With more than 25 outdoor tennis courts, and Courts Plus earning the United States Tenn

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Elmhurst Park District will be keeping East End Pool and Smalley Pool closed for the 2020 swim season.

Sugar Creek Golf Course is now open for limited play, golf only!  Some of the guidelines set forth by the Illinois Department of Commerce includ

Elmhurst Park District has compiled a list of phone numbers, websites & emails that may be useful for seniors & caregivers during the shelter at home order.

All in-person AARP events and activities will now be cancelled until June 1, 2020, as we continue our precautions against the COVID-19 Coronavirus"

Registration for 2020-2021 Rec Station, which was to take place April 1, is postponed until further notice. Information about the new date will be posted on epd.org when it becomes available.

Yesterday we posted a reminder that playgrounds are closed by order of the Governor and that while it’s okay to be in parks to walk, bike or jog, it is not acceptable to be in large groups. Many people chose to disregard the Governor’s order, and we received an abundance of responses from people expressing concern about the volume of people in the parks playing on playgrounds and gathering on athletic fields and courts.

As a result, the Park District is taking further action to highly discourage those people who are ignoring the order by the Governor. Beginning today, “closed” signs will be placed near every playground. Playgrounds will be roped off with caution tape. Rims will be removed from basketball courts. Tennis courts and the skate park will be locked. And soccer and lacrosse goals will be removed from athletic fields.

To do all of those things, we will be asking our staff to leave the safety of their homes and expose themselves to surfaces that have been touched by thousands of people in the last two weeks. Any of whom could be infected.

We are also working cooperatively with the City of Elmhurst and the Elmhurst Police Department, and they are ready to assist with enforcement by dispersing people who do not follow the Governor’s order. Park ambassadors will also be making rounds in the parks. And while they can all try to do their part to disperse people from the playgrounds or push out groups of people on ball fields and courts, their efforts are only temporary until those same people simply return once they’re gone.

All that being said, we implore any of you who took part in the discouraged activity to seriously reconsider your actions. Please do not make us take the next step of closing down the community parks entirely. We want people to be able to get outside to get fresh air and go for a walk, but if this type of blatant disregard for the safety of others continues, we will be forced to do so.

Asking people to stay at home is tough on all of us. But in the words of Simon Sinek, we all must suffer a little so no one has to suffer a lot.

On behalf of the Board of Park Commissioners please take this seriously! Do your part to flatten the curve and save lives!

Jim Rogers
Executive Director

Due to the recent facility closures we want to inform you of our current plans regarding refunds and credits:

• Memberships: Courts Plus members who have paid in full will have their membership extended for the length of the closure. For example; if we are closed for 3 weeks you will have a 3 week extension on your membership. Members who are on installment billing will not be charged during the closure. Accounts will be adjusted accordingly when facilities reopen and billing resumes.
• Rentals and Parties: We are currently working with rentals through May 15. If your party has been scheduled during this time we will be happy to refund or reschedule your event without a cancellation or rescheduling fee.
• Rec Station, Sunbeams & Rainbows, and other programs with automatic billing will NOT be charged or billed during the closure. All automatic billings and payments are suspended until we reopen.
• All paid events that were scheduled to take place during the closure will be refunded automatically at this time. You do not need to request a refund.
• Currently, all programs are on hold. We are working on plans to reschedule or cancel, and we will process credits and refunds when facilities reopen.

If you have any questions regarding our refund policy, please use the Contact form on our website. We will do our best to respond to you Monday-Friday between 9am-5pm. We thank you for your patience and understanding. We value you as a customer and look forward to serving you again in the near future.
 
Please note that the above mentioned refund practices are being offered during this special closure and are not our standard policies.

Art classes are being offered online by Marie Strauch. There is a small fee for each class of just $8.

Join our virtual Earth Day Contest & Celebration this week and you'll have a chance to win a $50 gift card to a local restaurant!

"On Call Hero" Blood Drives Sponsored by Elmhurst Community