Hinsdale Ceremony Draws House Speaker, Top Senate Republican

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale's ceremonial groundbreaking for the planned pavilion at downtown's Burlington Park drew a bipartisan gathering on the Fourth of July.

Notably, both House Speaker Chris Welch and state Sen. John Curran of Downers Grove, who leads the minority House Republicans, spoke at the gathering.

The village is poised to approve Hinsdale's Dave Knecht Homes to do the pavilion work.

Private donors are covering the costs.

"The Burlington Park Pavilion will be a lasting gift to Hinsdale," Village President Greg Hart said in a speech at the event. "It will be a permanent gathering place for concerts, performances, ice cream socials, celebrations, and community events for generations to come."

Hinsdale Village President Greg Hart speaks on the Fourth of July at the groundbreaking ceremony for a planned pavilion at downtown's Burlington Park. (Courtesy of Village of Hinsdale)

He continued, "It will stand here at the west end of Burlington Park as a place where families gather, children grow up, neighbors come together, and traditions continue."

He thanked village staff and the entire Village Board for making the project possible.

In particular, he noted Trustee Alexis Braden for her leadership on the design and "value engineering" process and Trustee Scott Banke for his early guidance.

Full text of Village President Greg Hart's speech:

Good afternoon, everyone, and happy Fourth of July.

Thank you all for being here as we celebrate not only America’s birthday, but a very special moment for the Village of Hinsdale.

I also want to recognize the elected officials and dignitaries who are with us today, including Speaker Chris Welch, Illinois Senate Minority Leader John Curran, DuPage County Board Member Lucy Chang Evans, Clarendon Hills Village President Eric Tech, and members of the Hinsdale Village Board. We are grateful for your presence, your service, and your partnership with our community.

Today, as our country prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, we are gathered to break ground on a project that says something very meaningful about who we are as a community.

The Burlington Park Pavilion will be a lasting gift to Hinsdale. It will be a permanent gathering place for concerts, performances, ice cream socials, celebrations, and community events for generations to come. It will stand here at the west end of Burlington Park as a place where families gather, children grow up, neighbors come together, and traditions continue.

And I think it is especially fitting that we are breaking ground on this project on the Fourth of July.

For nearly 250 years, America has been built by people who believed in something bigger than themselves. People who gave their time, their talent, their resources, and their hearts to build communities, institutions, and traditions that would outlast them.

That same spirit is alive and well right here in Hinsdale.

This pavilion has been talked about in one form or another for nearly two decades. It has long been needed. And when I took the oath of office a little over a year ago, this was one of the projects I knew I wanted us to pursue.

Early on, I had conversations with our Village staff about the need for a permanent pavilion in Burlington Park. We knew how important this park is to our downtown. We knew how many beloved community events happen here. And we knew Hinsdale deserved a beautiful, lasting structure that could serve this community for generations.

So we made it a priority.

And candidly, we pushed hard.

At the time, getting this done on the timeline we wanted was far from certain. It required a strong design, a careful public process, a responsible construction plan, and a significant private fundraising effort. But I believed then, and I believe even more strongly today, that if any community could come together to make this possible, it was Hinsdale.

And that is exactly what happened.

Because of the generosity, leadership, and commitment of people in this community, we stand here today ready to break ground on schedule, under budget, and completely without taxpayer dollars being used for construction.

That is an extraordinary outcome.

This project is being made possible through private generosity. It is being funded by Hinsdaleans and Hinsdale institutions who stepped forward to build something lasting as a gift to this community and as a tribute to the United States of America on its 250th birthday.

Over the past several months, I had the privilege of speaking directly with donors, residents, businesses, and community partners about what this pavilion could mean for Hinsdale. And what I heard again and again was that people wanted to be part of building something that would last. Something that would bring people together. Something that our children and grandchildren could enjoy long after all of us are gone.

And that matters.

Hinsdale is already known as a community with a strong sense of cohesion, pride, and connection. But even in a close community, we need places that help deepen those bonds. We need places where neighbors can gather, where families can make memories, where young and old can come together, and where the traditions of one generation can be passed on to the next.

At a time in our nation’s history when we need to bring people together more than ever, this pavilion will give Hinsdale another place to do exactly that.

That is the best of Hinsdale.

Much like the Memorial Building, which was built nearly 100 years ago and continues to serve our community today, my hope is that this pavilion will serve Hinsdale for the next century.

I want to thank the people and organizations who made this possible.

Thank you to UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Hinsdale Hospital, our largest donor, for your extraordinary leadership and generosity. I especially want to thank President and CEO Elise MacCarroll-Wright, who was an early partner in this effort and whose early commitment reflected not only a deep sense of corporate citizenship, but also a real dedication to the community she and her institution serve.

Thank you to the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce, and especially Jim Slonoff, for helping spearhead this project and for believing in what this pavilion could mean for our downtown, our business community, and our residents.

Thank you to James Bouchard, whose extraordinary contribution helped bring this project across the finish line. Jim has been a generous benefactor to many important projects, and we are proud to have him as part of our community.

Thank you to Hinsdale Bank & Trust for stepping forward as an early and important supporter.

Thank you to the Honorable Kenneth J. Moy Fund at the DuPage Foundation, and to Ken Moy, for your tremendous generosity and commitment to Hinsdale.

Thank you to Nick and Kari Galassi for your generous support and continued dedication to this community. Nick and Kari are out of town today, but we are grateful that Nick’s father, Vince Galassi, another Hinsdale resident, is here with us in their place.

Thank you to P.J. and Abby Huizenga, Jeff and Julie Akers, R.J. D’Orazio, and Matt and Stephanie Tuthill, who all stepped forward in meaningful ways to help us meet our goal.

I also want to recognize Dave Knecht of Dave Knecht Homes. Dave grew up right here in Hinsdale, and this project is personal to him. His generous in-kind contribution and commitment to this project reflect the kind of community spirit that has made this effort so special.

And I want to thank Michael Abraham, another Hinsdalean, who generously donated his design services and helped create a pavilion that is beautiful, timeless, and fitting for the character of this community.

I also want to thank Village staff, including Village Manager Kathleen Gargano, Alex Snyder, George Peluso, Bethany Salmon, and everyone who helped move this project forward with care, diligence, and professionalism.

I want to thank the Village Board, including Trustee Alexis Braden for her leadership on the design and value engineering process, Trustee Scott Banke for his early guidance on the process, and all of our trustees who helped shape and support this project.

And I want to thank the residents of Hinsdale. More than 70 percent of residents who participated in community surveys expressed support for this idea. That support matters. This pavilion is ultimately for you.

Today is about more than a construction project.

It is about community. It is about patriotism. It is about generosity. It is about honoring the past while building something for the future.

On America’s birthday, we are reminded that the best communities are built by people who care enough to contribute, to serve, and to leave something better behind.

That is exactly what has happened here.

The Burlington Park Pavilion is a gift to Hinsdale, for the people, by the people. And today, we take the first official step toward bringing it to life.

Thank you all for being here, and happy Fourth of July.