Wheeling Park District

The Wheeling Park District, incorporated in 1961, is located in northern Cook and southern Lake Counties, and is 27 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. The Park District serves a population of approximately 40,729 residents living within the Village of Wheeling and small portions of Prospect Heights, Buffalo Grove and Arlington Heights. It encompasses an area just over 8.5 square miles. The Park District is considered to be a primary government – providing a full range of recreation activities, public open space, recreational facilities, a full-service country club, and district-wide events for its communities.

The Park District is governed by an elected, seven-member board and operates under a Board-Manager form of government, with its primary purpose to provide parks and recreational opportunities to its residents. Services provided include recreation programs, park management, capital development, and general administration. The Park District manages 16 sites on approximately 260 acres. Recreational facilities operated by the Park District include ten parks, one outdoor aquatic center, one community recreation center, one indoor aquatic center, a fitness center, historical museum, two community gymnasiums (shared with School District #21), a championship-quality golf course and banquet facility, as well as a number of softball/baseball diamonds, football and soccer fields, playgrounds and picnic shelters.

1960
The citizens of Wheeling, Illinois, voted to give themselves the gift of a Park District on December 23, 1960. On that day, a special election was held at Mark Twain School to decide the question of the proposed Wheeling Park District and elect five Park Commissioners to serve the recreational needs of the growing community. The first meeting was held January 11, 1961, at Wheeling Village Hall, and was presided over by newly-elected Commissioners Arthur Aronson, Arthur Brown, Audrae Duke, Ralph Neubauer, and Theodore Scanlon. Brown became the first Park Board President. Park District programs were held in the schools and on the playgrounds of School District 21. The next four decades were spent acquiring, developing, and maintaining open space for guests to enjoy.

1962
In 1962, the Village of Wheeling donated three adjoining lots on Nancy Lane to the Park District. The half acre of land, named Meadowbrook Park, is now Meadowbrook Tot Lot.

1964-65
With a grant from the Federal Open Space Land Program, the Park District purchased 66 acres of land from G.D. Searle and Company in 1964. Situated between the Wisconsin Central railroad tracks and Wolf Road, just north of Meadowbrook subdivision, construction began on Heritage Park in 1965 with a community recreation center, a lighted baseball field, and an ice rink. That same year, the five-acre Husky Park, at the east end of Lee Street, south of Jack London School was acquired by the Park District.

1968
In order to provide an ingress and egress to Heritage Park, the Park District acquired a residential lot on Jeffery Avenue at Jeanne Terrace from Family Homes, Inc. in 1968.

1969
Another piece of land, north of the existing property line along Wolf Road, was purchased for use as a retention basin in 1969. At around the same time, an easement was granted to the Village of Wheeling to construct a retention basin and pumping station to control flooding in the area around Husky Park. After leasing the “Wheeling Chamber of Commerce Park” on Wolf Road from the Wheeling Chamber of Commerce for many years, the Park District bought the property in 1969. That year, the Park District was able to buy the adjacent property, an outdoor swimming pool facility, from Wheeling Community Pool, Inc.

1970
The Park District acquired a Civil War-era church building in 1970 and moved it to the Chamber Park site. The building was remodeled to hold community meetings and recreational programs. In 1970, the Park District was able to purchase 8.35 acres of land on the form Skinner Farm property. As part of the acquisition plan, the parcel was subdivided. Three acres became Northside Park on Glendale Street. The rest was sold to School District 21 for a new school site.

1972-74
By the early 1970s, land was becoming scarce in Wheeling. With the passage of a tax referendum in 1972, the Park District was able to move forward with a comprehensive development program to designate open space for the leisure needs of residents and guests. A contract for $32,500 was negotiated with Hollywood Builders for a three-acre tract of land, referred to as “North Park”, now the western edge of Childerley Park. The Park District acquired the site in 1974 after being awarded a grant for half the cost from the Illinois Department of Conservation, Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.

