Vote Yes!
 Print this article | Send to Colleague
Five Seasons, sometimes called "a country club without a golf course" is part of a group of clubs featuring fitness, indoor and outdoor pools and tennis....lots of tennis. It has struggled for years in what I believe to be a tennis-saturated market on the North Shore.
Surprisingly, Northbrook Park District doesn’t have a community center with fitness or gyms. I have heard the new word "Glenvy" used recently. This a word created to describe Northbrook’s envy of our neighbor, Glenview Park District, and its beautiful, state-of-the-art park center. As a resident, I acknowledge that envy. Northbrook Park District residents need a safe place to meet our neighbors and participate in wholesome, professionally-planned recreation, social and wellness activities.
As a resident, who is also a parks and recreation professional, I am challenged with balancing my professional passion, the needs of my family, the good of the community in which I live, and, of course, the cost of such an undertaking. As the process unfolds, I am listening and learning. I need to be able to "talk the talk" without reservation if this referendum comes to fruition.
The biggest challenge is to encourage people to get out and vote. The other big challenge, as I see it, is to convince the individuals that may never step foot in the building that it is of benefit to them. To help community members visualize the impact that such a facility would have on their quality of life is difficult, but not impossible. I need to be able to serve as an advocate of the project without people thinking that I am doing it simply because I am a parks and recreation professional, supporting my colleagues. I pay taxes too, and a decision that didn’t consider my role as parent and taxpaying resident would be irresponsible.
Sure, we have had memberships at private clubs. We’ve tried the YMCA. We have a treadmill and other fitness equipment in our home. I know I echo the opinions of my neighbors when I say that something is missing.
- Community Centers provide people with formal and informal gathering places to be physically active, socialize, relax, build community, and connect with the natural world. They make urban areas more inviting for living, working and relaxing. (American Planning Association)
- Research by economists Gerald Carlino and Albert Saiz has concluded that metropolitan areas rich in amenities such as parks, historic sites, museums, and beaches have "disproportionately attracted highly educated individuals and experienced faster housing price appreciation." Additional research and writing by academics such as Richard Florida and John Crompton have indicated that great parks, trails, and recreational amenities are key ingredients to attracting talent and distinguishing a city as a good place to live. (The Trust for Public Land)
- Families that recreate together tend to be closer and more cohesive, and have a greater chance of staying together. This is true with both parent-child relationships and married couples. By participating in activities together, family members elicit feelings of loyalty, trust, harmony, teamwork and goodwill. (State of California Resources Agency)
- Even people who don't actively participate in community centers recognize their benefits. Seventy-one percent of those who do not belong to community centers report that they receive some benefit from them. Non-users appreciate the availability of community centers as well as the community awareness that comes with them. They also recognize that community centers are great for children and are effective at keeping them off the streets when they're not in school. They know that community centers create jobs and give people a chance to volunteer. (Columbia, Missouri Parks & Recreation Department)
- Recreation Centers do create jobs. Recreation workers are employed in a variety of settings, including summer camps, recreation centers, and parks. Employment of recreation workers is projected to grow 14 percent from 2012 to 2022. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Teens that used recreation centers were 75 percent more likely to engage in the highest category of moderate to vigorous physical activity, according to a long-term study of over 17,000 teenagers. This national study provided the first evidence that community recreation facilities are important for adolescent activity (Gordan-Larson, 2000)
While statistics are vital in communicating the value of a project, there is so much more to be shared with voters. What about the senior citizen who would come to the center each day for interaction because he has no family in town, or the child that comes after school because Mom and Dad don’t get off work for a couple of hours and she doesn’t want to go home alone, or the new resident who will bring her baby so she can get out of house and meet some people? They may not even sign up for a program, but the center is of value to them.
What’s all this worth? The ultimate sell of a referendum has to be a combination of statistical data and people telling their stories. This information gets out to the community through the mouths and hands of dedicated supporters, like me.
This is what I know, with certainty.
- I know that my family will benefit from the purchase of Five Seasons.
- When I go to sell my house I know that this center will become a factor in the decision-making process for the potential buyer.
- I know that the 17 acres of land that the building is on will never be developed for anything other than recreation, and it is adjacent to 140 acres of park land.
- I know that the monthly impact of this project is less than I spent this morning on a flat of flowers.
- I know that leaving the house to recreate as a family will make our family stronger.
- I know that this place will become a hub of activity and a welcome place for all ages, ethnicities and abilities.
- I also know that the center will make me proud of where I live and that my kids will be better people because of it.
Is it worth it? You bet it is! Now I have to go and talk to my neighbors....Wish me luck!
-Jan Hincapie, Executive Director
Village of Lincolnwood Parks & Recreation Department
|
|
