New Oswegoland Park District board member experienced in parks, recreation

Bob Ijams may not be a longtime Oswego resident, but he has more than ample experience in parks and recreation to earn an appointment to the Oswegoland Park District board.

He was sworn in at the board’s Aug. 17 meeting to fill a vacancy that had been filled during the last election but was vacated last month.

Jeff Downs, who was elected to the board in April, submitted his resignation last month before even officially attending a meeting to be sworn in. Rich Zielke, executive director, told board members at the July meeting that Downs notified him he had moved outside the district since being elected.

Ijams tossed his hat into the ring along with four other residents, and was chosen to serve on the board.

For the past 16 years, Ijams’ career has been spent working with park districts and recreation departments to plan and design various capital improvement projects including parks, sports complexes, play environments, trails and splash pads.

“Bob heads Wight and Co. Parks and Recreation practice, has guided 20 agencies through the Comprehensive Master Planning process and has helped secure more than $10 million in grant funding,” Zielke said.

Ijams has been director of parks and recreation for Wight and Co. in Darien since 2015. From June 2001 to May 2015, he was senior landscape architect and project manager for Hitchcock Design Group of Naperville.

“Ijams spent the last two years serving as a board member on the Oswegoland Park Foundation, making him quite familiar with the park district,” Zielke added.

Ijams said parks and recreation was one of his passions out of college so he decided to seek the board position to get involved and give back something back to the community.

Zielke said Ijams and his family have been a part of the Oswego community since 2011, adding that his two school-age children have participated in the district’s preschool, soccer and gymnastics programs.

He has been connected with the Illinois Association of Park Districts, Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, National Recreation and Park Association, National Playground Safety Institute, South Suburban Park and Recreation Professional Association, and serves on the board of the Oswegoland Park Foundation.