Lake Forest is bringing in an outside voice as the new director of its parks and recreation department.
City officials have announced the hiring of Michael Wick, the Gurnee Park District’s recreation director, as the new leader of Lake Forest’s parks and recreation department, according to a city statement.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to serve as the next director of parks and recreation director at the City of Lake Forest,” Wick said in the statement. “I’m incredibly excited to begin working with the community and staff to build upon the department’s strong foundation.”
Wick comes to Lake Forest after a little more than five years as Gurnee’s recreation director. Besides Gurnee, Wick has worked at both the Elk Grove and Waukegan park districts, as well as the Wauwatosa, Wisconsin school district, according to the city.
“A record number of new families have moved into Lake Forest in recent years, making it an exciting time for Lake Forest Parks and Recreation,” City Manager Jason Wicha said in a statement. “Mike’s background makes him uniquely qualified to lead the department in shaping the future of recreational experiences for our exceptional community.”
Wick will start his new role on May 13. He will have an annual salary of $175,000, Human Resources Director Amber Campbell said.
Wick’s responsibilities in Lake Forest will include presiding over the city’s 15 parks, plus other facilities, trails and recreation programs, according to the city statement. The recreation department has a $10.1 million operating budget with 23 full-time and 360 part-time and seasonal employees, noted city spokeswoman Dana Olson.
Among the largest items will be the presiding over Deerpath Community Park, which recently underwent a $16.4 million renovation. Among the upgrades in the park, it has eight cameras permitting people to watch replays or live broadcasts, Olson added.
The city has scheduled a showcasing of the refurbished park for Saturday morning.
Wick moves into the position previously occupied by longtime director Sally Swarthout, who retired in January.
Since Swarthout’s retirement, Joe Mobile has served as interim director. He will now go back to being the department’s superintendent of recreation.
Lake Forest is one of the rare North Shore communities where the parks operation is within the municipal government. In most cases, communities have a separate park district.
