developed, within the Population Growth Trend Park District boundaries, it is safe to assume that the demand for 42,053 42,828 43,599 45,000 39,276 40,729 recreational and park activities will 34,991 40,000 only grow, and that current 35,000 population numbers available 30,000 25,000 through the US Census are slightly 20,000 lower than actual numbers. What 15,000 will be paramount to meeting the 10,000 5,000 overall demands of the Park 0 District population is understanding the demographic caracteristics that make this community unique. In this report we will review such characteristics by analysing the age breakdown, Table 29: WPD Population Growth Trend self identified race/ethnicity, education level, household size and income, and language spoken at home of the Wheelign Park District population.

Age Segmentation Population categorization by major age segment demonstrates the relative youth of the District’s service area by the four marketing groups – children/youth, early adulthood and child bearing, child rearing and peak income, and mature adults (Table 30). The largest of the four major age segments is comprised of the peak earners, those aged 35-54; the peak earners made up 26.7% of the 2015 estimated population. In 2006, this group was projected to be 30% of the District’s population by the year 2021. In contrast, the age segment of those 34 and

Population by Major Age Segment Data from 2007 Comp Plan 100%

24%

23%

23%

22%

22%

28%

26%

25%

23%

22%

30%

30%

30%

30%

30%

17%

20%

22%

24%

26%

80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 2000 Census

2006 2011 2016 2021 (Estimate) Projection Projection Projection 55+

35-54

18-34

<18

Table 30: Age Segmentation

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younger was projected to represent 46% of the population, whereas it is currently closer to 49%.

These findings provide an interesting contrast to what was initially projected. During the fifteen year study period (2006 to 2021) created for the 2007 Park and Recreation Population by Major Age Segment Comprehensive plan, only the babyboomer and peak earner segments were 100% 24.7% 24.9% 25.0% projected to increase in total size â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both 80% under-18 and 18-34 age segments were 23.8% 24.5% 24.4% 60% expected to actually decline in total size.

26.7% 27.3% 27.4% 40% In contrast, projection trends show that 20% 24.8% the baby-boomer and peak earner 23.3% 23.2% 0% segments are now expected to represent 2010 Census 2015 Census 2020 50.6% of the total District population Projection (compared to an initial projection of 55+ 35-54 20-34 <20 56.5%) and the children/youth, early adulthood and child bearing segments will represent a higher percentage (49.4% Table 31: Population by Major Age Segment versus an original projection of 43.5%).

Looking closer to the age segments that are providing these changes, data shows that the 2010* 2015 2020 majority of the growth will come from the age Total Population group 15 to 24. This group alone is expected to (Wheeling Park District ) 42,053 42,828 43,473 increase the District population by 932 residents Age <5 3,108 3,193 3,205 by the year 2020. In contrast, the baby-boomer Age 5 to 9 2,565 3,209 2,647 Age 10 to 14 2,376 2,359 2,454 age segment is expected to have a negative net Age 15 to 19 2,447 1,837 2,515 migration, bringing the total number of residents Age 20 to 24 2,477 2,304 2,558 age 55 and older from 10,611 to 10,126 (a Age 25 to 34 7,800 7,874 8,079 negative change of 485) by the year 2020. It is Age 35 to 44 5,829 5,899 6,008 Age 45 to 54 5,699 5,542 5,881 also important to note that every age group from Age 55 to 59 2,634 2,822 2,738 the age segment of 20 and younger is expected Age 60 to 64 2,087 2,559 2,177 to increase by the year 2020, increasing the Age 65 to 74 2,510 2,774 2,603 Age 75 to 84 1,615 1,485 1,666 demands for activities and programs of this age Age 85+ 907 971 942 Table 32: Age breakdown, Comparison of 2010, 2015, 2020 segment.

Overall, the age demographic data shows that the Park District will need to focus additional programming opportunities to younger families who are bringing the majority of the growth to the overall population. It is important to note that the Village of Wheeling is placing additional resources by developing urban residential complexes that for the majority may also attract the early adulthood and childbearing age segment. In contrast, the baby boomer population is representing a lower percentage of the overall District population in contrast to what earlier projections reflected. Yet, this age group is projected to represent 23.3% of the population by the year 2020, which will bring additional opportunities to provide spaces and programs directed to an age segment that is not only more accustomed to technology, but for the most part are now staying active well into their sixties and even into their seventies.

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Gender Gender distribution for the District is projected to stay relatively unchanged in the future years from the current split; based on 2015 estimates, females consist of slightly more Total Population by Gender than half (50.6%) of the population (Table 33). Although women and men represent 100% statistically the same percentage of the 50.6% 80% 50.7% 50.7% population, research shows that women are 60% more likely to participate in recreational 40% activities in parks with families and children, 49.4% 49.3% 49.3% 20% yet they are generally less active in sports or 0% physical activity. Programs and activities 2010 Census 2015 Census 2020 should pay attention to the benefits and Projection constraints that women and men face in Male Female participating in recreation and physical activities.

Additional, gender roles, Table 33: Total Population by Gender specifically to those pertaining to diverse cultures and ethnicities, should be observed to better serve both women and men.

Race and Ethnicity Demographic data from the U.S. Census shows that the foreign-born population in the United States has grown at unprecedented rates, and the Wheeling Park District is no stranger to these changes. It is first important to recognize that race and ethnicity is a social construct, and it consists mainly from self-identification. That is, it relies on how each individual prefers to selfidentify which can be based on skin color, place of origin, native language spoken, and/or cultural and religious affiliation. For this reason, the U.S. Census has changed several times across time the way it asks individuals how they self-identify in terms of race and/or ethnicity. Although the goal is to form statistically significant categories to analyze the demographics of a population, these changes across different Census surveys can make it very difficult to compare and contrast data across different years and decades.

