Matt Coyne - Park Ridge Park District Board Commissioner

05/19/2023

This will be the last post on this page. My term as Park Commissioner is up and my seat at the table will filled by Brian Matza who will, without any doubt, serve our community with integrity, fiscal discipline, and desire to deliver the very best in park facilities, programming, and recreational activities to our community.

It has been my honor and one of the highlights of my adult life to serve this community as park board commissioner for these last four years. I was privileged enough to serve with so many wonderful volunteer-officials on the board and so many dedicated professionals from the Park District. I am especially proud of both the Board and the Park District on how we addressed the many issues affecting us during the Covid pandemic. We worked together to make sure that we could continue to deliver on our mission despite the restrictions placed upon us by state and federal officials. In particular, I'd like to acknowledge Executive Director Gayle Mountcastle, Superintendent of Finance Sandra DeAngelus, and Superintendent of Recreation April Armer for their ability to pivot as quickly as the rules, finances, and health information changed.

Covid postponed the placement of a referendum for updating and improving Oakton Park and I was pleased to play a role in making sure that the community had an opportunity to vote on this project. The fact that it passed with overwhelming support is important, but it's secondary in my mind to giving our residents a direct voice on how to spend their money.

I am grateful to the community that allowed me to serve them. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience and I urge anyone and everyone who is interested in helping make our community better to consider running for a seat in local government. You CAN make a difference -- Please make a difference.

Thank you, Park Ridge.

Matt Coyne

11/09/2022

While not official yet, it looks like the residents of our community have voted for a renovation of Oakton Park. According to the Cook County Board of Elections, Park Ridge had 55+% of registered voters cast their ballots in this election among the highest turnouts in the county. The referendum appears to have passed by a 55% to 45% margin. I am proud of the Park Ridge Park District Board of Directors for making sure that our residents were given a voice in this process.

Thank you also to Park District staff, to those who served on the original task force, to the folks on the "Vote Yes" committee for getting the word out, and especially to any resident who took the time to complete one of the several community-wide surveys or spoke at a board meeting on this matter.

The next steps will be to get the project scheduled, secure responsible bids from architects and contractors, and come up with the final plan. That will take some time and it will take the commitment and diligence of your park district board to make sure that the project is completed as quickly as possible and within the budget presented.

My term expires in Spring, 2023. I am not seeking re-election so I will be only minimally involved in this project as it is implemented. It will be important to elect a successor who is committed to careful stewardship of your tax dollars and hopefully already up to speed on the details of this project including all the time, money, and hard work that went into bringing it forward.

I look forward to walking on the new path, hitting errant tee shots into the new netting, and getting winter exercise in the new field house. Hell, I may even learn to skate!!

It has been my honor to serve this community as park commissioner. I have a few months left in my term and there are several important issues that will come before the board before the next election. I commit to being diligent on the responsible use of your tax dollars throughout the remainder of my term.

Thank you again for this opportunity to serve you.

06/21/2022

The annual fireworks display is BACK! Enjoy this event with family and friends. Pack a picnic and come early for entertainment and music. At dusk, the skies will begin to light up with a fireworks celebration.

Sunday, July 3
6:30pm: Kids Interactive Entertainment & DJ
8:00pm: Live Music Entertainment
Dusk: Fireworks Celebration Begins

Location: Maine East High School
2601 W. Dempster St. (Dempster & Potter)

No alcoholic beverages or grills allowed. Consumer fireworks are not permitted at the show by order of the Park Ridge Fire Department.

This event is made possible by the collaboration of the Park Ridge Park District, City of Park Ridge, and School District 207.

Get your Preferred Parking Pass for the Fireworks! Spaces are limited and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis on the night of the event.
No early admission; preferred parking begins at 6:00pm.

$20 Resident / $30 Non-Resident per space
Register by June 24: https://tinyurl.com/2redbapc
Call 847-692-5127 for more information.

06/01/2022

Happy to help out. Get your tickets for next week’s drawing now!

