The Niles Park District board honored one commissioner as she stepped down and welcomed another commissioner as he joined the board at Tuesday's regular monthly meeting.
Though Elaine Heinen, the longtime commissioner who stepped down, was not able to be at the meeting, board president Dennis O'Donovan read the inscription on a plaque honoring her service.
Joe LoVerde, executive director of the park district, said the district would plant a tree in her honor. He noted Heinen had been part of the park district when it built Golf View Recreation Center and remodeled Oasis Fun Center and Grennan Heights Park, among many other things.
The commissioners appointed Patrick Byrne to replace Heinen on the board. Byrne had served on the Niles Elementary District 71 (Culver School) board for eight years.
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"I enjoyed being involved with Culver School, being on the board, and I thought I’d step away for a little while," he said when asked what interested him in applying for the park board vacancy.
"My kids have been involved in the park district before they could walk almost, I think being involved in the village is an important thing for anybody, so I threw my hat into the ring and was fortunate to be chosen. Its’ a tall order to follow in footsteps of Elaine Heinen."
Heinen has been experiencing health challenges for many months, and LoVerde said she has moved to a residential facility in Arlington Heights. Commissioners must live within the district's boundaries, and the move made her ineligible to serve.
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