The best planners cannot always be right, however. Listed near the bottom of the priority list for land acquisition was what was then known as the Belke property, east of Oketo Avenue just north of 79th Street. At that time, this property was poorly drained marsh land upon which was located four steel radio tower used to guide airplanes into Midway Airport as they landed. (At that time, Midway was the busiest airport in the world with a plane either taking off or landing every forty seconds!) There were also giant ant hills on the property measuring ten feet across and two feet high.
The Board concurred with residents that this property should be bought for park use instead of for commercial development and negotiated the purchase of the property upon which WIERZBA MEMORIAL PARK is now located.
Named in 1968 after Edward Wierzba, the first local fatality in Vietnam. It has turned out to be the most extensively used recreational open land in all of Bridgeview.
In order to provide some programs until funding became available, the Park District made arrangements with the school district to lease space and hold activities in the local schools. The first year a summer program was held for children which included arts and crafts, athletic contests, swimming at the now defunct Guidish Pool, and field trips. For adults there were dance classes, a very successful garden club, and a little theatre group.
When the 23 acres of land on which COMMISSIONERS PARK, at 81st and Oketo, is located was first acquired the house on the property was supposed to be demolished. The Park Board was persuaded to save it since the District had no other building of its own. Primarily using volunteer labor, the building was completely remodeled over a period of a year. It became the Park headquarters with business offices, a board room, rest rooms, kitchen, and a large meeting room.
The acquisition of land was slow and it took a long time to complete. It happened parcel by parcel over a ten year period. As the land was purchased, the Park Commissioners and other residents volunteered many hours of their time to grade and seed the land and to install park equipment. These "Founding" volunteers and the many volunteers that have followed through the years have become the core of our Park District.
In 1973, some of the parks were still marsh land. A full-time park director, Michael Budde, had been hired. Baseball diamonds, cyclone fences, backstops or batting cages had been installed at Wierzba and Founders Parks. A few pieces of used playground equipment had also been installed at Wierzba Park, but not much else had been done. The task facing the Park Board at this time was to provide park drainage and landscape, so the parks could be used. An engineering firm was employed to help solve these problems.
Also at this time, the Park District developed a Senior Citizen Club which held its meetings in the village's library. This club developed into the Bridgeview Senior Citizens which expanded into an additional senior's club called the Bridgeview Golden Agers. The Park District helped these groups get started and continues to support the large senior population of our town by giving yearly grants to their organizations.
It was decided that drainage fields of underground tiles should be installed in Wierzba and Founders Parks. Contracts were bid out and drainage fields installed. These were tied into the just completed village storm sewers. The parks were also graded and seeded, so they could then be used for their intended purpose.
Commissioners Park had several problems too. It being the largest of the parks, was criss-crossed with dedicated but undeveloped village streets. It couldn't be worked as a single unit until those streets were given to the Park District by the village. The then seated Park Board petitioned the village who in cooperation with the Park District gave them the streets. Work could now begin to improve the land.
As the Park District began to mature, it's needs and priorities changed. Gone were the days when land purchases of 10 to 20 acres could be accomplished. Bridgeview had grown and much of the land was already built upon. The need changed from growth to development. In 1979, the steps to develop began.
Although there were limited funds to work with, the Board set its sights on Wierzba Park as the first park to receive some development. Up until this time, a park in Bridgeview was a flat piece of land with a baseball diamond and a few pieces of play equipment. For the first time, trees were planted, pathways put in, landscaping undertaken, and water fountains installed. It was quite an attention grabber to see a few trees being planted along Oketo Avenue in Wierzba Park.
An opportunity presented itself to the
Park District by Midland Savings and Loan during the
summer of 1979. The bank looked
to the Park District for additional land for their increased parking needs and the Park
Commissioners seized upon this unique opportunity. The Board proposed that the Yankee
Doodle Dandy Restaurant, which was next to and owned by Midland, be moved on to the park
land now known as Meuhe Park with Midland paying for the project and in return
receiving a lease for the property they needed. Midland agreed to this, moved the
building, poured a new foundation, set it in place and paved a new parking lot for use by
Park District residents. The building was renovated for recreational purposes and is now
home to many Park District programs.
Although park development was the idea of the day in 1979, that didn't mean recreational programs stopped. New programs were introduced such as an annual snowball softball tournament, belly dancing, and computers.
It was the years 1980 to 1983 that changed the appearance of the Park District forever. In the fall of 1979, the Park applied for a matching grant from the Illinois Department of Conservation for the specific purpose of park development. In the spring of 1980, the district received word that Bridgeview was one of the few park districts whose grant had been approved in an amount exceeding $100,000. The Park district had $100,000 of it's own money, so combined with the grant, this money was pledged to transform the Park District.
The major portion of the work was done from the summer of 1980 to the spring of 1982. In that time 400 trees, 800 shrubs, 3 miles of asphalt, 2 outdoor shelters, 2 parking lots, thousands of cubic yards of dirt and 2000 pounds of grass seed were planted, poured and constructed. Each park was given a new, improved look to further enhance resident use.
In January of 1980, the Park District bought a bus to be used to transport program participants. The bus was used for summer Camp and adult trips, as well as by local community groups. Since its purchase, the vehicle has traveled countless miles to provide recreational enjoyment.
