Welcome to the
Parks & Recreation Department
847-234-6700
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Energizing Your
Family and Community Through the "Power" of Recreation!
The Parks & Recreation Department is located in the Recreation Center at 400 Hastings Road. The Recreation Center offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Department is committed to providing residents of all ages positive experiences through a variety of high quality programs, activities, and services under the direction of professional and dedicated staff who are responsive to the changing needs of the community. Keep up to date with our
monthly newsletter, P.R. News
(293k -6 pages), filled with information about all the different program areas. We are always looking for part time employees to meet the constantly changing needs of the Parks & Recreation Department. If you are interested, visit the employment page for current opportunities. Also, let us know how we are doing. If you love a program and think the instructor is fantastic, give them a "high five." Our High Five Form
(20k - 1 page) is a way of saying thanks for the hard work. These go into the employee's file and are published for everyone to see. It is nice to tell someone they are doing a great job.
What's New
Spring/Summer
Brochure
Registration
began March 16, 2010 for Lake Forest residents!
The complete
Spring/Summer Brochure is available to view right now! Click
on the image of the catalogue to view page-by-page opportunities or go to
www.LFRec.com to view the
registration information by programs.
2010 Spring/Summer Brochure is available to view at
www.LFRec.com!
You can view all of the programs by
activity on LFRec.com. If you do
not want to register on-line, or you can download a Registration Form
(55k - 2 pages) to fax, mail or hand deliver to the Recreation Center. Contact 847-234-6700 if you have any questions.

Are you ready....... think warm
summer fun!
Is your child ready to create, discover,
soar, play ball, or explore this summer? Summer Camp
Registration is just around the corner. Registration is
going on right now!
If you click on the Summer Camp Brochure, it will take you to
the pages of the brochure for your viewing.
For those of you who would like to sign up on-line at LFRec.com
on registration day make sure before hand that you have all your
information current with our office and have your user ID and
PIN numbers ready! Energize your child with a summer of
fun here at Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Department.
On-line Registration
Anytime ..... Anywhere! Lake Forest residents are able to register for Parks and Recreation Department classes on line at
www.LFRec.com. To access an on-line account, you will need to have an email address on file with the department along with an account user ID and PIN number. Call the Parks and Recreation office at 847-234-6700 or email to lfrec@cityoflakeforest.com for more information. In order to make on-line registration available to Lake Forest residents we had to change our registration system. Registration is taken on a first come first serve basis now. You can register at your convenience anytime......anywhere......
Forest Park Master Plan Project
The Parks and Recreation Department and Lake Forest Garden Club
(LFGC) have begun a collaborative project to develop a
Master Plan for Forest Park. The
Lake Forest Garden Club is funding
the creation of the Master Plan document and is working closely
with City staff and the community to develop a plan that will
protect, preserve and enhance this wonderful lakefront community
treasure.
Public input is key to the success of this project. To
learn more, visit the Forest Park
Master Plan information page. Updates will also be given in the City’s
“Dialogue!” community newsletter over the course of the next
year. If you have any questions, you may contact Mary Van
Arsdale, Director of Parks and Recreation, at
vanarsdm@cityoflakeforest.com or 847-810-3918.
PRESENTATION OF AD HOC PARK AND RECREATION COMMITTEE
Click on the link below to see the presentation that was
given at the City Council meeting on November 2, 2009.
AD HOC Presentation
(34k - 11 pages)
|
Award-Winning
Department
The Lake Forest Parks and Recreation
Department achieved the highest honor when it was
awarded the 2005 National Gold Medal Award. The American
Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in
partnership with the National Recreation and Park
Association presented the award.
The department was honored as the best in the
category of communities under 25,000 in population. The
Gold Medal is recognized as the most important and
celebrated park and recreation award in the country, and
Lake Forest is proud to be considered among the best in
management, staff and dedication in serving the park and
recreation needs of its residents.
An organizational chart
(14k - 1 page) for the Parks and Recreation Department can be viewed or downloaded.
|

Former
Parks and Recreation Director
Fred Jackson and Assistant Director Wendy
McKiernan accepting the prestigious National
Gold Medal Award |
| "From the Park Bench" - by
Mary Van Arsdale, Director of Parks & Recreation |
TREE-Mendous Appreciation
It is my hope that you have been enjoying the many
parks and their facilities this summer. So it seems
fitting to me to devote this edition of From the Park
Bench to express my appreciation to the Parks Department
that makes our parks so Tree-Mendous. It’s not a large
staff but they take care of a whole lot! Your parks
department is responsible on a weekly basis for the
maintenance of over 400 acres of park land,
approximately 11 miles of bike paths, as well as an
additional 149 acres of public school property. Within
this acreage the crew takes care of lining and grooming
26 soccer/football/lacrosse fields, 14 softball/baseball
fields, 9 elementary and tot playgrounds, 7 pavilions
and multiple specialty areas such as batting cages, sand
volleyball courts and basketball courts. They also take
care of hundreds of park amenities including picnic
tables, grills, recycling containers, fireplaces and
firewood.
Of course a big part of their job is the landscape
demands of the many properties. This crew plants
thousands of annual plants, trims bushes and trees,
mulches, plants new trees, replenishes playground fibar
and aerates, fertilizes, top dresses and over-seeds our
turf areas to provide the highest quality grass fields.
In addition to these many “green” responsibilities, the
parks crew is also responsible for dredging the boat
basin, sand beach cleaning, taking care of Market Square
Fountain and the list could go on and on.
Many families and community groups in town have also
had the opportunity to work with our parks crew as they
assist with many of the special set up needs of facility
rentals or community special events that take place in
the local parks. This support ranges from assistance
with Dog Days, July 4th Festival and Fireworks
Celebration, Lake Forest Days, Library Book Sale and
many smaller church and family events.
In the past two years I have been extremely impressed
with the positive attitude, friendliness and willingness
to go the extra mile whenever asked by myself, a
resident or a community organization. I can assure you
that this is a group of employees that works extremely
hard to deliver the highest quality of services to the
community.
And on one final note, contemplate this…your parks
department in th e
two weeks leading up to the opening of the new Townline
Community Park planted over 20,000 plants and 75 trees
in addition their regular duties already outlined above.
When you cross their path out in the parks, please take
a moment to give them a “Tree-Mendous Thank You” for all
that they do to make our Lake Forest parks special.
I’ll see you in the parks soon!
Mary Van Arsdale
Director of Parks and Recreation |
Please take time to enjoy a recreation program and visit our wonderful park sites!
Northern Suburban Special Recreation
Association
NSSRA is a partnership
that provides year-round recreation and leisure opportunities
for children, teens, adults and seniors with disabilities. For more information about NSSRA, please call 847-509-9400,
email to info@nssra.org or check their website,
www.nssra.org.
For information about NSSRA inclusion services in our
programs, contact Wendy McKiernan at 847-810-3912. |