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Facility is closed Monday, August 15 – Friday, August 19
Indoor Pool is Closed Monday, August 15 – Sunday, August 28
Outdoor Group Exercise Schedule**
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30am Cycle | 8:30am Zumba | 8:30am Cycle | 9:30am HIIT | 8:30am Zumba |
| 9:30am Strength | 9:30am Cardio Sculpt | 9:30am Barre | 9:30am Yoga | 9:30am Strength |
Beach Yoga (Free for RCHP Members)
Wednesday and Friday, 7-8am
Sachs Recreation Center, Deerfield
All active members of the Recreation Center are welcome to use Sachs Recreation Center (455 Lake Cook Rd, Deerfield) between August 15 – 19. Provide your RCHP membership scan card for entry.
Hidden Creek Lap Swim, August 15 – 28
Hidden Creek Aqua Fitness Schedule**
**Weather permitting. Classes are 45 minutes.
Centennial Ice Arena is temporarily closed, and ice programs will not be offered in Fall 2022 due to an unexpected and necessary replacement of the rink floor.
An unknown issue was uncovered on the rink floor during our regular annual maintenance in June. Since then, the Park District has acted swiftly to conduct an exhaustive investigation of the facility and ice flooring system with an engineering firm. The findings confirmed that the building is structurally sound. However, the rink floor has been compromised and will require complete replacement.
This is very disappointing for our Park District, our participants, and the community. Our top priority is to deliver essential recreation programs to our community safely. To this end, we have a number of options for our skaters:
Off-Ice Programs – Students can improve athleticism by working on flexibility, core strength, balance, and jump techniques to enhance their on-ice performance. Programs will be held this fall at the Recreation Center of Highland Park. Learn more and register.
On-Ice Programs – We have partnered with the Winnetka Park District to provide Learn-to-Skate programs for our skaters this Fall at the Winnetka Ice Arena ( 490 Hibbard, Winnetka, IL). The Winnetka Park District is also generously extending resident rates to Highland Park residents for their Fall Learn-to-Skate programs. Learn more and register for Winnetka Learn-to-Skate classes.
On-Ice Hockey Programs – Looking to learn how to play hockey? Contact Nick Meo, Falcons Hockey Association, at [email protected] for more information.
An expeditious replacement of the ice rink flooring is a priority for the Park District. We will keep residents and our Centennial ice participants updated on the replacement of the rink floor timeline and progress.
The Park District’s gymnastics programs will continue to be offered at Lincoln School, located at 711 Lincoln Ave. Register for fall gymnastics classes.
The Park District of Highland Park Board President Terry Grossberg delivered the following remarks at this week’s Regular Board Meeting:
Before we begin with our meeting agenda, I wanted to take a moment to comment on the tragic events of July 4 that shook our community to its core. First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of the seven victims, those who were injured, and everyone who was impacted by this senseless act.
I want to thank the brave first responders who ran towards danger to render aid during this active shooter situation and the individuals who responded selflessly and put themselves at risk to care for others. I also want to thank Highland Park, state, federal, and neighboring law enforcement agencies who assisted in the apprehension of the suspect, as well as the Mayor and City for keeping our residents updated and supported during the immediate aftermath and over the last three weeks. We are also grateful for the support from the countless government partners, agencies and hundreds of volunteers who continue to provide ongoing victim resources and services to the survivors impacted by the tragedy on July 4.
It is strong communities like ours that work together for our collective well-being.
As I sit here tonight, surrounded by my fellow Park Board Commissioners, I would be remiss in not mentioning how proud we all are of our park district staff, for their emergency response efforts on July 4th, and how they have contributed to the healing of our community following this horrific tragedy.
Along with so many of you, the Park District was there. As co-sponsors of the Parade, over one hundred of our employees, including our high school and college-aged camp counselors, full time staff, my fellow board commissioners, and many of our family members, were lining up the parade floats, marching in the parade, and setting up for the Fourth Fest celebration planned at Sunset Woods Park.
In the short days that followed, trauma counseling and other therapeutic resources were provided to support our team members who were in the thick of things, allowing us to re-open our facilities, and restart our programs. Children are now back in camp making summer memories, and families are finding a much-needed respite in our parks, programs, playgrounds, and beaches.
Over the past three weeks, the Park District has continued to persevere in effort to care for our staff and community by providing locations for community gatherings, volunteering for donation drives, providing scholarships and services for victim’s families, and most importantly, providing essential park and recreation outlets to the community — to aid in the healing process and gain back a sense of normalcy.
July is National Parks and Recreation Month. How fitting that this year’s theme is “We Rise Up.” That is exactly what our Park District is doing – Rising Up to help our community heal and bring back joy and hope. On behalf of my fellow Board members, I would like to thank all Park District staff for your compassionate hearts and your passion for serving and supporting our community.
Together, we are Highland Park Strong.
Thank you for your continued patience as we work to ensure that the playground is safe for play. The remaining pour-in-place rubber surfacing is expected to pick back up next week. We are targeting Mid-August for full completion.
We are all disappointed that the new playgrounds are not yet open. Our crews have been working hard to keep the project moving, but unforeseen challenges and setbacks have impacted the overall schedule.