Tax relief by the Park District was 10 years ahead of Cook County when in September, 1981, the Park Board boldly announced a tax levy decrease of $42,000. In succeeding years, the Park limited taxes, and in fact, taxed below the allowable limit in 1983 and for many years thereafter.
In 1983, another park site was dedicated. Named FOUNDERS PARK in 1982 in recognition to those who took a chance and chose to make Bridgeview their home in the early 1900's and thereafter, it had a tennis court, a ballfield and a shelter.
Also in the early 1980's, with the Southfield Park being rebuilt which included the new building for recreational purposes, it was decided it should have a new name better suited to the community. A cue was taken from the naming of Wierzba Park, MEUHE PARK was named in 1980 for a young man from the Southfield subdivision who was also killed in Vietnam.
Recreational programs continued to expand during this time, but the small office building on Ferdinand Avenue afforded few opportunities for large programs and activities. Only after the building at Meuhe Park was completed did the opportunity arise to expand programming. Two new preschool classes were added, aerobics classes were introduced, and finally there was a building to house a summer program for children. Also, with the newly developed parks, came many outdoor activities such as summer concerts, fireworks on the Fourth of July and soccer.
The end of 1983 saw the existing facilities filled to capacity and a need for more space - Again! The Park Board undertook the task of examining what the next step would be for the Park District, and what facility would best meet the demands of a growing community, as well as be affordable.
The end result was the present day Pool and Sports Complex. It's concept was announced in the spring of 1984. The facility would include an outdoor pool, a new home for the administration offices and Preschool classes (The longest running Park Program to date!) , a weight room in anticipation of the 80's health craze, a multi purpose room for crafts and meetings, exercise area and locker rooms.
Much work and planning lay ahead, and the Park District set about the task. In the late fall of 1984, ground was broken for the new building. Work was halted in January and February of 1985 when record cold temperatures hit the Chicago area, but in March it was able to pick up again. The Park District acted as the general contractor which resulted in considerable savings but also resulted in considerable headaches and problems.
Undaunted, though, the Park District held true to it's July 1985 opening date. The air-conditioning wasn't installed yet, and the racquetball courts were still unfinished; only the bare essentials greeted the new pool users, but in their enthusiasm, neither the staff nor the swimmers noticed. Cool and refreshing water was their reward. Bridgeview finally had a pool!!
The project cost $850,000 and the taxpayers bill went up, as promised, $4.20 a year. The Park District had the building and now the recreation department took the on the job to fill it up. And how they did....with racquetball and wallyball leagues, aerobics and exercise classes, craft classes, preschool, weightroom users, and 3,000 pool users per year!
There was finally more room for programs which all meant more for the Bridgeview Park District resident.
Traditions have become the norm for Park District Programs and also the specialty. The Haunted house, Lunch with Santa, Breakfast with the Easter Bunny are among the annual special events sponsored by the Park District and enjoyed by the many Park residents.
The Park District has also worked hard to instill a spirit of cooperation with all of the village's organizations, especially the Village of Bridgeview and all of it's departments and the John A. Oremus Community Center.
The Park District never stops changing. In the early part of 1989, all six park sites were upgraded with new equipment, soccer fields and graded fields. The interior and exterior of Meuhue Park Rec Center were remodeled, as well.
And as the Park District entered the 90's it continued to move forward. The beginning of these changes was the construction of a much needed new and improved maintenance facility at Wierzba Park . The Property on which it is built is known as the Belke property. August Belke and his wife originally bought the land in 1905. When their home burned down in1911, Belke erected a house he purchased as a unit from Sears Roebuck & Co. This house and a concrete storage shed which stood behind the Belke House still stand on the property as a way of keeping part of Bridgeview's history alive.
In the early part of the 90's Phase II of the sports complex was completed. The main part of this new addition was a gymnasium surrounded , on the second level, by a padded running track. These, along with a dance/aerobics room, newer and larger fitness room, additional meeting space and an elevator to make the building accessible to everyone, completed the plan put in motion a decade ago.It was a new beginning for the Park District the opportunities for new programming were endless youth basketball leagues were formed, gymnastics and cheerleading classes were offered, the floor space and bleachers in the gym offered a new location for many seasonal special events as well as a "rainy day" location for outdoor activities. It seemed as though the Park had finally reached somewhat of an end, adequate facilities were now in place, parks were up to date and being used by many residents daily, the recreational life in Bridgeview was good. In the true spirit of the Park District it was decided "DON'T STOP THERE" but what else could they do??
The answer to that question came in October 1995 when the Park District purchased the Saints Spectrum Ice Arena. Renamed for the Park District the Ice arena underwent a modest bit of remodeling during the first year a coat of paint here, a new carpet there and the mechanical systems received some much needed attention. The Park District now offers open skating, rat hockey, ice rentals and is the home of the youth hockey club the Chicago Hawks.In cooperation with the Chicago Hawks learn to skate programs are offered throughout the year for even the smallest hockey enthusiast. Now you would think the limit has been reached... right??
During it's history, the Bridgeview Park District has strived to serve the park district residents to the best of it's ability. Your elected Park District Commissioners, Park staff, and Park volunteers work together toward the goal of dedicated service to the community, and will continue to do so!!!!!!!