Five candidates are seeking four seats on the Rolling Meadows Park District board of commissioners.

The candidates on the April 2 ballot are: David Andrejek, a board member since 2011; Donna Bisesi, a board member since 2011; Bill Cooley, a board member since 2007; high school teacher Stephanie Ennis; and elementary school teacher Emily Ford.

The Daily Herald asked candidates to respond to a questionnaire about local issues. Some of their responses are below. For complete election coverage, visit dailyherald.com.

Q. What are the most important issues facing your park district and how do you intend to address them?

Andrejek: The most important issue facing the district right now is succession planning, or in other words, identifying and developing the next generation of leaders for the park district. The Rolling Meadows Park District has been very fortunate to have an outstanding staff, including the executive director and several superintendents that have been pivotal in getting the district in a fiscally sound position and truly acts as good stewards of taxpayer dollars. At some point in the not too distant future, I do anticipate a retirement or two, and finding a replacement will be the most important job of the park board. Making the wrong decision here could put the district on the wrong path that can take years or even decades to recover from. As an experienced board member, I believe I have the right background knowledge to ensure a proper decision is made, and to avoid a decision that might present lots of flare, but be short on substance.

Bisesi: One of the important issues facing our parks specifically is vandalism. I will never understand why people want to destroy our beautiful parks and equipment, but it does happen. As a board, we authorized funds to the police department to help buy equipment for an ATV to assist with additional patrols along our paths and through our parks. Additionally, I have asked for strategic placement of cameras throughout our parks to detour crime and catch the vandals. Another important issue is the need for an additional recreation facility. There are several park districts who have built multiuse facilities that are used for tournaments and events that draw in people from neighboring towns to engage in unique recreation activities. Our residents could drive 30 to 40 minutes in almost any direction from Rolling Meadows and come upon one of these facilities. Which means, if we were to build one, we could potentially grow our programming, increase our usable space and draw people from neighboring communities to our town for tournaments and events. If we build it, they will come and they will eat and shop and spend time and money in our town.

Cooley: Retirements: Our Director Amy Charlesworth has informed us that in the next few years we will need to start looking for her replacement. In our search, all the commissioners will need to work together to choose the best candidate and help in the transition for their eventual takeover. As the longest current serving board member, my knowledge of past challenges and how they were addressed will be helpful to the new director and the board.

Customer Surveys: Late last year we did a customer survey to see what recreational needs if any are not being addressed. Soon the results of that survey will be presented to the board, at which time we will begin short and long range planning to try to meet and exceed those wishes. Facility improvements for customers with disabilities: From time to time public buildings are inspected to see if they are complying with the laws regarding accessibility for those with disabilities. A recent audit has found items that need to be addressed. Budgeting these improvements while maintaining our current programs and services, while adding the new items citizens have requested in the earlier mentioned survey will be difficult, and will lead to difficult choices.

Ennis: In my opinion, the most important issue is to continue updating and renovating the park district facilities. The park district has improved the parks and facilities over the last several years. I would like to see this trend continue, while maintaining a balanced budget. I am interested in the findings of the recent surveys conducted by the outside agency in the fall 2018.

Ford: One of the biggest issues the park district will have to face very soon will be the increase of minimum wage. We will have to work together to creatively find a way to increase salary. I believe it is very important to look at the budget as a whole and see how we can find a solution to this without automatically putting the cost onto the residents. Putting this cost back onto the residents will defeat the purpose of raising the minimum wage, to help parents and families have a better life.

Q. If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the park board? If you’re an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.

Andrejek: I have served as a park commissioner for two four-year terms. It has been an extremely rewarding experience serving on the board, and interacting with the park employees and community. In the years I’ve been on the board, our district, parks and facilities have seen significant improvement. First and foremost is the elimination of the deficit that occurred from decisions made many years ago. The district has been on firm financial footing for the past several years, and I intend to help keep it that way. In addition to this, there has been an ongoing dedication to maintaining and improving our parks and facilities to enhance the enjoyment and accessibility to the community, and to prevent a significant expense years down the road.

