The River Trails Park District serves a lovely community of 15,000 people in the northwest Chicago suburbs of Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights. Recreation services in the area are offered by the Village of Mount Prospect. The River Trails Park District boundaries were established more than 35 years ago and are said to be "antiquated" according to the standards of several newer residents.

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Local government, while extremely positive in delivering services, has caused many a River Trails patron gray hair in grasping exactly where their tax dollars go and who to turn to for specific services. For years we have been explaining why they live in Mount Prospect or Prospect Heights, but must pay nonresident fees while using River Trails facilities.

One day over lunch, I and two of my colleagues—Walt Cook, chief executive officer of Mount Prospect Park District, and Eric Burns, former executive director of the Prospect Heights Park District—were discussing the challenge of serving the needs of all residents within our borders and budgetary constraints. We began to realize that we were currently cooperating on many different levels, including soccer, dance classes, karate, and many other program areas.

This initiated a crazy idea. There are still many programs and facilities in need of additional registrants or users. Maybe eliminating the non-resident fee would actually increase our registrations and memberships, while opening many requested leisure opportunities for our residents.

"Change is not an easy thing for most human beings, especially when it has the potential to cause additional work"

Hey, what an idea! We could actually make allof our residents happy and improve our districts while doing it. Okay, we have worked in this profession long enough to know that we will never make everyone happy, but this is getting darn close.

Devoloping the Crazy Idea

The whole premise was approached very simply. It was extremely important to maintain each agency's identity. All residents of the Mt. Prospect, Prospect Heights and River Trails park districts would be charged the same fees for all programs and facilities, except for the golf courses. Priority registration would still given to the specific agency's residents and all policies and fee structures for each district remained the same.

The used-to-be "non-residents" would now be called "partner residents." Under the agreement, the golf course green fees are tiered three ways: residents, non-residents and partner residents. Partner residents pay a fee equal to the resident rate plus half of the difference between the resident and non-resident fees. The entire agreement is two pages long, with an addendum from each park district stipulating golf fees.

The boards of commissioners of the three park districts cemented the agreement. Their enthusiasm and commitment to our communities was very evident throughout the process. Their thoughts focused on what would be best for their constituents, while preserving each park district's existing uniqueness and stability. Ultimately, the agreement was passed unanimously in record time by all three boards and took effect January 1, 2002.

Making it work

A committee of recreation administrators from the three agencies was developed and its mission was to identify problem areas. Potential problems included:

• checking residency;

• educating all front-line staff about the other two park districts;

• distributing pertinent information about each park district; and

• disseminating the message that the agreement was in effect.

Although each district has its own management style and budgetary constraints, it was agreed that each would include the information in the seasonal brochures and newsletters, as well as flyers throughout facilities. Our marketing personnel worked together to establish basic information that was included in each district's publications.

Once our committee felt it had reviewed a majority of the possible pitfalls, a luncheon for all recreation administrative staff and front-line staff was scheduled to present and discuss the agreement. Along with this information, our committee shared problems areas they had discovered and their solutions to eliminating them. Obviously, the idea was to have most of the answers before the "naysayers" had a chance to be negative.

Change is not an easy thing for most human beings, especially when it has the potential to cause additional work. Everyone was allowed to voice opinions. We fostered an atmosphere that encouraged opinions. The agreement was not forced down anyone's throat. We just asked what was wrong with the concept and it turned out "not much" was the answer. All of the district staffs were receptive, professional and truly

September/October 2002 37

More Thoughts on the Border Issue By Debbie Carlson/CPRP Park districts are an outlet for the stress and anxiety of our fast-paced world. We provide places to watch nature in a busy suburb or to vent excess energy in a drop-in basketball game. Our facilities and parks provide a place for the entire family to spend time together. It is our mission to keep the community together in a positive, safe and fun atmosphere. The Partner Resident Agreement offered by River Trails, Mt. Prospect and Prospect Heights park districts spreads the wealth of our area to everyone equally. It shows that government does care and will take action to meet residents' needs if at all possible. Isn't that why we exist? Sometimes the need to be best gets in the way of why we exist. Community service is a special calling. The boards of commissioners and staff were very impressive throughout the implementation of the agreement. Everyone was open and excited about delivering additional leisure opportunities throughout our communities. Fulfilling our mission statements was the goal of all. Walls that were put in place decades ago were taken down overnight, without negative impact. I hope this will be a future trend for many other districts. Money to provide services is always the main concern. People are taxed every which way and they only have so much to give. Our profession always has exhibited creativity in problem-solving and providing service that is admirable and impressive. Because of this trait, we are open to a variety of possibilities. "Turf protecting" is a thing of the past. Becoming an integral part of our community is the way to protect the district. Cooperative agreements are a very responsible way to provide increased leisure opportunities. Fulfilling the needs of the people that we serve is the ticket to continued success.

wonderful.

Subsequently, detailed information on resident addresses, park district locations, facilities and phone numbers and pertinent brochures were distributed to all locations taking registration. Now we waited to see what would happen.

And it was amazing! Our collective fabulous staffs pulled it off easily. The reactions were positive and registrations have increased significantly to date. The only negative comments heard were a concern for possible overcrowding in the facilities and that other neighboring park district residents will want to join the agreement. These areas will be monitored closely as the agreement progresses and adjustments will be made as deemed necessary.

The commissioners involved in this particular partnership venture are pioneers.

All three park districts are truly pleased to be involved in this innovative agreement. The recreation profession has changed immensely over the past 25 years. We are not considered a luxury anymore, but rather a necessity. And everyone wants every type of facility as well as state-of-the-art opportunities. It is our responsibility to find a way to help our residents deal with the changing world.

As our cooperation increases, new areas are being investigated. The special age groups—such as older children and senior adults—are challenges now and in the future. Through the Partner Resident Agreement, our park districts have opened an expanded avenue of communication, which encourages more collaborative projects, including facility development.

The health of the individual park district will always be the base for measuring the level of cooperation. An agreement of this type has to be monitored and adjusted when conflicts arise. At this point, it has been very smooth and beneficial to all. The ability to share programming and facilities among three park districts has soothed many of our residents who have particular needs. It has been a boon to our community and the relationships between the park districts. Eventually, the special need groups will encourage cooperation on new fronts, especially when the population increases to a level that merits more attention.

Again, I must reiterate that I consider the commissioners involved in this particular partnership venture pioneers. They saw an opportunity to make a difference for their constituents without any monetary increase and jumped on board. It is this kind of support that allows staff to fulfill their responsibilities in the most economical and proficient way. It establishes the necessary atmosphere for creating and allowing new ideas to be put into action.

Where equitable, I hope that more agencies will consider alleviating the antiquated boundaries of the past and opening leisure opportunities to more individuals. This is a time of much stress and consternation. Recreation is the best fix for eliminating the effects these can cause.

Take a look around and see if there is any facility that could use a little more usage or a program that is about to be cancelled. Think beyond your borders. Opportunities await.

Debbie Carlson, CPRP, is the executive director of the River Trails Park District. For more information about the Partner Resident Agreement, contact Carlson at 847.788.0551.

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