Advisory Committee Involves Public In Helping Urbana Park District To Improve
And Greatly Expand Its Services And Facilities —A Story Of Pride And Achievement

Making The Park District Tick Better: The Citizens' Role

By Susan C. Stone

(QUESTION: What links the following people together: Dick Brown, Tebby Lyman, Natalie Alpert, Betsy Gillies, Bob Seif, Dick Taylor, Helen Ritter, Clyde Forrest, Mary Kruse, Mike Walker, Chris Copeland, Curt Wilson and Nancy Bailey?

ANSWER: UPDAC. And, more specifically, the chairmanship of UPDAC which every one of these thirteen people has held.

QUESTION: What's UPDAC? The short answer is (Urban Park District advisory Committee. The more meaningful answer takes longer and is the subject of this article. Ho-hum. Another advisory committee? That's hardly news. But, according to Christopher Copeland, a recent UPDAC Chairman, "UPDAC isn't like other advisory committees, and I've served on several. In the first place, it's enjoyable. There's a good feeling of common purpose among everyone. And, in the second place, the commissioners and staff are unique. They listen to UPDAC's advice and you can see the results of your efforts."

For the past decade-plus, UPDAC had been the third partner in the triumvirate that makes the Urbana Park District function. The other two components of the partnership are the Board of commissioners and the appointed professional and support staff.

Illinois statute prescribes the election of (in Urbana's case) five commissioners who have the authority to levy and spend taxes and other monies to acquire property and operate the park district. Illinois statute also empowers the commissioners to hire staff. For many years, the commissioners and a small staff comprised the entire District team. There was a time, within memory, when the District's holdings were so few that every morning a couple of commissioners would make the rounds with the park superintendent to point out and discuss the work items for the day. Today, with 20 park sites and dozens of leisure program activities for nearly all age and interest groups, this way of doing business seems, at best, quaint. And, despite a bigger and more highly professionalized staff today, both they and the commissioners recognize that to guide and manage the District most effectively, they need that third partner, UPDAC.

How did this need become apparent? Who decided that there should be an UPDAC? Let's be candid. Although park boards, like school boards, are nonpartisan, this does not make them immune to conflict, and the Urbana Park Board was no exception. With differing philosophies and priorities among the 1970 Board members and an absence of consensus on the major needs and direction of the District, there was, nevertheless, agreement that improvements had to be made. Accordingly, early in 1971, a "something for everyone" bond referendum was held to finance several large capital projects and to acquire additional park sites. A companion question on the ballot asked voter approval for an increase in the General Fund tax levy to allow money for better park maintenance. These questions generated heated debate. Ultimately, the referendum failed. Shortly thereafter, following some changes among Board and staff, it was agreed that a reliable mechanism for ongoing, two-way communication with the public was needed. After some study, the Board agreed to adopt the basic format of a broadly representative citizens advisory committee used to advantage by many school districts.

Author Susan C. Stone, Vice President of the Urbana Park District, examines a new Urbana Park District poster created to promote park activity.

While some Illinois park districts have used citizen committees for special purposes, the Urbana Park District was the first to establish a permanent, comprehensive advisory body. After eleven years of uninterrupted service, this mechanism has been truly and fairly tested. The verdict is in: UPDAC's contribution to the health and welfare of the UPD is immeasurable.

How does UPDAC operate and what has it accomplished?

ORGANIZATION AND PURPOSES

On May 11, 1971, the Board of Commissioners formally created UPDAC (first known as "PDAC" but, because of difficulties with the sound of that acronym, quickly amended to UPDAC). UPDAC's purpose, as defined in its by-laws is "of an advisory and informative nature to the Board and to the citizens of the District." More specifically, the purposes include:

To promote citizen awareness of the desirability of good parks and recreation with adequate financial support;

To interpret to the public the goals and needs of the park system and to interpret to the Board the concerns of the public:

To study continuously the needs of the District and the effectiveness of current programs;

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To identify and study park problems, either independently or at the suggestion of the Board, by collecting and analyzing information and reporting recommendations;

To accept from the Board, and/or initiate independently, policy studies resulting in recommendations to the Board;

To work with Board, staff and citizens to implement policies and programs which have the mutual support of both the Board and UPDAC.

