scott krone
wilmette park district board
candidate video
responses to voter guide questions
1. Why are you running for park board, what are your qualifications and what term number will it be for you if elected?
My names is Scott Krone and I am running for Wilmette Park Board. A little bit about myself.
I grew up in Winnetka, and we chose to raise our children in Wilmette – due to the Park District. Our children are grown and left for college. We are now at a stage in life where I believe it is time, I can serve the community. I have a Master’s in Architecture, and have worked in development, architecture and construction for the past 30+ years. I have taught college architecture. I have served on the numerous association boards, not for profit boards, and have worked with various churches to improve their campuses. I have worked on both commercial and residential projects ranging for $100,000 to $1,000,000. A significant portion of the work I have done has been here in Wilmette. I designed and built the first green home in Wilmette. It was awarded the International Good Green Design award, and was one of two homes in the US to receive the recognition. I have worked on close to a combined half a billion in construction. I am very familiar with all the types of work required to maintain our Park District’s facilities. I believe my experience can be a vital role on the Board to help discern what is appropriate with respect to budgets, programs, costs, and expectations. This will be my first term if elected.
2. What are your priorities for Wilmette Park District (WPD) and how will you work with the board and park district staff to address them?
We have great facilities. It is my priority to maintain them in a green and fiscal manner. Many of our friends have left Wilmette due to the taxes once their children graduate from NT. It is my goal to ensure the Park District is fiscally responsible, in order to keep our taxes at a reasonable level. I believe we first need to prioritize what is needed, and then spend appropriately. For instance, the infrastructure for Gilson was on the referendum almost 10 years ago, and has not been addressed. However, Lakeview Center was made a bigger priority with an original renovation budget of $600,000 – which is approximately the cost of a new construction home for that size. The current spend is now close to $2.0mm. My other goal is to keep the parks – parks. There needs to be a balance between amenities and green spaces. The vast majority of issues neighbors have raised to me is the balance of amenities and parks. In 2022 Illinois Landmark’s listed Gilson as an endangered site due to the proposed structures being added. We need to preserve the resources we have.
3. What is WPD’s role in protecting green spaces and the environment?
Parks is in the job description. My landscape architecture professor was Alfred Caldwell. He and Jens Jensen were responsible for designing many of the parks in the City of Chicago and the North Shore. His counsel ring is a famous detail, and we are fortunate to have them in our parks. Part of what Caldwell emphasized was utilizing the resources found in the natural habitat. Not only should we utilize them, it should also be a high priority to protect the natural resources of the community. This includes properly maintaining trees and planting native trees. Like all things in life, there is a natural life cycle to trees. In order to protect the trees, they require maintenance, and replacement. It is important we develop a plan for replacing trees.
4. How can the board balance the concerns of specific neighborhoods with WPD development and activities?
First and foremost, listen to all perspectives and learn what are the underlying concerns. As a developer, we constantly have to balance the requirements of the municipality with the needs of our client. It takes experience and a willingness to understand what are the driving factors and responses. That allows one to use creativity to formulate an appropriate design that is acceptable from both perspectives. This was a fundamental component of my architectural education.
5. Do you see opportunities to align WPD practices with its Statement of Inclusion and, if so, where?
Currently, the Board has a $9.00mm surplus in their budget. The typical expenditures are $3.00mm. This year’s budget is $13.00mm. The results are the Park District’s revenues and expenses are extremely high. If we were are to maintain and preserve our facilities in a fiscally responsible way, we have the ability to ensure our revenue structure provides the opportunity for all to participate. We are the host parents for three students at Northwestern. They are from the Congo, Rwanda and South Sudan. We work with inner city programs like GRIP for Youth and Boys Hope Girls Hope. We have used the Park District’s amenities to help expose students to opportunities they would not normally have – sailing, swimming, and having fun on the beach. Each and every time we have share Wilmette’s resources with those less fortunate, the common response is always, always, “this was an incredible day”. How great is it to share something so wonderful and make a young person’s day, summer or even their year.
