The Mt. Prospect Park District Covid-19 pandemic story began on a regular business day in March 2020. As the Leadership and management team met for a round table planning discussion for summer 2020, the phones of the gathered staff began to blow up. While on our individual phones, we could hear the family, friends and staff of those seated nearby nervously sharing information that the Governor was preparing to shut down Illinois due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Governor Pritzker was addressing Illinois residents in response to comments from the White House and the decision of the NBA to cancel the remaining basketball season. In a matter of hours, our patrons flooded the mppd website with hundreds of questions regarding program/facility closures, cancellations and shut downs.
And so it began.
Fast forward to January 2022 and the world has certainly changed. 2020 impacted our lives and business in hundreds of ways both big and small. In 2020, the District lost over 2 million dollars in revenue. Ultimately, staff’s herculean effort to reprogram “everything” into a new socially distant format succeeded. The Art Studio closed but over $8,000 in DIY art kits were sold and sent home for completion. The popular FPC plant sale was restructured in just three weeks; an online plant catalog was created and patrons placed orders picked by staff and delivered curbside to our customers. Pools were closed in summer 2020 as the data was not complete as to whether water contact was safe. The youth baseball season was worked and reworked and ran successfully with parents socially distanced along the baselines and both coaches and players in masks.
The Mt. Prospect Golf Club had a record breaking year as golf was designated a “safe” activity and did much to recoup what would certainly have been another million dollars in lost revenue.
The staff losses were the worst blow of all; 7 full-time positions eliminated and over 500 part-time staff furloughed. Those who remained worked double and triple duty being sent to any/all facilities that needed assistance on a given day. Rec Managers worked the golf course and marketing and admin watered, counted and priced plants. The park district was operating with an “all hands on deck approach” just to stay open.
Facility staff was very minimal and rolling shutdowns happened throughout the year. Both the Central Community Center and RecPlex were closed on weekends for most of 2020. All full-time staff who could work from home were directed to do so. Most staff headed home in late April/early May and did not return to their offices until late November.
There were moments of great inspiration. After reading a New York Times article on outdoor concerts in New York City where patrons were seated in 10 foot circles spaced 6 feet apart; the Community Relations team created their own version of circle concerts at the Veterans Memorial Bandshell for three concerts in July and August 2020. The concert organization, including the assigning of circles, was very labor intensive but the concerts were sold out in one day and very appreciative audiences enjoyed several nights of music under the stars.
The District focused on the mainstay of parks & recreation; the 21 outdoor parks spread throughout the District. Our social media shared albums of four season OUTDOOR fun and the public responded positively. Riding a bike path or picnicking in the park became an outing of choice. When in doubt, go green. In order to go green, get outdoors!
These worst of times produced several best of times moments. Community Relations received hundreds of emails over the summer of 2020 thanking the District for all they were doing to keep normalcy alive for our residents and particularly our children. A father shared that “if not for baseball going forward, he would never have witnessed his son’s first joyful base hit.” We will all remember the email from a grateful mother of four who reserved a circle for the Dancing Queen concert. She wrote, “I have been to the bandshell dozens of times but I couldn’t hold back the tears on this summer night as I watched my children dance the night away while I worried if the world would ever be the same.”
The District hit their stride in late summer. Social distancing became the norm. Our logo of three touching trees was redesigned with the trees now appropriately socially distanced. Outdoor events such as the annual Fishing Derby, Fitness in the Park, Halloween movie night at the Veterans Memorial Bandshell and a modified October outdoor dance recital were executed with great care and much appreciation from patrons. The Veterans Day Ceremony was produced in a virtual format and shared with thousands of schoolchildren across the county. The December Holiday Open House showcased Santa in a Gingerbread House with a wide plexiglass window where happy children could smile and wave to Santa while passing their wish list through an open mail slot.
The four season program guide moved quickly from a printed and mailed verison to an online offering in summer 2020. The District was committed to offering as much programming as possible but COVID regulations seemed to change daily so the program guide changed as well. The online format was well received by eager residents looking for up-to-date information. In 2021, the District made the decision to keep the program guide online into 2022.
The District website at mppd.org provided the most up-to-date information via the Know Before You Go webpage. Patrons quickly became familiar with checking the website before heading out the door to programs, facilities and events.
Continued Covid protocols, rules, signage, mandates, closures and recovery propelled our team wearily into 2021. We had learned so much and appreciated the vaccine availability and its positive impact on our agency. While 2021 began a return to normal, the damage was great. The District was operating with a skeleton staff and much work to do. There were good days and bad as Covid stayed with us for much of the year and has now followed us into 2022.
At the December 2020 District Manager’s meeting, we went around the room and asked each person present to share their insights of 2020. The meeting lasted over three hours. There was laughter and tears. In the end, the laughter won the day as we realized we are resilient, creative, innovative, financially accountable and responsible to “present and future generations” as stated in the Mt. Prospect Park District mission statement. We had stayed the course and provided a bit of normalcy and a summer of good memories for those we are committed to serve.
We continue to adapt as Covid surges once again. But, the Mt. Prospect Park District is ready to face the challenges with a focus on teamwork and solution-minded planning.
Written and submitted by:
Ruth Yueill
Director of Community Relations & Marketing
ryueill@mppd.org
