DeKalb Park District’s top exec reflects on 2024

DeKALB – DeKalb Park District Executive Director Paul Zepezauer said the park district had a busy year in 2024.

He said the park district prides itself on what it accomplished over this past year and has yet to achieve in 2025.

Zepezauer said he’s pleased by the direction the park district is going.

“It’s a really exciting time to be a part of the DeKalb Park District just everything that’s happening in DeKalb on the south side of 88 and within the city is moving in a positive direction,” Zepezauer said. “It’s allowing for us to start to get caught back up on our deferred maintenance.”

During 2024, the park district completed a number of improvement projects, including renovations to the Hopkins Park playground, paved and seal-coated the nature trail near FNBO Bank just past the country club, some vehicle replacements, and repaved Boardman Park.

“We’ve got some vehicles that are about 15 years old,” Zepezauer said. “We’ve been on a rotating cycle of trying to do a couple a year. The last few years, we’ve been able to do probably about three a year. So, we’re trying to keep up on that.”

In 2025, the district will have more improvement projects in store.

Zepezauer said the district will continue to invest in athletic field improvements at Hopkins Park, in the golf courses, in the facilities, the Sports and Recreation Center and Hopkins Pool.

Demolition had picked up at Hopkins Pool last month.

Zepezauer said the project remains on schedule.

“We anticipate construction starting over the summer and completing in 2026,” he said.

Another project making inroads is the district’s plans for League of Women Voters Park. Officials recently received an Open Space Land Acquisition Development grant from the state to help propel the project forward.

Zepezauer said the grant funding will be a big help to the district.