Bisesi: During my first term, I encouraged the board to accelerate the planned renovation of Waverly Park, due to its extreme state of disrepair. I also successfully pushed for a circular walking path at Waverly, based on residents’ urgings, which was not in the original plan. Additionally, I initiated a free weekly athletic program at the local grade schools to encourage fitness and bring recreation activities to children who may not have opportunities to participate otherwise. I discovered a grant to fund this program initially, which we were awarded, and it ran successfully for several years. Sadly, I was informed that this program ended due to lack of active participation. Regarding the pool, the longer hours of operation and extended swim season were due in large part to my persistence; I felt we needed to provide greater value to our pool pass holders. Lastly, I believe that I played a pivotal role in the recent independent study which sought input from residents about the direction they want to see us take. I have tirelessly brought forth recommendations from residents, including the need for an additional recreation facility. The study results should reveal the broader community perspective to clarify our direction.

Cooley: I grew up in Rolling Meadows and with my children have been very active in park district programs and classes. Additionally, my parents are active members in the Rolling Meadows Senior Center. This has provided me with the ability to see firsthand opportunities for improvements in programs and services for all ages. Some of my accomplishments during my 12 years as a park commissioner include: Keeping the facilities in good working condition — we recently renovated the kitchens and floors in the Community Center and Senior Center, we have been repaving various park district parking lots, we are building a beautiful park to replace the broken and underutilized Plum Grove Pool area, and we have added shade structures to parks. Additionally I have been involved in renovations of the following areas: Florey Park, South Salk Park, Waverly Park and Creekside Parks. At the Sports Complex we added a splash pad play area, updated the locker rooms and added swim suit spinner/dryers, and we added a Frisbee golf course. At the same time we eliminated a large recreation fund deficit. Please vote for me and help me continue to make our park district the best it can be.

Ennis: I was born and raised in Rolling Meadows. My daughters are the fourth generation to live here. I observed the energy and volunteer work that my grandparents, Carmen and Bernice Vinezeano, contributed to our church, schools and town. It is only appropriate that I give back to the town that gave so much to our family. My family has utilized the park district facilities and programs frequently over the years. I am eager to assist the board in any way that I can.

Ford: I am a newcomer to this election, running for the park board. It is a part of who I am to give back to the community and be involved whenever possible. I believe that bringing a fresh, new perspective is a positive move for any organization. I am one to look at all solutions possible, often times thinking outside of the box to find the best answer that will be most efficient and effective. This is a mindset that our park district already follows, and I think I can be a great addition. My husband and I moved to Rolling Meadows 10 years ago and will be staying here to raise our family. My family and children participate in numerous park district activities and programs: gymnastics, soccer, hockey, dance, summer camp, CARE and multiple family events. It is important to me to make connections within the place we call home and be a part of an institution that my family will continue to participate in for years to come.

Q. Which programs aren’t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?

Andrejek: The item that comes to mind when considering what doesn’t pay for itself is the pool. This is common among most public pools and it is something communities deal with because a pool is highly desirable in the summer heat. Despite the loss associated with it, I am not in favor of eliminating the Nelson Sports Complex pool, as I believe this is something the community enjoys and wishes to maintain. Additionally, this pool was enhanced with a splash pad a few years ago. The splash pad has the benefit of providing a varied experience without the extra costs of a larger pool (such as costs for more lifeguards). The pool that was previously located at Plum Grove Park was poorly attended and required major repairs to get it back to the point of being operational. Therefore, the board made the decision to close that pool and it is currently in the process of being made into a beautiful open space that will enhance the indoor venue already located there. I believe this was a fiscally sound decision that will improve the facilities, reduce operational costs, and allow more attention to the district’s premier pool at the sports complex.

Bisesi: Swimming pools rarely pay for themselves and ours is no exception. Whether we were staffing the pool or working with JEM for staffing, the pool lost money. The advantage we have with JEM is that our hours of operation have expanded and our season is longer because they have the ability to fill lifeguard spots with experienced guards from other pools, whereas prior to JEM, staffing was limited to hours when students were out of school. Despite the fact that owning and operating a swimming pool is a revenue drain, I still believe that it is an essential part of the community and should be maintained. Our dance program is in the process of being redeveloped, which I hope will make it more profitable and increase the number of classes offered for learning the fundamentals. I personally think that our gymnastics program is good, but it could be exceptional. We don’t lose money on it currently, but it could expand and provide advanced training and unique programming. I also feel that there are growth opportunities through the gymnastic program that would provide training in popular activities such as parkour, American Ninja Warrior, and competitive cheerleading and tumbling.