Words cannot express our heartbreak and mourning for the seven victims of the July 4th shooting. Our hearts go out to their families and all the families affected by this utter senseless act of violence. Along with so many of you, the Park District was there. Over one hundred of our employees, including our high school and college-aged camp counselors, were lining up the parade floats and entertainment, marching in the parade, and setting up for the Fourth Fest celebration in Sunset Woods Park. What should have been a day of community celebration became, as Mayor Rotering so solemnly put it, “the bloodiest day in Highland Park history.”
More importantly, she is correct in saying that this will not define us as a community because we are Highland Park Strong.
It is strong communities like ours that work together for our collective well-being. In a matter of seconds following the shooting, we came together as a community to provide aid and refuge for each other – helping children find their families, warning people to run, and protecting our loved ones.
We will forever be indebted to the quick actions of our police officers and fire rescue who ran toward the danger as we all did our best to help each other escape to safety. And in the immediate aftermath, our City, County, State, and Federal officials came together in droves to protect our community and, within hours, had the suspect in custody. Our school districts and local social service agencies quickly joined the ranks to facilitate counseling services for our residents. As your Park District, it is our job to provide recreational outlets for our community’s mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing – especially in critical times like these. Yesterday, our Park District opened several of our facilities, and today all facilities are open for regular hours and pre-registered programs are taking place as scheduled.
We understand parents are anxious to get their children back into our summer camps because they can provide a positive outlet from this week’s tragedy. And we are eager to have them back at camp as well. However, we are respecting those young camp counselors who were also in the thick of things on July 4th to give them extra time to prepare themselves to return to camp. We are proud of these young people and working closely with them and their families with counseling services and other resources, so they are ready to provide a much-needed recreational outlet for our campers starting Monday.
We are grateful to be a part of such a caring and compassionate community. Together, we are Highland Park Strong!
For a full listing of local and national resources for you and your family to access, including news updates, vigil information, donations, volunteering, and reclaiming property, visit Highland Park Strong.
Staff, along with architect consultants Holabird and Root, provided a progress update on the vision, site analysis and programming assessment of the West Ridge Park and Site Project. The project team reviewed the anticipated timeline and discussed next steps.
Sikich LLP presented the Park District’s audited financial statements for 2021 and issued an unqualified or clean opinion for the report. This is the best opinion provided by an auditing firm and indicates that the Park District’s operations are in compliance with governance principles and applicable laws. The Park Board of Commissioners approved the 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
Staff provided an update on the Sunset Woods Park Playground Renovation since the project has experienced a variety of setbacks due to poor weather conditions and equipment supply challenges.
The Park District received three bids for the Centennial Ice Arena Renovation and Site Improvements Project on June 10, 2022. Those documents are being reviewed, and references are being contacted.
Staff provided an update on the Moraine Fencing Improvement Project which is intended to address access control for patrons who visit Moraine Beach. Based on staff’s findings, the Park Board favored the option to continue messaging that the beach is open for all patrons and will be entirely open for off-leash dogs.
The Park Board of Commissioners approved Resolution 2022-05: authorizing the Executive Director to purchase natural gas for the District from Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Collaborative or Alternative Utility Service for a period of up to 36 months.
Staff reviewed the proposed improvements from Gewalt Hamilton Associates, the project timeline, and fundraising efforts between the Parks Foundation and the Athletic Boosters to support the renovation of the Fink Park Athletic Field Development.
An Engineer from AECOM presented two repair concepts to address the damages along the southeast corner of the South Storage lot at Park Avenue Boating Facility.
Staff provided an update on the 2022 Capital Plan including a review of year-end projections. Staff also reviewed the 10-Year Funding Model.
Staff provided a brief update regarding the condition of the ice rink at Centennial Ice Arena.
The Park Board of Commissioners authorized the Executive Director to enter into an agreement with WJE Engineering in the amount of $38,700 to complete the investigation of the heaved ice rink slab at Centennial Ice Arena.
The Park Board of Commissioners adopted a Proclamation for the Designation of July as Parks and Recreation Month.
Staff provided an update on Summer Camp 2022 operations and the operational plans for Fourth Fest 2022.
As we all continue to heal and move forward as a community, we would like to share our plans for reopening Park District programs and services.
While we hoped to begin offering all our programs and services this week, we made the difficult decision to cancel summer camps* through Friday, July 8. Summer camps will resume as scheduled on Monday, July 11. We understand that this decision may put your family in a difficult position for childcare. However, after meeting with our summer camp staff today, all of whom were working at the July 4th events, we understand that they need additional time to heal and prepare themselves to return to camp. In addition, the Unplugged Event scheduled for this Saturday, July 9, at The Preserve of Highland Park is canceled.
The following facilities are open tomorrow July 7 for regular hours:
The following programs will begin as scheduled tomorrow July 7:
The following programs scheduled to start this Saturday, July 9 are postponed one week and will begin on Saturday, July 16:
*Golf Camp will resume on Thursday, July 7
The Park District of Highland Park has provided generations of residents with cherished memories of first teams, first friends, and first jobs. The parks are places to gather with friends and family, spaces to celebrate life’s special moments, spots of respite and healing, sites that connect us with essential community services, and so much more.