The 2007 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan used four main race/ethnic categories (White, Asian, Black, and All Others). The data of this report showed that the “white” population would decline every five years, projecting a negative migration of 6,151 by the year 2020 (from 75% in 2000 to a projected 54% by 2021). In contrast, it was projected that there would be an increase in the “Asian” and “Other” race and ethnic category (a 21% increase from the year 2000 to a 2020). Unfortunately, this data did not fully specify what “Other” measured or what race or ethnic groups were included in the category. Further, it is important to note that the 2000 Census identified that many individuals of Hispanic origin and/or from Latin American were identifying themselves as “white” or “other.” A second question was added to the 2000 Census, asking

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respondents to state whether they selfidentified as Hispanic (of Spanish origin). The 2006 estimate stated that 32.5% of the District identified either as Hispanic or Latino. The 2006 Report also stated that from an ethnic standpoint, the Latino/Hispanic population was projected to follow the nationwide trend and grow significantly, from 32.5% in 2006 to 50.2 by the year 2021.

Table 34: Population by Race/Ethnicity

Recent data has shown that for the year 2015 the “White” population stagnated at 67.5% (compared to the projected 58% in 2006), the “Asian” population is at 15.3% (compared to a projected 13% in 2006), some “other” race at 14.9% (compared to a projected 28%), and a “Black” population of 1.9% (compared to a projected 3% in 2006). It is important to note that many individuals from Latin America or from a place of origin that speak Spanish do not consider Hispanic a race, but an identifier of language spoken, or as a culture descendant from Spain. Additionally, for many individuals self-identifying as “Asian” is complex since there are 48 countries in the Asian continent, with a wide variety of languages and cultures, Table 35: Wheeling Race/Ethnic Breakdown including Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, Hindi, Punjabi, Russian. This large “other” category reflects the complexity of race and ethnicity in a diverse community such as Wheeling Park District.

From an ethnic standpoint, 35% of the residents of the Park District selfidentified as “Hispanic.” Compared to Neighboring Communities (11.7%), State of Illinois (16%), and the United States as a whole (16.6%), the Hispanic population within the Park District boundaries represents a large segment of the community. It is thus imperative to understand the values, norms, and this population

Table 36: Park District Hispanic Population

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segment to serve the community as a whole. Further, it is important to understand that many identify as “White” in terms of race, but “Hispanic” in terms of ethnicity and culture.

Language Spoken The Wheeling Park District also has a large population that speaks at least one foreign language.

Based on the 2015 Census, 60% (24,066 residents) of the Park District population speaks at least one foreign language, while 39% are English only speakers. This percentage of foreign language speakers is relatively high compared to neighboring communities (32% speak at least one foreign language), the State of Illinois (22% speak at least one foreign language), and the United States as a Table 37: English Speakers vs Bilingual Speakers whole (21% speak at least one foreign language).

Of the 60% of the population that speaks at least one other language, 51.2% speak Spanish, 32.6% an Indo-European language (includes Europe, as well as many languages of Southwest, Central and South Asia), 14.4% speak an Asian Pacific Language (e.g. Japanese, Korean, Filipino, etc.), and less than 2% stated that they speak another language not listed. The diversity in languages spoken provides unique opportunities to promote the diversity of the community through its programming and activities. Yet, it may also provide a challenge to communicate with limited English speakers. Data shows that 29% of the total Park District population have limited English proficiency (which includes 46% of Spanish speakers, 46% Indo-Euro speakers, 59% of Asian-Pacific speakers, and 71% of those who speak some other language).

Given the diversity in terms of self-identified race/ethnicity, as well as the diversity in languages spoken, the Park District has a unique opportunity celebrate the diversity of its community by being able to provide a wide range of cultural programming, activities and events that best

Table 38: Language Spoken by Individuals who speak a Foreign Language

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reflect the population. Yet, it also has a challenge in actively finding personnel and staff that is proportionally comparable to the overall racial and language demographics of the community to provide a higher quality of service and better two-way communication.

Household Size and Income Characteristics In 2015, there were 15,708 registered households in the District, giving us a total average household size of 2.8, compared to 2.7 for neighboring communities, 2.6 for the State of Illinois, and 2.6 for the United States as a whole. This accounts for an increase of 931 households since the year 2000 and an increase of .14 persons per households since the 2006 estimate. Out of the 15,708 registered households, single parent households accounted to roughly 6.4% (1007 households) of the population. $90,000.00

$81,736.00 Inversely, currently the average $75,777.00 $80,000.00 household income in the $65,871.00 $64,865.00 $70,000.00 District is $75,777, which is $59,171.00 $54,529.00 over $5,691 less than the last $60,000.00 estimate taken in 2006. Also, $50,000.00 median income is $5,694 less $40,000.00 $30,417.00 $29,347.00 than the 2006 estimate. Per $25,034.00 $30,000.00 capita is also slightly lower than $20,000.00 the 2006 estimate, $29, 347 in 2015 versus $30, 417 in 2006. $10,000.00 These lower income statistics $2000 Census 2006 (Estimate) 2015 Census demonstrate a lower purchasing power by a Table 39 : Income Characteristics; Blue: Mean, Orange: Median, Gray: Per Capita community that has seen inflation, larger households, and costlier home and rental properties. It is important that the Park District take note of these numbers when establishing program, admission, and membership fees.

Education Of the total Park District population, 23% (9,845 residents) are currently in school. Out of the total population, 1.9% are registered in a nursery/preschool program, 1.8% in a Kindergarten, 9.7% in an Elementary or Middle School, 3.9% in a High School, and 5.8% in either collage or Grad School. Compared to those in neighboring communities, State of Illinois and the U.S. as a whole, these percentages reflect a lower population currently in school (23% vs 25.4%, 27.2%, and 26.5 respectively), a

Table 40: Population in School Ages 3+ by Grade School

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significantly lower High School student population (3.9% vs. 6.0%, 5.7%, and 5.5 respectively), yet a slightly higher proportion of Kindergarten students (1.8% vs. 1.2%, 1.3%, and 1.4 respectively.