Cooley: Our park district offers a large selection of courses and programs with each one being evaluated independently. For most programs, if attendance is too low, the course is canceled or combined with a similar class. In addition, whenever possible, we partner with other park districts to expand options and opportunities.

Ennis: If a program is not paying for itself, before we would eliminate the program, I would like to learn more about the program. The program’s history, budgets and the trends, in the surrounding areas, are all vital components to making a decision such as this. It is my experience that once a program is eliminated it is difficult for it to return in the future. I’d like to discuss some strategies to improve the programs before eliminating them.

Ford: I believe that if a program is not paying for itself, it is best to think about ways to change it before automatically choosing to eliminate it. It is important to provide programming for a wide range of interests and ages. The park district already shares programming with surrounding park districts in order to bring more people in and keep a class or program open, and this is a great model to continue.

Q. Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.

Andrejek: Rolling Meadows is a mature community with little to no new residential development occurring. As such, the opportunity to acquire new open space is limited. If opportunities for more land present themselves, they should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to see if the acquisition makes sense.

Bisesi: Based on the results of the community surveys and focus groups, if the residents would like to move forward with a multiuse facility, then obviously we would need to purchase space to build one. We also need space to store our vehicles and park maintenance equipment. If we don’t end up building a multiuse facility that could accommodate room to store this equipment, then we should look into an alternative storage building that is centrally located.

Cooley: None at this time.

Ennis: I believe the priority of the park district is to continue to improve the buildings and space that they currently own. Updating would include continuing to ensure these properties are ADA compliant.

Ford: Rolling Meadows Park District already has numerous wonderful parks and facilities. I believe it is important to spend the money on improving, maintaining or changing the current locations, rather than look to acquire more land. It is important to stay within our means and remain fiscally responsible, rather than just look to build more and new.

Q. Are there any unmet recreational needs? If yes, what are they and how would you propose paying for them?

Andrejek: The staff at the park district is very good at coming up with new programs, figuring out a way to implement them, and then offering the new program to the public. The decision of whether or not those programs survive comes down to the public’s decision to enroll and participate or not. Over the years, I have seen programs that I was sure would be a hit, completely fail to gain interest, and vice versa. As such, I’ve learned to let those on the front line of recreation in the park district do their job.

Bisesi: Since my first election in 2011, I have been discussing the need for additional recreation space. Repeatedly during my tenure, I would hear from residents who championed this issue. This past year we took steps to explore the need through a series of focus groups and a community survey. The official results will be revealed next month. I am anxious to see if there is a consensus, so the board can decide how to move forward and discuss funding options. Additionally, I believe that our park district should focus more attention on programming for teenagers. There are very few opportunities for residents between the ages of 14 to 18. The feedback received, when this topic was addressed, was that it is challenging to work with this age group. Teenagers in camp were being disrespectful to the councilors, who were often just a few years older than them. Also, we were told that there is a low enrollment for this age group due to conflicting schedules. The solution, in my opinion, isn’t to abandon this age group, rather it is to find programming that would engage teens and hire mature staff who have experience working with this age group.

Cooley: We are anxiously awaiting the results of our very recent community survey. This will help us determine what if any recreational needs are being unmet, and we will devise plans to address them.

Ennis: After attending a focus group meeting, the members of the community, in attendance, voiced their concern with the lack of programming for children beyond preschool age. Again, I would be interested in the results of the focus group meetings and surveys as well as the trends locally and nationally.

Ford: When figuring out the unmet recreational needs, it is important to ask the residents. We have results from a comprehensive survey coming out very soon and this will give us great insight. It is not my place to say what we need and do not need — it is the residents. The residents are who we serve, not ourselves. In terms of paying for what the residents are interested in, again I believe it is important to work within our means. We need to remain financially responsible, and hopefully once elected and I am able to learn even more about how the park district functions, we can look at the big picture of the budget to find solutions.