The Citizens for Parks Committee would like to thank all the people who voted for and supported the Plainfield Park District tax referendum on Nov. 7.

Unfortunately, we were not in the majority in this election.   The committee worked real hard to inform the public through PTO’s, homeowner groups, service organizations, newspapers and other local media about the need for the proposed tax increase.

We can only hope that the Park District can continue to meet the growing demands of the community without suffering any loss in the level of service.

Look for this advertisement in your local paper. Tell your neighbors about why you’re voting YES for the park district referendum on November 7. Tell us here too.

 Schools and Parks. 

 The two go together like fruits and vegetables, work and home, baseball & America.

 When deciding on where to buy a home, people typically look for the kind of attributes in a community that provide a quality of life.  Schools and parks are tops on that list.

On Nov. 7, Plainfield voters have a chance to show how important parks are to community life by approving a 5-cent increase in the Plainfield Park District tax rate. 

 Plainfield has a strong tradition of supporting its school system, especially when it comes to voter approval of tax referendums.  Not so much the park district.

Plainfield voters have only approved one measure in seven attempts over the last 10 years to increase taxes for their park system.  That referendum, in the year 2000, secured the purchase of 80 acres on Ridge Road to be used for a lighted sports complex with five youth baseball and five adult softball fields, as well as parking and concessions – the kind of facility found in many of our neighboring communities. 

Six years later, the property remains an undeveloped cornfield because the Park District cannot afford to build the project.  Meanwhile, the park operating budget is stretched to its limits and the district struggles with maintaining the developed properties it does have. 

And yet the people keep coming. 

I can tell you from working closely with the Park District the last two years as president of the Plainfield Athletic Club that the population explosion in Plainfield is affecting more than just our schools and roads.  It is affecting our parks as well. 

When I first volunteered for the PAC, after moving here in the late 1990s, there were a little more than 1,000 boys and girls playing baseball and softball.  In 2006, there were 2,700 children in the PAC.  In that same time, only five new Park District fields have opened while two were taken away.  This past season, the PAC had to turn children away for the first time even after increasing the number of teams we planned to have. 

The Plainfield Junior Cats football organization and the Plainfield Soccer Association have experienced similar growth in numbers.  Our parks and fields are filled to capacity with children playing and practicing, and our park district has fallen woefully behind in being able to keep up with both providing space and maintaining it. 

The current Plainfield Park District tax rate is 18.6 cents per $100 of equalized assessed value, a dime less than Naperville, and 15 cents lower than Joliet. The Park District in Oswego collects almost 50 cents per $100 of EAV.   Plainfield spends about $37 per household on parks programs and maintenance, while most of the surrounding communities spend more than $100 per household. 

Plainfield should have the same kind of parks facilities found in Naperville, Joliet, Oswego, Romeoville or Bolingbrook.  We have similar demographics as these towns, and we deserve a similar quality of life. 

Nobody likes taxes or tax increases, but there is also such a thing as value for your money.    Open space, recreation, exercise and preservation of nature are all valuable propositions. 

For a nickel, the district can increase its annual operating budget by $1 million.  The money will beef up park maintenance, develop properties like Ridge Road and the Clow Stephens Farm and improve facilities like Renwick Community Park.  For the annual cost of $16.67 per $100,000 of home value, Plainfield voters can assure adequate future recreation opportunities for children and adults. Rejecting this referendum because you do not approve of the growth in Plainfield is not going to stop the growth.  The people will keep coming – and our parks as well as our schools and roads will continue to feel the effects. 

 I urge you all to consider your decision carefully and please vote Yes on Nov. 7.

Citizens for Parks is asking residents to show their support for the November 7 referendum to support the Plainfield Park District by displaying Vote Yes For Parks signs in their yards. Signs will be available on Saturday, October 14 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. during sporting events at Four Seasons Park, Renwick Park and Van Horn Woods. Or residents can email citizensforparks@yahoo.com to request a sign.

“As I see it, parks provide major benefits for the environment, for the community and for individuals,”said Committee Co-Chair Wayne Baker.”For as little as $17 a year for the owner of a $100,000 home or $50 a year for the owner of a $300,000, we can invest in the existing park resources as well as in future parks and amenities. This will help make Plainfield a better place to live and play.”

