093_HR0221

 
                                     LRB093 11545 HSS 14721 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members of the House of  Representatives  of
 3    the  State  of  Illinois  wish  to  congratulate the Illinois
 4    Association of Park Districts (IAPD) on the occasion  of  its
 5    75th anniversary; and

 6        WHEREAS,  The  IAPD  was  established on May 17, 1928; it
 7    provides  education,  research,  and  advocacy  for  its  362
 8    members, consisting  of  279  park  districts,  eight  forest
 9    preserve   districts,   four   conservation   districts,  one
10    conservancy district, 35 city agencies, one State agency (the
11    Department of Natural Resources), and 34 associate members in
12    the allied fields of law, landscape architecture, and  public
13    finance; and

14        WHEREAS, The mission of IAPD is to advance its members in
15    their  ability  to  provide  outstanding  park and recreation
16    opportunities, preserve our natural  resources,  and  improve
17    the quality of life for all people in Illinois; and

18        WHEREAS,  The IAPD is the oldest statewide association of
19    its kind in the country; it is the only park association with
20    a primary membership  of  elected  board  members  who  serve
21    without  compensation  on  local  park  and  forest  preserve
22    boards;  its  member agencies and their staffs are nationally
23    recognized leaders in parks and recreation and have  won  the
24    National  Gold  Medal  Award more times than any other state;
25    and

26        WHEREAS, A.D. McLarty of Springfield is credited  as  the
27    association's  organizer;  in  1928,  he was secretary of the
28    Illinois  Municipal  League  and  believed   an   association
29    dedicated to park districts would further the cause of public
30    parks  and  recreation  in  Illinois;  he became IAPD's first
31    secretary; and
 
                            -2-      LRB093 11545 HSS 14721 r
 1        WHEREAS, Early legislation addressed by  the  association
 2    sought   to   establish  uniform  laws  for  organizing  park
 3    districts and the powers of elected officials, establish  the
 4    powers  of  park  districts for acquiring land for open space
 5    and  public  parks  and  recreation,  and  address  liability
 6    issues;  over  the  years,  the  association  has  worked  in
 7    bipartisan  partnership  with  its  legislative  leaders   in
 8    Illinois  and  Washington,  D.C.  to  secure funding for open
 9    space,  outdoor  recreation,  wildlife  preservation,  senior
10    health interests, and after-school recreation  and  nutrition
11    programs for youth; and

12        WHEREAS,  As  a  grass-roots organization, with its 2,100
13    elected officials and more than 300 park and forest  preserve
14    agency  leaders, IAPD's voice for parks and natural resources
15    is strong and respected; therefore, be it

16        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
17    NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18    we congratulate the Illinois Association of Park Districts on
19    celebrating its 75th anniversary; and be it further

20        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
21    presented  to  Dennis  Flanagin,  chairman  of  the  Illinois
22    Association of Park Districts for 2003.