41.9% of the total Park District population has some college education or higher, which is significantly lower when compared to 51.7% of the population of neighboring communities. This data also provides a unique opportunity to keep supporting educational initiatives such as the Family Learning Program and Family Learning classes to assist families who are in need of advancing their educational career path.

Additionally, these numbers provide an opportunity to keep providing work specific orientations on site such as CPR Training, Food Table 41: Education by Grade Level Handler and BASSET certifications, and Lifeguard certificates, to name but a few.

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Trend Analysis Summary The Wheeling Park District relies on several sources to analyze trends for all its programs and operations. Each area within the District relies on pulling specific trend information from their respective source experts. In addition, the Park District relies on the data of its own users to gauge interest and adjust to developing trends.

In January of 2017, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), put out their top 5 predictions for Parks and Recreation in 2017. NRPA is the leading national organization for the Parks and Recreation industry and provides great insight, research and guidance to the Wheeling Park District on all topics affecting the industry.

Their top 5 predictions for Parks and Recreation in 2017 were: 1. Parks Are Everywhere. More and more cities will develop parks inspaces never before

2.

3.

4.

5.

thought suitable for parks â&#x20AC;&#x201D; underground in abandoned utility or transportation spaces, on the roofs of large buildings,and in large towers built as urban sculptures. At least one city will develop a floating park. Imagination will be the only limiting factor.

Want to Live Longer? Live Near Parks. People who want to live longer and have a better quality of life will move to jurisdictions where there are great park and recreation systems.

An increasing body of evidence shows that zip code may be one of the most determinative factors on how long people live.

Data Will Drive Budgets. Returning to the Top 5 Predictions list for a second year in a row is how much data-driven analysis will factor in preparing and justifying budgets and expenditures. This top-rated prediction of 2016 will be equally true again in 2017. Data collection and analysis will increasingly drive cost/benefit calculations about the value of parks. Such data will be essential to validate proposed large-scale capital projects, and will be critical to justify annual operational budgets to elected officials.

Conservation Will Become as Important as Recreation. As open space is chewed up at the rate of 6,000 acres per day across the U.S. and climate change begins to impact wildlife and landscapes ever more directly, the natural values of every park, often taken for granted, will be considered one of the more important community-based means of adapting to climate-change conditions. Parks will be appreciated for their conservation values â&#x20AC;&#x201D; places that reduce urban temperatures, habitats that protect nature and biodiversity, landscapes that naturally manage storm water, and places that protect and preserve clean air and pure water. The public will turn out in ever-greater numbers to volunteer for conservation activities in parks.

Virtual Reality Tours Will Replace Maps and Brochures. Park and rec agencies will increasingly develop virtual reality (VR), augmented reality and 360-degree tours of their parks. This will become the new standard replacing printed programs that describe park and recreational program offerings.

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In addition to NRPA’s top 5 predictions, they also provide a few other trends:  Local healthcare providers will increasingly refer patients to evidence-based health activities in parks.  There will be more cooperation between park and rec agencies and school systems especially in the designand programming of park/school facilities.  More agencies will develop “Rec2Tech” initiatives in rec centers using technology, 3D printers, maker- training, and other tech-friendly activities to engage hard-to-reach teens.  Agencies will increasingly use drones as part of their light displays and/or festivals.

The Wheeling Park District uses this information, along with other sources, in addition to the stated local needs of residents from the household survey to develop long-term strategies for programs, facilities, and operational development.

COST OF SERVICE METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH A cost of service model was developed to incorporate and allocate direct and indirect costs to assist management and staff in program offering and pricing of services. Revenue impacts, subsidy levels, and operational effectiveness were calculated by incorporating budgeted expenditures and actual participation for all programs and services offered by the Park District.

This dynamic model allows for continuous updates, efficient analysis, and informed decisions by the Park District for future planning and budgeting of service Methodology Cost of service analysis determines the total cost of providing services to individual participant, groups or leagues, or an entire population base by considering all costs and the amount of resources required to service each user type.

The cost-of-service approach is a method of service pricing based on the resources required to provide the service and based on the levels of service and units of service provided.

The resources required include the operations and maintenance costs, both direct and indirect, and the capital investment in equipment, hardware, and software. The level of service is a measure of the intensity of the resources applied to a unit of service while the units of service are the number of individual participants or activities offered.

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Total costs divided by total units of service equals the cost to deliver that particular service. A cost of service study should not be viewed as an accounting process, but as a strategic planning tool that provides the Park District with operational efficiencies, information, and feedback, which then assist in setting goals and tracking progress towards the attainment of financial sustainability in an environment of intensifying competition. However, to do so, cost of service has to become

an integral component of the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operational strategies. Cost of service determines whether services, programs, facilities, or activities are generating revenues or operating at a loss.

When evaluating the services provided, an organization must analyze their target market and the social and economic impact of the service, the characteristics of the product or service, and environmental influences. Not all programs, services, and activities should be expected to recover all operating costs; the goal of a program as a whole should be to meet the desired cost recovery set by policy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this means that not each individual activity or service offered within a program must meet the desired cost recovery, but that the program as a whole should meet the desired cost recovery once all activities and services have been summed.

Certain programs and services may be deemed a social good rather than a recreational experience. These programs are generally subsidized more heavily, and many times completely, by the general fund. Ultimately, the Park District will have to create a balance between user fees, grants, and taxes in order to deliver services to the community. By utilizing and managing to a cost of service model, management and staff will have the ability to offer a strong mix of revenue generating and non-revenue generating programs, proactively seek out appropriate grant monies for social programs, and manage to a predetermined outcome.

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An indirect cost allocation and cost of service model was developed to incorporate and allocate direct and indirect costs in order to make management decisions on pricing of services and the ultimate impact desired on subsidy levels and operational effectiveness.