All UPDAC reports and recommendations are channeled to the Board for the latter's consideration and action. UPDAC may not incur financial obligations nor may UPDAC take any action regarding candidates for Park Board membership or regarding employment-related questions concerning individual District staff. Apart from good sense and good taste, these are the only limitations on UPDAC's freedom to operate as it sees fit in the interests of the Urbana Park District. The Commissioners had agreed at the outset that UPDAC's usefulness would be as an independent ally, not as a rubber stamp.

Fifteen members serve three-year, staggered terms, with. annual replacement of five members, nominations coming to the Board from UPDAC's own nominating committee. Eligibility for membership on UPDAC, as defined in the bylaws, includes the following qualifications:

Legal resident of the District;

Interest in or capable of becoming interested in the park system;

Capable of clear and careful thinking about the problems of parks and recreation;

Able to work cooperatively and constructively with others;

Members shall be representative of the people of the District, collectively reflecting a good cross section of the community; and Members shall serve as individuals, not as representatives of specific organizations.

To assure internal linkage and communication, two Commissioners serve as Board liaison to UPDAC and at least one UPDAC member, usually the Chairman, attends and gives progress reports at every regular monthly meeting of the Board of Commissioners. Top UPD staff serve as resource people for UPDAC, and UPDAC's reports, minutes, announcements, etc. are handled by UPD office personnel.

ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

So much for the formalities of UPDAC's existence. How has it performed? Historically, the very first thing that UPDAC did in the spring of 1971, after electing its own officers, was to make direct contact with the public. UPDAC arranged a series of meetings at 10 park and school sites throughout Urbana to get grass roots suggestions from every neighborhood for improving the Park District. A simple questionnaire was distributed and more than 150 people responded. Suggestions covered: facilities and activities at specific, existing park and school sites; new facilities and programs; land acquisition and development; new approaches to solving UPD problems and providing expanded services; cooperation with other agencies; and recommendations for another referendum. Recommendations mentioned most frequently included: the need for long range planning; emphasis on land acquisition; cooperation with the School District to achieve "lighted schoolhouses "and use of Thornburn as a community center; better facilities for senior citizens; more athletic playing fields; a place for teenagers to gather for activities; more supervision in the parks; promotion of bike-ways; a nature education program and preservation of natural areas.

This was the first of several occasions during the past decade when UPDAC organized "park parleys" to solicit citizen input. As Dr. Richard Taylor, former UPDAC member and currently a Commissioner, observed: "When I was on UPDAC, the thing I liked about it was that it gave the ordinary, interested citizen — and that's what I was — a direct channel to the District, and I definitely felt that the Board was listening. I like the idea of UPDAC having representation in every part of the community and, too, whenever there's a major plan or project proposed for either an individual park site or for the entire District, UPDAC gets input from the public and feeds it back to the Commissioners. This method seems to work better to benefit the entire community than the system where justa handful of people know about a project."

UPDAC operates by committees. Some are short-term, making a study and a report and then dissolving. Others are permanent or semi-permanent, with their membership and agenda changing over the years.

Robert Turnbull (left), UPDAC Secretary, and Nancy Bailey, UPDAC Chairman, review with Robin Hall (extreme right). District Director, and other UPDAC members the proposed statement of charges, goals and objectives for 1983-84.

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While every committee is chaired by an UPDAC member, many draw on special expertise and interest in the community at large to expand their group. A description of some of the major UPDAC committees and reports over the years begins to suggest the breadth and scope of this group's performance.

The earliest committees created by UPDAC were: Community Parks (with emphasis on Crystal Lake Park), Neighborhood Parks, Underdeveloped Parks, Priorities in Recreation Programs, and School-Park Cooperation.

In January, 1972 in its first year of operation, UPDAC responded to a Board request to study the advisability of holding a referendum to increase the General Fund levy to allow upgraded park maintenance. UPDAC strongly urged that the referendum be held, which was done in March, 1972. It passed easily. The committees continued their work, making periodic reports and recommendations. Also, in 1972, the School-Park Cooperation Committee recommended that the Park Board negotiate with the School Board to acquire the Thornburn building to operate as a recreation center. The committee later suggested a second referendum to gain taxpayer support of an increase in the Recreation Fund levy to finance the cost of operating Thornburn Center and an expanded "lighted schoolhouse" program in active schools. This referendum, held in November, 1972, also passed. A third major initiative of 1972 was the Board's decision to retain a team of park planners to develop a District master plan. UPDAC had a major role, first in arranging the well-attended public meetings, second in sharing its reports and recommendations with the planners, and third in carefully analyzing major areas covered in the master plan and reporting comments to the Board.

