About Peoria Park District

The oldest and largest park district in Illinois, the Peoria Park District encompasses nearly 60 square miles.  The value we provide to the community can be found in the ease of access to our parks and recreational programs.

Evidence has shown that when people have access to parks, recreational programs and to nature, their overall physical and psychological health improves.  The District’s own local community assessment survey found that 88% of residents believe the Peoria Park District is an important community partner for community health.

We are proud to be able to provide access to the great outdoors through our parks system and nature centers that host more than 50 miles of hiking and biking trails in and around Peoria.

Our variety of events and facilities throughout our community will keep you engaged and active.  Glen Oak Park is home to Peoria Zoo, Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum and Luthy Botanical Garden.  Throughout the District, we host all kinds of sports including softball, soccer, volleyball, tennis and more while Owens Center offers ice skating year-round!  Annually, hundreds of concerts, festivals and special events are featured on the Peoria RiverFront and in our parks, in addition to fun activities at Franciscan, Lakeview, Logan and Proctor Recreation Centers. And, of course, the RiverPlex, our state of the art, medically-based fitness center focuses on healthy and active lifestyles.

The Peoria Park District… there’s more to explore!

Park Board

The Peoria Park District is governed by a volunteer, elected Board of Trustees. Six trustees from three separate voting districts are elected for four-year terms. The Park Board President is elected at large for a four-year term. Board meetings are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. The public is invited to attend.

Staff

The District operates with a full-time staff of 161 people (as of 12/1/16 consisting of administrators, recreation programmers, police and facility maintenance personnel). In the summer and during other peak-activity periods, the Park District employs more than 1,400 people to fill part-time jobs. The staff at every level is extremely service-oriented, responding to the needs of the community.

To keep pace with community growth and desires, the Peoria Park District employs a professional design staff to oversee the planning, design and construction of new parks, as well as improvements to existing parks and facilities. In order to meet the expanding recreational needs of Peoria area residents, the Park District forms cooperative agreements with a variety of local concerns, both public and private, finding solutions to problems arising with specific-interest leisure programs. The agreements range from formal policy statements and written contracts to mutual understandings and verbal agreements. Whether facilities or recreation programmers are needed, the Park District is prepared to help. In keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the district also makes reasonable accommodation to disabled individuals who meet essential eligibility requirements.