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Palos Heights recreation department reports higher participation, steady finances in 2025
Summary
City staff reported increased program participation across youth and adult offerings in 2025, growth at the Fitness Center and higher pool revenues, and plans for updated master and strategic plans in 2026.
The Palos Heights Recreation Department told the Recreation Committee on Feb. 10 that participation and revenues rose in 2025 across multiple programs. Director of Parks and Recreation Matt Fairbanks and Superintendent Rachel Bauer reported the department ran 679 programs with just over 4,000 participants, recorded 128 cancelled programs (a 19% cancellation rate), and saw Fitness Center membership exceed 1,600.
Fairbanks and Bauer provided attendance and revenue details for notable offerings: the Noon Year’s Eve event drew 204 people; youth basketball registered 524 participants; the Playbook and social media remain primary public outreach channels. Department officials said pool pass sales increased by about $66,000 and daily admissions rose to 30,658, producing a pool surplus of $48,385.81 for 2025. Staff also noted that adoption of Silver Sneakers and Renew Active helped Fitness Center performance.
The department said it is updating its Master Redevelopment Plan, Recreation Program Plan and Strategic Development Plan in 2026 to guide future programming and facilities work. City Administrator Adam Jasinski also mentioned exploring a quarterly report in residents' water bills to share department news.