Cost of Service Recommendations The Wheeling Park District has an opportunity to remain one of the premier Park Districts in the region, however, the level of success will depend upon the initiative and follow through of the organization on all levels – board, management, and staff. This cost of service model provides the District with a guide for the decisions facing the operations and service offerings and the ability to proactively manage services offered.

It is the recommendation that the District management and staff be allowed to operate all programs with an entrepreneurial vision. This will enable the staff to manage programs and services which have been deemed revenue generators with a more businesslike approach than those programs that have been designated as socially responsible and for the betterment of the community. With the knowledge of the actual cost to provide services to the community, management and staff may strategize, realign, and implement changes in the dynamic environment of a competitive market, within the parameters of policy established.

To enhance the costs-of-service analysis and revenue management, the following will continue:

• Annually review the % Return classifications for programs and services.

• Continue to prepare detailed budgets for each of the program activities or services provided • Create and maintain unit data for each activity or service; units should be based on the type of revenue stream, such as, number of transactions, number of events, and/or number of participants • Annually review the Pricing Policy and update the cost of service model annually to verify the revenue recovery • Incorporate elements in the pricing policy that establish the cost-recovery goals with the flexibility to allow entrepreneurial practices, ease in communicating fees to guests, and provides consistency in application in all programs and services • Continue to allow management and staff the flexibility of pricing within the cost recovery percentage parameters.

• Maintain cost of service model on a continual basis • Approved pricing policy considering the following: o 100% total cost recovery in all program areas except those requiring a subsidy o Only a limited number of programs shall be designated as partial cost recovery o All revenues generated within program areas/funds are to remain within the fund or transferred to the Capital Projects Fund at the end of the year if the current fund balance is met.

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MAJOR INITIATIVES As part of the Districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to reach its vision of becoming the provider of choice for recreation services, this section outlines several major initiatives that strategically position the District for the future. The list includes major physical improvements as well as changing the program delivery system in alignment with community needs. This section is followed by the Wheeling Park District Strategy Map and balanced scorecard. The major initiatives are highlighted beyond and outside of the strategy map, given their magnitude in scope and capital investment requirements for the majority of the initiatives.

The recommended Major Initiatives include: HP Signature Facility Development and CRC Utilization This initiative was ranked as the most important initiative by the Wheeling Park District in 2007.

Rather than listing these two as separate initiatives, they are combined into one major initiative as there are mutual benefits associated with developing the park and enhancing the Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s utilization.

The Heritage Park development includes positioning the park as a regional park. This park will be a very desirable physical asset. Efforts involved include developing an overall park vision, redevelopment of the sports complex to meet community needs and reduce pressure from neighborhood parks. The vision includes creating a win-win for the park and the center, as it will be designed to generate more traffic in the center, and vice versa. It also includes improving the effectiveness of layout, access and utilization of space.

This will be a highly desired community space that will attract Community Events, rentals, greater use of existing facilities, concession opportunities with greater economy of scale, and a variety of programming opportunities. It will also support the idea of a community campus as the central gathering space for Wheeling.

In September of 2008, the Wheeling Park District Board of Commissioners adopted the Heritage Park Master Plan (HPMP). The Plan was developed based on community survey results; a fifteen month public planning process; Heritage Park Advisory Committee (HPAC) and Board and staff input. The HPMP is intended to act as a guide in assisting the Park District Board of Commissioners and staff in the planning, development, implementation, and maintenance of Heritage Park.

While HPMP represents the needs of the community, and entire planning process, it was also understood that if funding/partnership opportunities were ever presented, the Plan might need to be altered but the recreational benefits would not be sacrificed.

In 2008, the Park District was presented with the unique opportunity to partner with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC), towards the development of a cooperative flood control/recreational facility.

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Beginning in the summer of 2008, Wheeling Park District began serious discussions with MWRDGC to explore the possibility of providing compensatory storage for the Levee 37 Project on the Des Plaines River. Key to these discussions was the assurance that the MWRDGC requirements would not hinder the design concept or the operations of Heritage Park.

An Intergovernmental Agreement, setting the terms and conditions of the acquisition, construction, use, operation and maintenance of the storm water and recreational improvements at Heritage Park, was signed by the Wheeling Park District, MWRDGC and the Village of Wheeling in April 2010.

Actual demolition/construction of Heritage Park began in September of 2012. As part of the project, the Park Maintenance Building was removed from the Park and a vacant building was purchased to replace the existing facility. The park remained closed for three years, culminating in a public grand opening celebration on June 7, 2015.

Amenities in the Park include:        

Sports Complex Performance Pavilion Expanded Lake Pathways Natural Areas Turf Fields Expanded Parking Improved Creek

Continued improvements to Heritage Park are recommended in the 2017 Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan. Plans for a significant playground and entry way feature, signage other site improvements will be identified in the Strategic Plan.

In order to determine the revenue potential of the park, a revenue/business plan will be required when the vision is developed and decisions made regarding the facility elements. The park can be positioned to generate revenue and help offset operating losses in other areas throughout the District.

An Operational Overview and Business Plan was written in 2014 for the Heritage Park Sports Complex. The Plan was updated in 2015 and also included the Heritage Park Performance Pavilion.

Now that Heritage Park is fully open, a new business plan is required to build upon revenue generating opportunities to support operations and to offset expenses that relate to Communitywide Events.

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As for the Community Recreation Center, the goal is to improve the overall utilization of the center. This can be accomplished by researching the possibility of integrating the Wheeling Senior Center operation into CRC. Furthermore, based on space utilization and community demand for fitness/wellness activities, there is a need for more fitness center space. The District should develop a business plan for the overall center and include the fitness component within the analysis.

Operational impacts cannot be determined until an overall plan is finalized.