For Parks and Recreation Month, we are reaching out to our residents to share their cherished memories and stories about what the Park District means to them.
If you have a favorite Park Story you would like to share, please email [email protected].
“In the summer of 1975, I was working as a lifeguard at Rosewood Beach. I had to stop by my manager’s office, where I saw a very attractive college girl being interviewed. She was hired to work as a cashier at Rosewood. It took me the entire summer to work up the courage to ask her out on a date. We have now been married for over 43 years.”
Todd Keil
“I was awarded part-time seasonal employee by the Park District on two occasions during my camp counselor years. It is one of the greatest honors to this day because I was SO happy in my youth there and was happy to give back to other kids. From ballet classes as a 4-5-year-old with Mrs. Ettlinger to working the Rec Center desk with Gilda and Marsha Schramm in college, I really never left but for a few tennis camp summers up at Ripon College. A delicious memory is the nature guy Marc Bard’s “Sunset Stew,” that we all made, ate and loved. I think the recipe is still in my mom’s tin holder in my cabinet.”
Barbara Meldman Rosenberg
“I attended Sunset Park Day Camp and played Little League and Pony League baseball at Sunset Park through the summers of 1964-1970. I worked for the Park District from 1974-1981. As a coach, the privilege and opportunity of sharing baseball knowledge and life lessons I had learned to young men between the ages of 10-13, all flavored with the spirit of having fun and embracing the enjoyment of the game, made the opportunity of coaching Park District Little League baseball rewarding and unforgettable. To Chuck Schramm, Bruno Sommenzi and Tommy Inman, I am forever grateful for life lessons learned. Not to be forgotten are coaches Mike McKillip and Bruce Frichie for their unforgettable roles as well.”
Neal Swire
“I fondly remember those yellow and blue t-shirts from Sunset Day Camp. I loved the Sloppy Joe’s that were served on special occasions. When I was a teenager, I taught tennis at Centennial Park and Red Oak school. I rode my bicycle with baskets filled with tennis balls. Nothing was as much fun as going downhill on Half Day Road. Going home was another story, but I didn’t care. I loved teaching tennis. As an adult, I volunteered clearing buckthorn and collecting seeds under the supervision of Rebecca Grill, director of Natural Areas. In 2012, she helped me get a summer job with the maintenance crew under the direction of Ted Baker. I loved driving old truck number 60 and its big water tank as I commuted from park to park taking care of the annual beds. I was between corporate jobs at the time and the work was very satisfying for so many reasons.”
Karen M. Finerman
“I played in the Park District Little Leagues ‘till I was 10. Then it was the pool all the time. Lots of laps at Twin Pools. As a 19-year-old, I umpired the men’s’ 16” softball league every Tuesday and Thursday night at West Ridge Park. As you can imagine, I wasn’t very well received by the “men” who played. They didn’t like a 19-year-old making the decisions, I guess.”
Marty Zimmerman
“….Honestly, I figured I’d have a couple things to say, but as I thought more and more about how much time I spent at the Rec Center and Sunset Park, I realized how much the Park District did for me. And at this moment, having already written over 1700 words, I am realizing that I haven’t even touched on the Twin Pools, the beaches, ice-skating lessons and free skate at Sunset Park. WOW!”
Julie Neff Encinas
Since 1985, America has celebrated July as the nation’s official Park and Recreation Month. Created by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Park and Recreation Month specifically highlights the essential and powerful role that local park and recreation agencies and their professionals – play in building stronger, more vibrant, and resilient communities across the country.
For 113 years, the Park District of Highland Park has been an integral part of this vibrant community providing connections to open space and recreational programs, promoting health and wellness, and improving our residents’ physical, emotional, and mental health.
Today, the Park District manages over 800 acres of parkland and natural areas. According to NRPA, 260 million people in the United States visited a local park or recreation facility at least once during the past year. More than seven in 10 U.S. residents have at least one local park, playground, open space, or recreation center within walking distance of their homes. In Highland Park, 90% of our residents are within a ten-minute walk to one of our 45 parks – a benefit that only a small percentage of communities in the United States can tout.
Living close to parks and other recreation facilities is consistently related to higher physical activity levels for adults and youth. Moreover, parks provide a connection to nature, which studies demonstrate relieves stress, strengthens interpersonal relationships, and improves mental health. In the U.S., 93% of adults say their mental health is improved by services offered by local park and recreation agencies. The Park District of Highland Park provides over 3,000 adult and youth programs annually, including art, athletics, gymnastics, swimming, dance, childhood enrichment, fitness, golf, ice skating, nature programs, pickleball, tennis, and more.
Park Districts also continuously create job opportunities for full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions. This summer, the Park District of Highland Park has employed over 287 young adults and teens in important positions for the community and as a jumping-off point for their careers.
This July, we are bringing attention to how important it is to rise up and support the field of parks and recreation because every day, park and recreation professionals rise up for their communities in service of equity, climate-readiness, and overall health and well-being.