The Arlington Heights Park District has a proud history of providing outstanding recreation programming, beautiful parks, open spaces, and effective, efficient, and well maintained facilities. The District is honored and motivated by the wonderful community response it has experienced and that has continually inspired us for over 85 years. It is this on-going conversation with the community that has allowed the District to meet the desires of the residents of Arlington Heights.

In 2009 the Park District continued this conversation by conducting a community-wide survey asking, among many things, how residents feel about the community centers in Camelot, Frontier, Heritage and Recreation Parks. The positive response to improvements to these centers led to a Master Planning process, throughout 2010 and 2011. This process included meetings with the users and neighbors of these community centers. After intensive discussion and review, the Board of Commissioners approved master plans for each of these parks and their associated community center.

After a careful review of the amenities desired by the community a cost was able to be determined in order to accomplish these improvements. The District was then able to determine that the existing sources for funds would not be able to cover the anticipated costs, making a referendum to sell bonds a necessity.

As the conversation with the community has continued, opposition to the timing of the referendum has been expressed. The Board has listened carefully and empathetically to these concerns and does not take this decision lightly. However, we are a country based on the ideal that government should be of the people, by the people and for the people. Therefore, it seems proper and appropriate that the entire community have a voice in the direction that the Park District should travel.