Our Mission

In partnership with the community, we provide quality parks and recreation experiences for the residents of Oak Park.

Our Vision

Oak Park's parks system provides open space and recreation opportunities for all Oak Park residents and we will work persistently to ensure the availability of these quality parks, recreation programs and facilities for generations to come. We strive to provide an excellent parks and recreation system that is deeply integrated into the distinctive Oak Park living experience. We envision the recognition of our parks system by Oak Park residents as a major contributor to the enhanced quality of life that exists in the Village. We value and respect our history, our civic involvement and the Oak Park tradition of innovation and we will strongly consider these factors as we plan for the future.

We believe that citizen participation and access to their parks and recreation programs is paramount. The parks system will conduct the public's business in an open, communicative and self-evaluative fashion. We will reach out to populations that are underserved and we will continually seek feedback and take corrective measures as we strive for excellence.

We believe the key to achieving and maintaining an excellent parks and recreation system lies in creating partnerships with other community agencies to provide services in a seamless fashion. These critical partnerships are both within and external to Oak Park's boundaries. The organization providing the program or service is secondary to the quality and the diversity of the offerings. We promise, in collaboration with our partners to balance development and maintenance of quality parks and facilities with the preservation of open space. In addition, we pledge to offer innovative, high quality programs that provide significant benefits to participants, residents, the environment, the local economy and our overall community.

Our Values

In striving for excellence, we are committed to...

Effective Communication: We will demonstrate attentiveness to our customers' needs by routinely soliciting public input and feedback and welcoming ideas and input. Our processes and procedures will facilitate and reflect open and effective communication.

Inclusion: We will recognize and appreciate our community's diverse population and we will strive to provide parks and recreation opportunities to all, regardless of economic means or physical ability.

Funding: We will aggressively pursue economic sustainability and stability through sound fiscal management and efficient use of resources.

Partnerships: We pledge to work effectively with other, establishing and strengthening bonds with governmental entities as well as other community organizations and user groups for the betterment of the community.

Customer Service & Professional Conduct: We will demonstrate the highest standards of ethical conduct, treating everyone with courtesy and respect and recognizing diverse opinions and needs. We will actively listen and respond to requests in a prompt and respectful manner.

Planning: We will design long-term strategies and set measurable goals while proactively seeking positive solutions to problems and challenges.

Evaluation: We will maintain an on-going process of evaluating our performance and effectiveness and we will measure the success of implemented policies and strategies.

Safety: We will actively implement sound safety practices in our facilities and in all aspects of our work, ensuring a safe environment for users and employees of the parks system.

Download a pdf of the Park District of Oak Park's mission, vision and values.