Park & Recreation
The Village of Lake Zurich’s Park and Recreation Department strives to enrich the quality of life for our community through the commitment to maximize the value of our parks and services, environmental stewardship, and provide a diversity of uses and recreational opportunities across the complete age spectrum. The Park and Recreation Department is a municipal department under the jurisdiction of the Village of Lake Zurich. There is no separate tax levied to fund the cost of operations for programs, facilities or parks. The department is comprised of 3 full time staff, 4 part time staff and operates four signature programs with approximately 105 seasonal team members, aquatics, Academy of Performing Arts (APA) dance, Yellow Brick Road (YBR) Preschool/early childhood programs and summer day camp. The Department also works with a variety of affiliates (LZBSA, Ela Soccer, Flames Football, etc.) and independent contractors to utilize our properties appropriately and expand upon desired program offerings to the community.
The Village of Lake Zurich’s Park and Recreation Department facilitates programs and services from the Paulus Park Barn, Chalet, Buffalo Creek Buildings A and B, and works to oversee 247 acres of park property throughout the Village’s 32 parks. Amenities at our park properties include an arboretum, two beaches, 22 playgrounds, ten baseball fields, ten soccer fields, four basketball court locations, six volleyball courts, three tennis court locations, five fishing locations, 12 picnic pavilions, a skate park, sled hill, and miles of biking and hiking trails. The Department works to seek out and obtain grants to assist with park facilities and property updates and renovations such as the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant thru the IDNR. Annually the Village of Lake Zurich invests in the playground renovation plan which was created and is managed by the Department. It has been included in the Village of Lake Zurich’s Capital Improvement Fund.
The Department offers picnic shelter reservations seasonally. The Village has over 13 different picnic shelters at 10 parks throughout the town of which the 4 at Paulus Park are available for reservation for a nominal daily fee (if not reserved, they are used on a first-come, first-serve basis; all picnic shelters with the exception of the 4 at Paulus are utilized on a first-come, first serve basis).
The Department coordinates over 30 events annually that utilize Village parkland and facilities with over 30,000 in overall attendance. The top attended Village operated events in years past included July 4th Independence Day Celebration (8,000), Rock the Block (8,000), Farmers Market (1,000 avg. per week; 15 event days total), Miracle on Main Street (3,000) and annual Egg Hunt (1,000+). Per the Department’s Special Events Program, the Department does work with local organizations to assist with and host external event operations on Village property such as the Lake Zurich Triathlon, Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers 5K, Taste of the Towns, Boy and Girl Scouts Overnight Camping events and Alpine Races. The Department does offer a variety of event sponsorship opportunities that assist in covering operational costs and works closely with the Park and Recreation Advisory Board and the Mayor’s Office to reach out to potential community sponsors.
Contact Us
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Main Office and Registration
200 S. Rand Road
Lake Zurich, IL 60047
Main Phone: 847-438-5146
Fax: 847-380-5471
Email Ask Park Rec
Bonnie Caputo
Recreation Director
Direct: (847) 540-5068
Email: Bonnie Caputo
Elke Kadzielawski
Recreation Supervisor
Direct: (847) 540-5075
Email Elke Kadzielawski
Jenna Stanonik
Recreation Supervisor
Direct: (847) 719-2462
Email Jenna Stanonik
Paulus Park Beach Gatehouse
Direct: (847) 540-5067
Hours
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. walk-ins
2 p.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment only