Most Glenview Residents Live Near Parks: District Study

From the Glenview Park District: Glenview parks are so prevalent and widely scattered that an overwhelming majority of residents have less than a mile to walk to get to their closest play area. That’s the finding of an analysis on the distribution of parks throughout Glenview. The results appear in the Glenview Park District’s 10-year comprehensive master plan titled, “Charting Our Future” which looks to secure a bright future for the park district through the year 2028.

When including the 13 school parks managed by the park district, special use facilities like The Grove and Wagner Farm, and open space natural areas like Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie, the median overall distribution level of service in Glenview is 92.7%. The Level of Service Analysis evaluates how well the District’s parks, facilities and amenities are serving the needs of the community. Level of Service averages are developed by state and national agencies, including the National Recreation and Park Association.

Another measure of the Level of Service in a community is the total recreation amenities available to its residents. The Illinois Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) and the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Park Metrics sets benchmarks.

Based on the Illinois SCORP, the District meets or exceeds the recommended number of amenities for most. For instance, the number of facilities needed to meet the average Illinois number of playgrounds is 23.5. The Glenview Park District has 48 total playgrounds for a community that truly values its open space and recreational activities.

In preparing the 10-year comprehensive master plan, the park district conducted a statistically valid community survey that was sent to a random sample of more than 4,000 households. Resident feedback shows the Glenview Park District is a source of strong community pride. While park districts statewide are seen positively by 76 percent of users, 93 percent of Glenview residents expressed a favorable opinion for their park district.

In addition, the Glenview Park District has more swimming pools, splash pads, multi-use trails, picnic shelters, tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball fields, softball fields, soccer fields, golf courses, bocce courts, dog parks, Frisbee golf, and skate parks than Illinois averages.

The Glenview Park District scores well when compared with other agencies throughout the country that have similar populations of 50,000 to 60,000. According to the NRPA Park Metrics, the Glenview Park District meets or exceeds the average number of playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball fields, softball fields, football fields and soccer fields.

There are 58 total parks and facilities within the Glenview Park District’s boundaries, including 48 which are either owned and/or maintained by the park district. School parks are among them. The inter-governmental agreement between the Glenview Park District and District 34 has been a wonderful asset to the taxpayer since the 1950s. The schools provide space within their buildings for supervised park-district activities, and allow outdoor playground equipment to be used by the public while the park district landscapes the schools’ parks including mowing, trimming and snow plowing.

GPD Parks Include the following:

MINI PARKS:

1.Central Tot Lot

2. Peninsula Playground

NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS:

1. Catherine Crowley Park

2. Cole Park

3. Countryside Lane Park

4. Cunliff Park

5. Diederich Park

6. Hawthorne Glen Park

7. Indian Ridge Park

8. Indian Trail Park

9. Jackman Park

10.Jennings Park

11.Judy Beck Park

12.Ladendorf Park

13.Manor Park

14.Rugen Park

15.Sleepy Hollow Park

16.Swenson Park

17.Tall Trees Park

18.West Fork Park (now Thomas Richardson Park)

19.Willow Park

COMMUNITY PARKS:

1. Community Park West

2. Flick Park

3. Gallery Park

4. Richard E. Johns Park

5. Roosevelt Park

NATURAL AREAS:

1.Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie/Tyner Center

SPECIAL USE:

1. Glenview Park Golf Club

2. Glenview Prairie Club

3. The Grove

4. Wagner Farm

TRAILS, CORRIDORS, AND LINEAR PARKS/GREENWAYS

1.Undeveloped Park

SCHOOL PARKS – GPD MANAGED

1. Apollo School

2. Attea Middle School

3. Avoca West School

4. Glen Grove School

5. Henking School

6. Hoffman School

7. Lyon School

8. Pleasant Ridge School

9. Springman Middle School

10. Washington School

11.Westbrook School

12.Willowbrook School

13.Winkelman School

INDOOR FACILITY PARCELS:

1. Community Service Center

2. Glenview Ice Center

3. Glenview Park District Administration Office

4. Schram Memorial Chapel

In looking at a map of Glenview, small sections on the east and west sides may appear to be lacking in the number of parks compared to the rest of the village, but a closer look shows open space that is readily accessible to the public. The Forest Preserve District of Cook County owns 1,536 acres of open space within the Glenview Park District boundaries.

Image via GPD