05/27/2022

As the school year ends and the weather gets warmer, use of our parks significantly increases, and with that, unfortunately, so does vandalism. The Park District has zero tolerance for vandalism and works with the Park Ridge Police Department to investigate every incident and pursue all of our available options. In three of the last four large incidents this year, the suspects have been identified, financial restitution made, and suspensions instituted based on the District’s Ordinance Violation terms. Most recently we were able to identify an individual and obtain an admission of guilt for two large incidents of vandalism at the Wildwood Nature Center. The first incident occurred on January 13, 2022 and resulted in destruction of two surveillance cameras located in the Nature Center’s pavilion and a picnic table thrown in the pond. The second incident occurred March 25, 2022 and resulted in destruction of four surveillance cameras located in the in the Nature’s Center front mulched area. The Park Ridge juvenile responsible will be making restitution to the Park District for the damages incurred and is also subject to the Park Ridge Police’s Peer Jury program. As we move into to our busiest outdoor season, we encourage residents to be vigilant and call the Park Ridge police at 847-318-5252 if they witness suspicious behavior. A thank you to the Park Ridge Police Department for their partnership in also helping to patrol and prevent vandalism in our parks.

05/12/2022

A friend of mine died yesterday. We coached house-league girls soccer when our daughters were in grade school. He was the head coach and I helped with defense. Our teams were never particularly great if winning is the standard. Our teams were never particularly great if developing future high school soccer players is the standard. But if teaching girls self-esteem and teamwork were the standards, we were pretty damn good and that was all because of the head coach.

He taught me to think less about the score and more about executing the game plan. He taught me, or at least tried to teach me (with some minimal success) that intensity is not always the best tool to use to deliver an important point, especially perhaps, when delivering that point to an 11 year old girl. In short, he taught me to be a better, more effective coach and by extension a better, more effective father.

About 4 years ago, I announced my candidacy for park commissioner. At that time I explained that my motivation for running for office was because my children got so much out of their experiences with our park district and I wanted to pay back my debt of gratitude to the park district and its affiliates. It was through coaches like him that my children wound up with those great experiences and therefore, at least indirectly, I am a park commissioner because of him.

My kids, his kids, and arguably dozens if not hundreds of other youth soccer players owe their own debt of gratitude to the kind, compassionate, unassuming man that coached their house-league soccer team when they were 11.

Peace Coach.

12/12/2021

Come out to the parade route to get a glimpse of Santa today starting at noon!!

Track Santa's Visit to Park Ridge TODAY!
Click on this official tracker and you can see exactly where Santa is along his parade route in real-time!

Santa Parade Route
https://parkridgeil.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=84105bc4d64149409cc39f7510b1ab7c

Brought to you by :
Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce
City of Park Ridge

Title Sponsor
Taste of Park Ridge

Major Sponsors
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
Center of Concern

11/20/2021

Hawk Yeah! Let’s go Hawks!!

Watch the 2021 IHSA Football Playoffs Maine South High School vs. Marist High School - 11/20/2021 live and on demand online on the NFHS Network

09/23/2021

Now’s your chance to help shape the future of your parks.

We are seeking the community’s input on proposed park and facility improvements at Oakton Park. Join us at one of our upcoming community information meetings or facility tours to learn more about the project.

Click here to register to attend the October 13 virtual meeting: https://tinyurl.com/yan6rsd7

08/13/2021

Know someone who loves working with kids? Opportunities abound within your Park District.

Beyond the Bell (BTB) Update - Park District staff is working diligently to staff and accommodate the BTB waitlists at each school. As with many employers nationwide, we are being impacted by the labor shortage. Additionally, the unusual work shifts have historically made BTB challenging positions to fill, and this year is no exception. This year, we are also challenged with restrictions on space due to physical distancing requirements by CDC, IDPH, and the Illinois State Board of Education. Just this Thursday, August 5, staff received notification that we are able to expand participation in some schools, while space available in other schools are less than in past years. In years past, we have most often been able to secure full staffing for the start of training. Those who registered after that point were put on a waitlist while we acquired additional staff to accommodate the late registrants. BTB maintains a 1 staff to 10 children ratio, and requires up to a team of over 100 staff. We began recruiting for BTB in March, and it is always our goal to accommodate as many participants as we are able. We do still need staff to be able to accommodate more families currently on our waitlist this year. If you or anyone you know are interested, please apply online at: https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs?clientkey=B0740028DEE3C448CF2AD769B3A4602A