Dear Gurnee Park District Residents:

I feel very privileged to be here at the Park District at such a tremendous time. For more than 40 years now, Gurnee Park District has been focused on offering recreational programs, services and amenities to our residents in an effort to bring purpose to our mission of “Enriching Peoples Lives by Promoting Fun and Preserving Nature”. We have quite a few things to be proud of this fall!

In late spring, we were announced as a Gold Medal Finalist through the National Parks and Recreation Association. This honor is equivalent to earning an Oscar in our industry. We hope to bring home the gold in late October. Find out more about this prestigious award on page 42.

In March, our bond rating was upgraded from AA- to AA+. This is a two step upgrade, which shows our financial stability even in these tough economic times.

In April, we were notified that our lifeguards once again won the International Platinum Safety award by Ellis & Associates. We are extremely proud of our lifeguards who offer a safe and friendly atmosphere for our patrons.

The Park District also received the highest rating, a Level A, on its 2009 Loss Control Program review and the top score of 99.92% among 61 Illinois parks and recreation agencies. The Park district adheres to comprehensive safety guidelines that protect the park district, staff and its customers.

We are also proud to announce a new lease agreement with SEDOL (Special Education District of Lake County) for Laremont Pool. Starting this fall, we will have exclusive use of the pool for programming which will doubles our current aquatic instructional programs with convenient times offered through out the day, 7 days a week. Find out more about this win-win situation on page 43.

We also renovated Southridge Park which features innovative playground equipment and fully ADA accessible surfacing including an artificial turf which feels and looks like real grass located under each bank of swings! See the full details on page 43.

We are currently in the process of planning the renovation of Betty Russell Park, which will take place this fall.
We have some great activities lined up this fall including our second annual Heritage Fest, our ever popular Trick or Treat Path and a new Halloween Pet Walk and Costume event. More information is available on pages 53-54.

I welcome your comments and suggestions to further enhance our services. As always, feel free to call me at 847-623-7788 or e-mail me at susie@gurneeparkdistrict.com.