State of Schaumburg Park District
June 9, 2020
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Schaumburg District has taken proactive steps to ensure the safety of our patrons and staff. Since March, most programs have been canceled and facilities have been closed.
As summer starts and Illinois has moved into phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, we'vebeen able to slowly start down the path to regular operations. With that in mind, below is an update on some of our service areas:
Programs and Events
The District has opted to not release a traditional summer program guide. Instead, the District released a virtual guide with activities patrons can do from home. The Virtual Guide is available at parkfun.com/news/athomeseries.
As some restrictions are lifted, the District is offering outdoor fitness classes that will start later in late June.
All special events scheduled for June are canceled.
Camps
Due to social distancing guidelines and group size restrictions, the District canceled all previously scheduled summer camps. Instead, the District is now offering an all-new all-day summer campfor children ages 4-14. Camp procedures have been adjusted to accommodate appropriate social distancing while still providing a fun atmosphere. Camper to staff ratio will be 8:2, and each group will remain inthe same room for the duration of camp. Rigorous cleaning and disinfecting procedures have been put into place.
Pools
For the health and safety of our guests and staff, all pools remain closed. Public pool operations are not included in Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan. The health, safety, operational and financial challenges related to operating pools under social distancing protocols for an abbreviated session are being considered. We will continue to reevaluate this decision over the coming months and, if able, we may investigate limited pool options later in the summer.
Facilities
Most District facilities (including fitness centers) remain closed in Phase 3, with a few exceptions:
Parks
All playgrounds, fitness areas and the skate park are temporarily closed. Trails remain open for walkers. K-9 Dog Park is also open. Gatherings of over ten people are not allowed. We are monitoring parks, but we are counting on the entire community to do their part to ensure social distancing efforts are as successful as possible. Please adhere to the following:
General Operations
Like most organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic hashad a drastically negative impacton the District’s finances. Under regular operating conditions, program and membership fees account for approximately fifty percent of the District’s operating budget, whilethe other fifty percent comes from the District’s portion of local property taxes. The cancelations and closures of our programs and facilities has led to a loss of revenue of $4.5 million through May. We remain committed to good stewardship and accountability, and as such, the District has taken a number of difficult, but necessary steps to minimize operating costs, including temporarily reducing our workforce and eliminating 20 full-time positions. While we have some staff working to attend to core functions such as mowing grass, building maintenance, and customer service, weask for your patience throughout this crisis.Some normal procedures including spraying for dandelions in parks and planting flowers at many of our facilities will not take place this summer as we focus on essential operations.
For the latest updates on our operational response to COVID-19, please visit parkfun.com/coronavirusresponse.