In 2008, the Park Board approved an agreement with SRBL to conduct a capacity utilization study at the CRC. The project goals included determining and prioritizing where to invest resources in regards to renovating, expanding or maintaining the current facility in order to meet present and future recreation needs of the community. Also, to assist in determining what recreation programs and services should be offered and evaluating those that should be discontinued. The study also evaluated current indoor recreation space compared to community needs, current standards and trends. Integrating the Village of Wheeling Senior Services into the CRC was also analyzed.

Study recommendations and findings for improvements to the CRC focused on the following:     

Incorporation of the Senior Center into the CRC Expansion of the Fitness Center Creation of First Floor Activity Spaces Relocation of the Park District Administration within the CRC Relocation of the Preschool within the CRC

Due to nationwide economic difficulties in 2009/2010, the Heritage Park project and the VOW deciding to keep Senior Services at the Pavilion, only minor improvements were made to the CRC. The CRC expansion was shelved but remained as a long range priority.

A study was commissioned by the Park District and VOW in 2015 with Williams Architects look at capacity utilization; expansion and senior services integration. In 2016, FGM Architects were hired to provide design services for improvements to the CRC. CRC improvements will continue as a major initiative in the 2017 Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan.

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Program Offerings Designed Around Core Programs This initiative suggests shifting program areas to better align the District with guest needs. This includes expanding fitness/wellness activities, nature and environmental programs, more mature adult programs, and creating greater Hispanic participation in programs.

Land Acquisition Strategies As a result of the deficit of land, particularly in the southern part of the service area, the Park District should pursue the Avalon Sienna property for a park. Targeted acquisition of open space for greenway corridors and access points to parks should also occur. This will help to achieve improved equity and access throughout the park system. Work should continue with the Village in identifying opportunities with developers, the School District, utility easements, infill property, and leasing opportunities.  A Land Acquisition Strategy Report was reviewed and evaluated by the Park Board in 2009  31 acres of the Lake Cook property was purchased in 2009. This property includes a 13-acre lake, 10.5 acres of wetland and several acres of open space. The land will be preserved as open space, and utilized for passive recreation activities.  Acquired a residential property on Norman Avenue adjacent to Husky Park in order to increase access and visibility to the park. The land area added to Husky Park was .2 acres.

Neighborhood Revitalization Program This initiative focuses on ongoing improvements at the neighborhood parks and includes lifecycle replacement of amenities such as playgrounds, fencing, paving and lighting. There are opportunities to theme the various neighborhood parks to reflect the feel and uniqueness of each park. Strategies associated with this initiative include developing design standards and the implementation of a preventative maintenance program.

This also includes the need to develop amenities based on the District’s facility standards. In addition, opportunities exist to develop more “wow” factor at the various parks. This includes, as part of the playground replacement schedule, more innovative play structures and interactive equipment that allows parental involvement.

Phase 1 Improvements were made to Malibu Park in 2008. New innovative, play equipment for all ages, a drinking fountain, security lighting, and new benches and trash cans were included in the first phase of this project.

Malibu Park Phase 2 improvements were completed in 2009 which primarily addressed safety concerns of the neighbors. In addition to a sidewalk and ornamental fencing, improvements also included color-coating of the basketball court and new landscaping. These 95 | P a g e

improvements were funded by a Legislative Member District Initiative Grant through State Representative Mathias.  Late in 2011 Northside Park reopened after a playground replacement and park improvements.  In April of 2012, a Neighborhood Park Improvement Plan was formally adopted by the Park Board  Repurposed playground from Heritage Park and installed at Meadowbrook Tot Lot as part of improvement project in 2012  Incorporated purchased property adjacent to Husky Park during park improvement project in 2012-2013.  Major park improvement took place at Pleasant Run Park beginning in 2013, completed in 2014.  In 2014 installed six pickle ball courts at Chamber Park that opened in 2015.  Completed major park improvement at Horizon Park in 2017.

Creation of District-wide Trail Network Create strong connectivity throughout the District to allow movement from one park to another and safe passages within the community. A trail network involves other government agencies, such as the County and the Village. The ultimate goal should be the development of an overall bikeway master plan. Currently, according to facility standards the District has a need for seven more miles of trails. For the Park District specifically the development of trails includes the following:    

Neighborhood Park – Loop trails and access points Community Level – Access and connectivity District Level – Central Corridor and Greenway Regional – Connections to Forest Preserve

Sports Field Development The Comprehensive plan process included a thorough review of the Wheeling Park District's inventory of sports fields, their capacity for use, and the demand by users. The analysis shows a need for: additional outdoor field spaces, predominately for youth and adult soccer programs, and indoor athletic spaces, such as a fieldhouse, for a variety of indoor athletic programs, special events, and drop-in play activities.

Demographic Shifts in the Diversity of the Community The District has already implemented strategies regarding increased community diversity. This initiative recommends the continuation and expansion of efforts to become the provider of choice in parks and recreation for minority populations. This includes outreach to determine how needs can be best served and what methods of communication work most effectively. Efforts to 96 | P a g e

partner with the school have worked effectively and should continue. Other outreach efforts include developing relationships with churches and minority businesses.

Environmental Responsibility The Wheeling Park District has generally operated with a sustainable approach. Formalized policies and plans have been enacted to provide a broad-based overview of best environmental management practices. To further strengthen this approach, the Wheeling Park District Environmental Action Plan was formally adopted by the Park District Board of Commissioners in December 2015.

The key focus of this major initiative is the implementation of the recommendations within the Environmental Action Plan as well as:  Maintaining and establishing partnerships with organizations that have a vested interest in sustainability.  Establishing sustainability metrics to analyze and quantify the success of environmental efforts.  Communicating the Park District’s actions and accomplishments towards sustainability.

To continue the Park District’s commitment to be an active leader in an area that is vital to the communities we serve, Environmental Stewardship has also been included as a Strategic Initiative.

