The success of any governmental agency can only be accomplished with ongoing conversations and input with the community it serves.  The Park District of Highland Park utilizes a number of means to give our residents a voice in their Park District, including:

• The resident-led Parks Foundation of Highland Park works closely with the Park District staff and Board to provide funding for scholarships (SMILE & FYI) and special capital projects such as the Sunset Valley Youth Golf Development Center and the Sunset Woods playground seating plaza
• Long-standing resident volunteer committees headed by Park Board members such as the Athletics and Golf Committees
• Ad hoc resident volunteer advisory committees for large special projects such as the Rosewood Beach and The Preserve renovations
• Monthly facility open houses held throughout the year at each facility for participants and interested residents to share their thoughts and ideas about our facilities and programming
• Ad hoc special project open houses for neighborhoods and interested residents to share their thoughts and ideas on projects such as new park playgrounds and other improvements
• Customer satisfaction surveys distributed to program and camp participant families on an on-going basis
• Attitude and Interest surveys and focus groups conducted throughout the community for special projects  

The feedback we receive from you in these conversations along with personal conversations, phone calls, and emails we receive each day are invaluable to ensure the Park District of Highland Park continues to meet the needs of our community today and for future generations.

It is the Park District’s policy to conduct periodic community-wide attitude and interest surveys to gain a better understanding of the community’s recreation, facility and park usage and preferences.

The Park District hired Evanston-based firm, aQity Research to design and administer the statistically valid survey which was conducted between May 17 through June 23, 2019.   The survey was sent by mail to a random sample of households within the Park District boundaries. Follow-up reminder postcards were sent to non-respondents to encourage full participation.  Both mailings included options to complete the survey by mail, online or by phone.  A total of 851 surveys were completed and weighted to match updated United States Census data for the Park District by region, gender, age, ethnicity and percentage of households with children.   Results indicated favorable resident feedback, most notably programs and events, as well as areas for future development, such as programming for adults.