THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008
New Park District President Going 'Green'
By DWIGHT ESAU
Journal Reporter
With Dick Barton as the new President of the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District board, you'll see the district strongly turn green this year.
In a brief but telling press statement upon his election to the Presidency on Apr. 17, Barton talked mostly about the environment, and the new Environmental Impact Task Force that he played a major role in forming.
"I intend to pursue further initiatives in several areas, including a focus on the environment," he said. "The park district has led the way in our community with No Idle Zones for vehicles and an active, progressive environmental task force.
"Our recent cooperative effort with the Chamber of Commerce for an Earth Day Electronic Recycling event (Apr. 19) was on overwhelming success in keeping unwanted electronic devices out of landfills and processed by a professional recycling company. Great Lakes Electronics did a fantastic job."
In separate comments to the Journal this week, Barton added, "The Environmental Task Force has become very active at the community center with an energy audit and development of new non-toxic types of cleaning materials and methods. The group has gotten off to a good start in developing ways to be more environmentally friendly."
Regarding the future of Oakton Park, he said, "We will focus on solutions that the public may choose to fund, or in other ways in which, under the state tax caps, the district can afford to provide for the best use of the overall Oakton complex."
Active in Park Ridge organizations for many years, Barton has been an active leader in the Chamber of Commerce for many years. He was elected to the park board in 2005 for a four-year term. He is a self-employed entrepreneur in the public relations field. He ran unsuccessfully for aldermen of the sixth ward on the Park Ridge City Council earlier in this decade.
Oakton's diving well is being razed this spring. The pool is 40 years old, is in poor condition, and the district is developing contingency plans in case the pool has to be closed in case of as catastrophic failure.
The pool will be opened next month for the 2008 summer season, however.
Citizens Advisory Councils, which are advisory bodies of citizens, which meet regularly to develop ideas for the board's consideration, are discussing possible future directions for both Oakton Park and the community center.
Other park board officers appointed Apr. 17 include James O'Brien, vice president; Mary Ryan, secretary; and Steve Hunst, treasurer. Ryan was appointed to take Barton's place as chairperson of the Environmental Impact Task Force. Board member Sal Raspanti was named to replace Hunst as chairperson of the community center citizens advisory council, and Marty Maloney, outgoing board president, was named new chairperson of the Oakton Park citizens advisory council.