Naperville Park District officials apologized Thursday for network issues that affected the signup for spring and summer activities earlier in the week, which saw a record number of registrations.
Mary Gibson, president of the Naperville Park Board, said she “had a flashback of trying to get Taylor Swift tickets” when she encountered the system problems.
“The whole process was frustrating and confusing and took way longer than registration normally does,” she said.
District Executive Director Brad Wilson said the situation was caused by an update done by registration software vendor ACTIVENet, which is now removed.
“We apologize for the issues our customers experienced earlier this week, and we will work with ACTIVENet to avoid similar incidents from occurring,” Wilson said.
On a positive note, the park district had its largest first day of registration for spring programs and summer camps on record, up 40% over 2022 and 117% compared to 2019, he said. Nearly 2,000 more people registered on the first day this year.
“Staff has already started the process of filling open programs, expanding classes and adding more offerings when possible to accommodate as many participants as possible,” Wilson said. “We will continue this process over the next several weeks, and we appreciate everyone’s patience as our staff works to meet the increased programming needs of the community.”
In addition, the board was given details about two Naperville playgrounds makeovers and renovations planned at one of the district golf courses.
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Contracts for work to be done at Wil-O-Way Commons, 1408 W. Jefferson Ave., and Timber Creek Park playgrounds and Naperbrook Golf Course were approved Thursday.
Wil-O-Way has a price tag of $197,905, while Timber Creek Park will cost $98,356. Both projects are slated to start in the spring and will take eight to 12 weeks to complete. The contracts went to Play Illinois and BCI Burke Co.
“We’re excited to renovate the playgrounds at Wil-O-Way Commons and Timber Creek Park as part of our 2023 capital plan,” Wilson said. “We appreciate all of the feedback received from residents through our community outreach, including online project surveys, which greatly assisted with selecting new play equipment for each of the parks.”
The golf course renovation contract for $166,400 went to Martin Design Partnership. The two-phase project will build a new 18th hole this summer so the current 18th green can be transformed into a chipping/bunker practice area by 2025.
Golf Director Kevin Carlson said the work will “address the significant increase in use and enhance enjoyment by golfers.”
Giles Bruce is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