FUNDING AND REVENUE STRATEGIES Alternative funding sources help support needed capital and operational costs. These potential funding sources were originally discussed with the Wheeling staff in a work session on October 3, 2007. These opportunities required further discussion, review, and exploration over the next past several years, with several opportunities strategies being executed.

The District should choose to develop one or two new funding sources a year. This will help reduce the variation associated with the highs and lows of dedicated funding sources and market shifts that can cause some declines in traditional funding sources from user fees and charges. The following funding sources should continue to be explored and evaluated:

Acquisition Costs Land Acquisition Impact Fees  The District has used developer impact fees through exactions in the past, but the land dedication ordinance should be updated to support park land acquisition needs in 97 | P a g e

areas underserved by parks that truly represent the cost of land and development costs.  The land dedication ordinance is a Village of Wheeling ordinance and not something that can be implemented by the Park District alone. At present, the Village does have a land dedication ordinance that can benefit the Park District, but the Park District needs to continue to be diligent to make sure future iterations of the Village ordinance still provides benefit to the Park District.

Land Leases  This funding source is used to help support operational costs of existing parks through the lease of property for recreation purposes. The dollars are based on 15% annually of the value of the property, and if it includes a retail operation, a percentage of the gross. The private entity leases the ground for 20 to 25 years after which the improvement reverts to the District or is eliminated. The amount of land leased is usually very small in proportion to the needs of residents.  As of December 31, 2016, the Park District does not have any land leases in place, but remains open to the possibility and keeps options open should opportunities arise.

Sale of Naming Rights  This funding source is used by many park systems to sell the naming rights for a 10 to 15 year period for a set amount for the number of impression points the attraction can bring to the company or individual providing the funding for the naming rights.

Naming rights typically cover at least 25% of the cost of an amenity or recreation facility.  The Park District established a Board approved naming rights policy in June of 2006.

The policy is included as part of the Administrative Policy Manual and is reviewed periodically. As of December 31, 2016, the District has not sold the naming rights to any asset in the Park District system, but remains open to the possibility and keeps options open should opportunities arise.

Foundation Support for Land Acquisition  This funding source helps secure land for matching money to help acquire property or develop property. Foundations that support land acquisition are usually in the form of community foundations and/or are large individual foundations that are open space conscious of the community they live in.  The Park District does not have a Foundation to support Land Acquisition, but remains open to the possibility and keeps options open should opportunities arise. As of this

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writing, there are no specific Land Acquisition targets for the District that would garner the support for establishing a specific Land Acquisition Foundation.

Existing Park Facilities -Lifecycle Replacement/Deferred Maintenance Management of Community Events and Functions  Many park systems have taken over the management of Community Events and large functions in their parks to include festivals, weddings, reunions and parties for a management fee in lieu of the private sector doing these events. Elmhurst Park District has a full division dedicated to doing this program within the park district. The money goes back to support and maintain facilities used for these events in the district.  The Park District has taken over the Wheeling Historical Society’s Beer and Brat Fest and re-branded the event as Oktoberfest. There are opportunities to take over future community events, specifically Lollipop Lane, and the District remains open to pursuing opportunities should they arise.

Gift Catalogs  Many park systems across the United States have used gift catalogs to encourage residents and businesses to invest in park related furniture and amenities. Gift catalogs include items such as trees, park benches, playgrounds, shelters, dugouts, fencing, fun umbrellas, slides, scoreboards, exercise equipment, exhibits, gym floors, lane lines, landscaping, scholarships and a host of other items that park systems need to increase the quality of experiences for the constituents. “Gift to Share” is a gift catalog program developed by the City of Sacramento and has produced millions of dollars of park related amenities over the last 20 years of existence.  A Gift Catalog remains a viable option for the Park District, especially as the community continues to express a desire for improved parks and community open spaces.

However, the District is pursuing a Park Memorial Program that will allow guests to provide “gifts” for Memorial Trees and Benches. The dollars generated by the program will help fund the District’s park operations.

Park Foundation  Many Park Districts have developed their own Park Foundation to build long term dollars with donors for park related facilities and amenities. Park Foundations have been around for a number of years and the key is to target individuals versus corporations. Park Foundations usually have three giving plans, which would include gifts for short term projects (1to 2) years, mid-level projects (3-5) years to develop and long term projects that are funding in perpetuity. Park Foundations usually have a 99 | P a g e

dedicated full-time person who creates awareness, events and relationships for people to invest in the Park District.  The Park District does not have a Foundation, but remains open to the possibility and keeps options open should opportunities arise.

Program Earned Income Opportunities Private Management of a Public Service  Many agencies have used private management as a revenue tool to support the operations and management of special use facilities or businesses where the private sector has the skill and management capabilities to market, price, promote and manage services to a higher productivity level than the public sector with less cost.

The public sector is able to receive a percentage of gross with little or no expense.

These private contracts can include concession management, restaurant management, golf course clubhouse hospitality management, sports complex management, water park management, and event management are a few examples where this has been successful.  The Park District has not delved into this area yet, but it remains a potential viable option. The District does enter into agreement with private entities to provide programs (i.e. Martial Arts, Pickleball, Specialty Classes), but not on the facilities side.

Sponsorship Development  The Wheeling Park District currently has sponsorship relationships. The goal is to continue to grow this area. Sponsorship development is a business strategy that takes time to carefully research potential sponsors, build relationship, and demonstrate value to the sponsor that will return good value in dollars to the Park District.

Sponsorships come in the form of Title Sponsors, Presenting Sponsors, Associate Sponsors, and Product Sponsors as it applies to events. In recreation facilities sponsorships could include buildings, amenities like water slides, gym floors, scoreboards, trails, amphitheaters, specialty rooms or attractions unique to an area.

The key to good sponsorship is knowing your costs, how to apply impression points to value and how to package the proposals in a way that is enticing to a sponsor.  The District has established a Sponsorship Program that went public in 2016. This program will be expanded and have an increased emphasis in the future. The current program focuses on funding of district-wide special events, but could be expanded into facility operations.

