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Resident urges park, health and gathering-space upgrades after village visioning workshop
Summary
At the May 15 Hanover Park Board meeting, resident Andrew Morawski urged the board to translate a recent community visioning workshop into concrete park amenities — benches with tables, exercise “squares,” and a track-style facility — to increase community interaction and local activity.
Andrew Morawski, a Hanover Park resident, used the meeting’s public-comment period to summarize proposals he said grew from a community visioning workshop held the night before and to urge the board to pursue place-based park improvements.
“Five minutes is a very short time,” Morawski said, describing the workshop and then listing ideas he said would give residents reasons to stay in and visit Hanover Park. “My main question was, what do you see exciting in Hanover Park that makes it worth living here or visiting?”
Morawski proposed 10 small “island” gathering areas near the village lake, each with about five benches and tables intended to encourage conversation and community interaction. He also suggested a tartan-track or stadium-style running area and “10 14-by-14 exercise squares divided by quick hedges” with simple equipment for stretching and short routines.
A trustee responding at the meeting said some of the amenities Morawski described already exist in parts of the village and encouraged him to explore park-district programming, adding that the Village’s Community Development Department had hosted the visioning workshop and was working to pull ideas together.
Morawski said his proposals draw on 30 years of corporate management and civic experience and offered to share a professional profile with the board. Village staff agreed to accept materials he left by the microphone and email the board copies.
Why it matters: Morawski framed his suggestions as ways to increase daily activity and social connection in Hanover Park rather than as large-scale housing or commercial development. He emphasized small, distributed investments in public space and health-related facilities as a route to “lifestyle improvement and something interesting to be here.”
Meeting context: Morawski’s remarks occurred during the town-hall/public-comment portion of the board meeting and followed a community visioning workshop held the previous evening. Board members and staff acknowledged the workshop and encouraged continued resident engagement; no formal motions or funding decisions were made at the meeting in response to his remarks.