My names is Scott Krone and I am running for Wilmette Park Board. A little bit about myself.
I grew up in Winnetka, and we chose to raise our children in Wilmette – due to the Park District. Our children are grown and left for college. We are now at a stage in life where I believe it is time, I can serve the community. I have a Master’s in Architecture, and have worked in development, architecture and construction for the past 30+ years. I have taught college architecture. I have served on the numerous association boards, not for profit boards, and have worked with various churches to improve their campuses. I have worked on both commercial and residential projects ranging for $100,000 to $1,000,000. A significant portion of the work I have done has been here in Wilmette. I designed and built the first green home in Wilmette. It was awarded the International Good Green Design award, and was one of two homes in the US to receive the recognition. I have worked on close to a combined half a billion in construction. I am very familiar with all the types of work required to maintain our Park District’s facilities. I believe my experience can be a vital role on the Board to help discern what is appropriate with respect to budgets, programs, costs, and expectations. This will be my first term if elected.
2. What are your priorities for Wilmette Park District (WPD) and how will you work with the board and park district staff to address them?
We have great facilities. It is my priority to maintain them in a green and fiscal manner. Many of our friends have left Wilmette due to the taxes once their children graduate from NT. It is my goal to ensure the Park District is fiscally responsible, in order to keep our taxes at a reasonable level. I believe we first need to prioritize what is needed, and then spend appropriately. For instance, the infrastructure for Gilson was on the referendum almost 10 years ago, and has not been addressed. However, Lakeview Center was made a bigger priority with an original renovation budget of $600,000 – which is approximately the cost of a new construction home for that size. The current spend is now close to $2.0mm. My other goal is to keep the parks – parks. There needs to be a balance between amenities and green spaces. The vast majority of issues neighbors have raised to me is the balance of amenities and parks. In 2022 Illinois Landmark’s listed Gilson as an endangered site due to the proposed structures being added. We need to preserve the resources we have.
3. What is WPD’s role in protecting green spaces and the environment?
Parks is in the job description. My landscape architecture professor was Alfred Caldwell. He and Jens Jensen were responsible for designing many of the parks in the City of Chicago and the North Shore. His counsel ring is a famous detail, and we are fortunate to have them in our parks. Part of what Caldwell emphasized was utilizing the resources found in the natural habitat. Not only should we utilize them, it should also be a high priority to protect the natural resources of the community. This includes properly maintaining trees and planting native trees. Like all things in life, there is a natural life cycle to trees. In order to protect the trees, they require maintenance, and replacement. It is important we develop a plan for replacing trees.
4. How can the board balance the concerns of specific neighborhoods with WPD development and activities?
First and foremost, listen to all perspectives and learn what are the underlying concerns. As a developer, we constantly have to balance the requirements of the municipality with the needs of our client. It takes experience and a willingness to understand what are the driving factors and responses. That allows one to use creativity to formulate an appropriate design that is acceptable from both perspectives. This was a fundamental component of my architectural education.
5. Do you see opportunities to align WPD practices with its Statement of Inclusion and, if so, where?
Currently, the Board has a $9.00mm surplus in their budget. The typical expenditures are $3.00mm. This year’s budget is $13.00mm. The results are the Park District’s revenues and expenses are extremely high. If we were are to maintain and preserve our facilities in a fiscally responsible way, we have the ability to ensure our revenue structure provides the opportunity for all to participate. We are the host parents for three students at Northwestern. They are from the Congo, Rwanda and South Sudan. We work with inner city programs like GRIP for Youth and Boys Hope Girls Hope. We have used the Park District’s amenities to help expose students to opportunities they would not normally have – sailing, swimming, and having fun on the beach. Each and every time we have share Wilmette’s resources with those less fortunate, the common response is always, always, “this was an incredible day”. How great is it to share something so wonderful and make a young person’s day, summer or even their year.