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Contract Instructor Percentages  Many park and recreation departments have developed different contract instructor percentages based on the direct and indirect cost associated with the activity that they are performing under contract to a Park District. These costs range from 30% to 60% of the fee back to the District for the cost to provide space, utilities, marketing, registration costs and maintenance costs associated with the activity they are conducting for the Park District.  The District has reviewed past contractor instructor percentages and have re-worked them to be more favorable to the District. Contract instructor percentages are included as part of the annual budget process, and will continue to be reviewed on an annual basis.

Capital Fee on Top of a User Fee  Many agencies have passed on the development cost or improvement costs to users of specialty facilities to help defray the cost associated with the activity they enjoy.

These fees can be applied to golf courses for clubhouse and course improvements, golf lessons, fitness room expansions, water park improvements, and gym related improvements. Once these improvements are paid for the surcharge goes off the program fee.  To date, the District has not instituted a Capital Fee on top of a user fee. However, in 2008 the District did establish Internal Transfers from the Corporate and Recreation to the Capital Projects Fund. This transfer takes the surplus at the end of the calendar year and transfers that amount to the Capital Projects Fund to fund the Capital Replacement and Improvement Plan.

Test Site for Products  Many park and recreation systems have developed relationships with recreation related product manufactures to test products they develop in parks and to provide the opportunity to sell to potential clients these products in place. The manufacturer supplies the products at no cost and the Park Districts have them professionally installed. Some examples of these kind of arrangements include new products related to irrigation systems, playgrounds, picnic shelters, grills, water slides, spray grounds, lighting systems, picnic tables, and in some cases supplies such as tires, sports complex related tools, specialty golf equipment and game type balls. The District is able to use the materials or products at no costs but is to report out on its usability and guest value back to the manufacturer on a timely basis.  In 2016 the District applied for a grant from the playground equipment manufacturer, GameTime, to install a playground at Mark Twain School as part of a partnership with 101 | P a g e

Community Consolidated School District #21. If awarded, this grant will provide 50% funding for the program in exchange for the playground being a data collection site where individuals will conduct data collection to gather outcomes to be shared with the community through education and outreach. This data will be shared with the community at the 2018 IAPD/IPRA Conference.

Establish Contract Leagues  These are special select leagues that are privately managed that will pay a large fee for exclusive use of an evening or selected weekends to play soccer, softball, or baseball on fields. These leagues are primarily adult teams but some high school select teams will book a set of time for a three to five year period and pay a permit fee, maintenance fee and the money is paid in advance so the District is able to use those funds to develop and improve park related properties.  The District has not yet entered into Contracted Leagues management. However, through the District’s facility rental program, many private leagues use Park District facilities for their league games, practices, clinics and camps.

Partnerships to Share Development and Operational Costs  Today many Park Districts are developing partnerships with other Park Districts or other service providers to develop regional facilities or programs whereby partners invest in the capital cost and the operational costs to support their resident’s needs and reduce competition in the market place. The key is to have a good partnership policy as it applies to public/public partnerships, public/not-for-profit partnerships and public/private partnerships as each type of partnership requires a separate policy.

In addition the District must know what its operational costs are, both direct and indirect, to present to the partners to establish fairness and equity based on the amount of time and use that the partners are receiving for access to facilities and programs. This helps to build capacity, creates strong and consistent revenue, and does not over supply the market. These types of partnerships can include recreation facility development, sports park development, golf course development, and programs that serve a regional base.  Partnerships remain a Primary Area of Focus to achieve the Vision for the District. In recent years, the District has entered into many partnerships and Intergovernmental Agreements. A sample of some are detailed below. The District will continue to pursue and build purposeful partnerships that are of civic priority, fiscally responsible and enhance the community.

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 Heritage Park Development:     

Shared Spaces/Uses: Family Learning Program: Turf Field Development: Shared Spaces/Uses: Lawn Maintenance/Snow

Village of Wheeling and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Community Consolidated School District #21 Community Consolidated School District #21 District #214 School District #214 Indian Trails Library

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Appendix 1 Wheeling Park District Parks and Facility Inventory

Description

Totals (where applicable)

Chamber Park

Childerley Park

Denoyer Park

Horizon Park

Meadowbrook Park

Northside Park

Pleasant Run Park

Neighborhood

Neighborhood

Neighborhood

Neighborhood

Neighborhood

Neighborhood

Neighbor./ Mini-Park

Neighborhood

Neighborhood

Neighborhood*

64.35

6.3

12.7

4.5

10

5

1.2

2.8

3.1

4

14.75

18

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

2

2

1

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√

1

1

1

2

1

Park Classification Park Acres Playgrounds 2-5 Play Equipment 5-12 Play Equipment

Husky Park Malibu Park

Twain Wheeling School Park High School

Special Use Area*

Sports Fields & Courts Baseball/Softball

3

Football

1

Soccer

10

Basketball Tennis

6

1

2

1

1

1

7

1

10

Volleyball

2

Pickleball

9

Ice Rink

1

10 2 6

3 1

Site Amenities Picnic Pavilions (Rental)

3

Shelters/Gazebos

5

1 1

√

Parking

1

1

1

√

1

1

√

1

√

√

Landscape/Natural Features

√

Creek

√ √ √

Lake/Pond Native/Naturalized Landscape

√

√

0.10

0.20

Nature Center Trails/Pathways Path/Trail Distance (Miles)

2.31

Special Use Facilities Hist. Museum/Carriage House Church/Chapel

Description

Totals (where applicable)

Park Classification Park Acres

0.30

√

Looped Path/Trail

√ √

√

Heritage Park

Lake Cook Property

Regional 274.5

104

Chevy Chase C.C.

0.50

0.40

0.18

√

√

√

Comm. Rec. Center at H.P.