Not all years have been equally action-packed for the District, and not every UPDAC recommendation has met with approval at either the Board or the community level. Even when favored, implementation of some suggestions has had to be deferred. But the succession of serious committees producing highly useful reports and recommendations has included: UPD Finance, Legislative Action Updates (state and federal actions impacting park districts), Community Planning and Park Land Acquisition, Zoning and Subdivision Law (including dedication of land for parks), Water and Surface Water Management (several studies on drainage, retention, etc.). Physical Facilities/Capital Projects, Swimming Pool(s), Indoor Tennis Courts/ Ice Rink, Senior Citizen Facilities and Programs, Teen Center, King School-Douglass Center Coordination, Environmental Awareness Center and Programs, Building Improvements for Energy Conservation (resulting in the 1982 renovation/insulation of Thornburn), Summer Playground Program Evaluation, Evaluation of All Parks (performed annually). Public Relations and Publicity, Public Attitude and Interest Survey, Study of Need for and Feasibility of a Tax Rate Referendum (1981), History of UPDAC (early years) and more.

As Robert Seif, another UPDACer—turned-Commissioner, pointed out: "Few people realize that a park district is a large, complex business operation. Being on UPDAC helps one to understand that. It also points up the broad responsibilities of the Board of Commissioners and the Director. I became involved with UPDAC because of my interest in upgrading Urbana's swimming facilities. I had first-hand knowledge of joint park-school pools around the State which I could share with UPDAC. But it takes time to become familiar with the many aspects of the District and, after three UPDAC years, I felt far better educated."

Taylor recalled "the many hours our Committee on Community Planning and Park Land Acquisition spent in the early 70s analyzing the need for parks in the Meadowbrook, Wheatfield and Sunnycrest neighborhoods. We really worried about making sure there would be a park within an easy walk of every home. The fact that these particular efforts have succeeded is really gratifying."

Seif points out that, once an UPDACer, nearly always an UPDACer. He says that "UPDAC alumni continue to be valuable, since they have become knowledgeable and caring about the District and, when key legislative issues arise at the local, state or federal level affecting parks, many of the approximately 75 former UPDACers respond."

In reviewing this array of activity, it seems hard to believe that UPDAC members have had periods of doubt about the group's worth. Yet, more than once, there has been UPDAC-initiated self-assessment and soul-searching in part, perhaps, because so much had been accomplished that charting meaningful new activity became more difficult. While some shifts in emphasis and procedure have occurred (and were contemplated in the original by-laws), UPDAC today remains vigorous and vital.

Elisabeth Lyman, one of the original UPDAC appointees and now a Commissioner Emerita, assesses the benefits of having UPDAC as follows: "UPDAC has been of great value to the District, fulfilling the Board's expectations and not being a thorn in its side. I found that UPDAC improved the flow of information throughout the community, increasing understanding and enthusiasm for what the District has been trying to accomplish; aided the District by providing people willing to carry out important studies and gather necessary information which neither Board nor staff had time or resources to do; and provided honest criticism, worthwhile suggestions and good support."

Chris Copeland offers another insight: "When the people in your neighborhood know that you're on UPDAC, they talk to you about parks and programs and you find out what their concerns are. But UPDAC

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members should never become too neighborhood-oriented. They should always keep in mind a Districtwide orientation to assure the best service to the park system."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susan Cane Stone is Commissioner and Vice President of the Urbana Park District and a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Association of Park Districts. She first was elected Commissioner in 1971. She was organizer and first chairman of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District Advisory Committee (1973-75), and founder and past chairman of the Champaign County Development Council Foundation. Mrs. Stone was rural development coordinator, Illinois Farmers Home Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture (1978-82). She also was Research Associate with the Housing Research and Development Program, U. of I. (1972-78).

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