With the additional funds, the park district can purchase maintenance equipment, hire maintenance staff, and create a horticulture department. This will extend the life of existing facilities and park amenities such as playgrounds and enhance the beauty of Park District properties. The community also would see the development of the Ridge Road Sports Complex, active and passive recreation areas on the Clow Stephens property, and an enhanced Renwick Community Park including the expansion and lighting of ballfields and parking lots.

Other possible projects could include the completion of Northwest Community Park, as well as work on other community parks such as Eaton Preserve and the Avery Preserve at Four Seasons Park. In addition, the park district would be able to purchase additional land while it is still available, allowing for the development of future parks and amenities.

Those interested in learning more about the referendum should log onto www.citizensforparks.com or www.plainfieldparkdistrict.com Informational sessions will be scheduled in the community. If you are interested in having someone speak to your group, please call (815) 436-8812.

To me, the Plainfield Park District is part of my daily routine. I don’t participate in yoga, basketball, softball, kids classes, or anything for that matter. Someday when my little boy is old enough to enroll in some fun classes we’ll be there. So how is the park district a part of my daily routine?

Every morning when I wake up and open the blinds in the family room I love looking out over the dew covered grass that is the Champion Creek Park. I love watching the dog owners early in the morning talking with one another while their dogs roam free. I love seeing neighbors playing golf with their young kids in the open areas. I love seeing the youth baseball teams practicing with their coaches. I love taking my son to the swings for some giggles.

I don’t live anywhere near the parks that will receive attention if the referendum passes. I don’t have oodles and oodles of money to shell out for higher taxes. Honestly, I have not even ventured to any other parks besides my neighborhood park and on occasion Settler’s Park for movies and concerts in the park.

But I’m going to support the park district referendum because I want others in the community to experience the feeling I get every morning, day and night when I see Champion Creek Park being used for fun, laughter and learning. To afford the minimal tax increase I’m going to experience, maybe I won’t go out to dinner with my wife and son some weekend. Heck, I’d rather be on my patio and grill out with friends and family…and hit some balls in the park with my pitching wedge!

What does it mean to you? Share your experiences here.

The Plainfield Athletic Club recently voted to donate $5,000 toward the Citizens For Parks campaign in support of the Plainfield Park District tax increase referendum!  Thank you for your kind and generous donation.

You may not know this, but money that is spent in support of the Citizens For Parks campaign can not come from the park district.  Therefore, donations like this from the PAC are greatly appreciated.  We ask that all the sports groups get behind this referendum…not only with financial support, but with manpower as well.

As we get closer to the Nov. 7 voting day we will need the help of everyone in the community to spread the word.  Get your friends, family and neighbors out to the polls to VOTE YES for parks in Plainfield.

Parks have always been and will continue to be a part of a child’s life. The park district referendum is asking for a nickel increase per $100.00 of the equalized assessed value of your property (roughly $50 for $250,000 home). Who would have thought that a nickel could actually make a difference with the current economy the way it is.

The park district has been operating on fumes with continued emphasis on efficiencies and process improvement. They no longer can be more efficient. The increase in acreage, population, demand for more programs and facilities by citizens has diminished their capacity to provide for all. This referendum will allow the park district to utilize their resources and assets more positively to where facilities will be improved, hence more programs for our children and adults to participate in.

Every community has a park district. How that park district is run, equipped and provides to the community is up to the citizens.

The future of our parks is ours to mold. Whether the hands molding it are young or old, the fingerprints left on that mold will reflect the value of what that mold stands for and what it really means to one that molds it.

The Citizens for Parks can’t think of better way to spend their change. We hope you will support us and add your fingerprint to the mold by voting “YES” in November for the parks!

The Plainfield Park District can only afford to spend an average of $414 per acre maintaining its grounds while other area park districts spend more than $1,000 per acre, and some more than $3,000 per acre, to maintain their park sites.

Think about this the next time you complain about the soccer/baseball fields or playgrounds not being as nice as other towns’ facilities. Don’t we deserve a better place to play?

With a district that serves over 80,000 people, the recreational opportunities here in Plainfield are not fitting with the planning goals of the village. The village has made it a goal to put Plainfield on the map as a one-of-a-kind community, able to handle the needs and wants of its residents well into the future.

The population boom in Plainfield has led to a serious need for improvements to the Plainfield Park District. This November 7 is your chance to make a difference and VOTE YES for the park district referendum.

Think about why you moved to Plainfield - or why you never left. Great schools. Great housing market. Great community.

Make parks and recreation another great reason to live in Plainfield.