Family Aq. Center at H.P.

Sports Complex at H.P.

0.01

Perform.

Pavilion at H.P.

0.28

0.34

√

√

Tarkington Twain School Gym School Gym / Fields

Holmes Fields

London Fields

Cons./Pres. Special Use Special Use Special Use Special Use Special Use Special Use Special Use Special Use Special Use /Nat. Area Area Area Area Area Area Area* Area* Area* Area* 31

125.5

8.5

5.5

Playgrounds

√

2-5 Play Equipment

√

5-12 Play Equipment Sports Fields & Courts Baseball/Softball

6

4

Football

1

1

Soccer

18

8

2

4

2

2

2

Basketball Tennis

√

Volleyball Pickleball Ice Rink

1

1

Pavilions (Rental)

3

1

Shelters/Gazebos

1

Site Amenities 1

√

Parking

1

1

√

√

√ √

√

√

Landscape/Natural Features

√ √ √

Creek Lake/Pond Native/Naturalized Landscape

√ √

√ √ √

√

Nature Center Trails/Pathways Path/Trail Distance Looped Path/Trail

Special Use Facilities 18-Hole Golf Course Banquet Facilities Fitness Center Indoor Pool/Aquatics Outdoor Pool/Aquatics Concessions Indoor Recreation Space

2.00

2.00

√

√ √ √ √ √ √ √

√ √

√

*SCHOOL DISTRICT PROPERTY USED FOR/WITH WHEELING PARK DISTRICT

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Appendix 2

Wheeling Park District Open Space and Facility Standards 4/11/2017

Neighborhood/Mini Parks Chamber Park Childerley Park Denoyer Park Horizon Park Husky Park Malibu Park Meadowbrook Park Northside Park Pleasant Run Park Twain School Park

64.35

Acres 6.3 12.7 4.5 10 5 1.2 2.8 3.1 4 14.75

Regional Parks Heritage Park

1

38,550 Population 42,800 Population

Acres 104

104

Greenways/Linear Parks/Linkages

0

Acres

0

Special Use Areas Chevy Chase Country Club Family Aquatic Center Community Recreation Center Arctic Splash Indoor Pool Fitness Center HP Sports Complex HP Performance Pavilion Twain School Gym Tarkington School Gym & Fields Holmes Fields London Fields Wheeling H.S. Sports Field 12

Acres 125.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8.5 5.5 139.5

1

Conserv/Preservation/ Natural Areas Lake Cook Property

31

Acres 31

Surplus/Deficit (2017) Current District National Guideline Wheeling Park District Board 2007 District Current District 2007 District Population - 42,800 Surplus/Deficit (2006) Adopted Standard (11/07) Standard Service Level Service Level Inventory Inventory Facility Type Meets Standard Need 7 Acres 1.50 ac / 1,000 2 acres / 1,000 1.3 acres / 1,000 1.5 acres / 1,000 10 / 64.35 9 / 50.5 Neighborhood/Mini Parks (# of Parks / Acres) Need 3 Acres Need 13 Acres 2.50 ac / 1,000 3 acres / 1,000 2.2 acres / 1,000 2.42 acres / 1,000 1 / 104 1 / 83.00 Regional Parks (# of Parks / Acres) Need 10.7 Acres Need 10 Acres 0.25 ac / 1,000 0/ 0 0/ 0 Greenways/Linear Parks/Linkages (#of Parks / Acres) Meets Standard Meets Standard 3.20 ac / 1,000 3.2 acres / 1,000 3.25 acres / 1,000 5 - 10 acres / 1,000 12 / 139.5 6 / 125.5 Special Use Areas (#of Sites / Acres) 0.72 acres / 1000 1 / 31.0 0/ 0 Conservation/Preservation/Natural Areas 7.45 ac / 1,000 6.7 acres / 1000 7.91 acres / 1,000 17 / 338.85 Total (# of Parks / Acres) 16 / 258.5 Need 5 Courts Need 2 Courts 1 court / 10,000 1 Court / 5,000 1 Court / 19,278 0 Court / 42,800 0 2 Tennis Courts Need 1 Court Meets Standard 1 court / 5,000 1 Court / 2,500 1 Court / 5,350 1 Court / 4,284 8 9 Outdoor Basketball Need 2 Playgrounds Need 3 Playgrounds 1 Playground / 2,000 1 Playgrnd / 2,410 1 Playgrnd / 2,140 1 Playgrnd / 1,250 20 16 Playgrounds Meets Standard Meets Standard 1 Shelter / 5,000 1 Shelter / 5,000 1 Shelter / 3,900 1 Shelter / 3,567 12 10 Shelters/Gazebo Need 12.8 Miles Need 13.3 Miles 0.4 miles / 1,000 0.06 miles / 1,000 0.10 miles / 1,000 0.4 miles / 1,000 4.3 2.3 Trails (miles) Need 1 Site Need 1 Site 1 site / 50,000 1 site / 50,000 n/a n/a 0 0 Dog Parks Need 1 Site Need 1 Site 1 site / 50,000 1 site / 50,000 n/a n/a 0 0 Skate Parks (Inline, Skateboard) Need 7,436 Square feet Need 15,926 Square Feet 2.00 sf / person 1 sf / person 1.81 sf / person 1.62 / per person 1 / 69,674 1 / 69,674 Indoor Recreation Space (Square Feet)* Meets Standard Meets Standard 1 pool / 50,000 1 pool / 20,000 1 pool / 42,800 1 pool / 38,550 1 1 Aquatic Center *Note: Indoor Recreation Space does not include school gynmasium space since it is not a facility available exclusively for full-time programming for District residents and hence actual usage hours would be much lesser than optimum capacity

10

Note: Highlighed text indicates changes and/or additions to the 2007 District Facility Type Inventory and/or Acres

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Appendix 3

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333 W. Dundee Road Wheeling, Illinois 60090