1981
In 1981, the Wheeling Park District renovated and restored the original chapel at Childerley to honor former Commissioner Lorraine E. Lark, who passed away in 1980. She served on the Board for 13 years, eight as president.

1975
The Park District acquired the 10 acres of land that became Horizon Park in 1975. To develop the park in 1984, the Park District sold the existing house on the property and one-half acre of the land.

1976
The 2.3 acres adjacent to Meadowbrook Tot Lot, was obtained by the Village of Wheeling from the Metropolitan Sanitary District in 1976 and the Park District signed an intergovernmental agreement in 1982 to lease the land for 99 years.

1977
The other 10 acres that became Childerley Park were owned by a religious organization, the Calvert Foundation of Chicago, and used as a retreat. In March of 1977, Wheeling residents approved another referendum allowing the Park District to acquire the Childerley land and Chevy Chase Country Club.

1978
The Village sold the original Wheeling Village Hall on Milwaukee Avenue to the Park District in 1978. The building was moved to Chamber Park and now houses the Historical Museum.

1984
The acre of land that became Malibu Park was used to stockpile soil during construction of the Malibu subdivision; the developer donated the land to the Park District in 1984.

1985
In 1985, the Park District acquired the four acres of land remaining from the Lemke Farm in south Wheeling. With the acquisition of a second smaller parcel on Equestrian Lane and a grant from the Department of Natural Resources, the Park District, in cooperation with Prospect Heights Park District, developed Pleasant Run Park.

1988
In 1988, the historic Carriage House, located on Dundee Road, was acquired from the Village of Wheeling and moved to Chamber Park.

1990-92
The Park District obtained 10 acres fronting Dundee Road in 1990 from Wickes Companies, Inc. By early 1992, the Park District was able to begin work on the Aquatic Center and an adjoining 400-car parking lot. Residents approved a referendum in March of 1992 to build a new Community Recreation Center to replace the now outgrown center at Heritage Park.

1999
The Park District increased the size of the CRC in 1999 with the addition of the Arctic Splash indoor pool and Fitness Center. Also in 1999, the Chevy Chase Country Club underwent a one-year, $4 million renovation to restore the inside and outside of the structure.

2001
Husky Park was redesigned in 2001 with financial assistance from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The detention basin was converted into an outdoor classroom and wetland area, including a beautiful waterfall feature. Husky Park won the 2002 Conservation and Native Landscaping Award from the Chicago Wilderness Society and Environmental Protection Agency

2002
The Aquatic Center was expanded during 2002 to add new water features. Denoyer Park served as a campsite for Girl Scouts and originally housed a log cabin, three buildings, an outhouse, and a greenhouse. These structures were removed when the Park District purchased the property in 1999. In 2000, the park was redeveloped and dedicated to the residents of Wheeling in May, 2002. In 2002, Traditions at Chevy Chase Golf Course was redesigned with manicured bent grass fairways and greens, 50 reconstructed bunkers, and a beautiful water feature. Traditions at Chevy Chase Golf Course won the 2004 Golf Inc., Crittendon Renovation of the Year Competition in the Daily Fee/Municipal Division.

2004
The Wheeling Park District Board of Commissioners adopted a new Mission statement for the Park District:

To provide memorable experiences in parks and recreation that enrich our communities.

Also, in 2004, the Wheeling Park District Board of Commissioners adopted a new logo:

2007
In August 2007 the Park District purchased 10 acres of land from St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church. At the time of acquisition, the land was being rented from the Church by the Park District for athletic field usage. Upon purchase, the land was incorporated into Heritage Park. Financing for the purchase of this property included a $400,000 OSLAD grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Also in August, the Park District executed a land exchange with the Village of Wheeling. The exchange called for 6 acres of Park District land adjacent to Dundee Road to be swapped for 8 acres of Village land adjacent to Heritage Park. The Park District incorporated this new property into Heritage Park. The Village of Wheeling used the newly acquired land as the future site for the new Village Hall.