At July's meeting of the Skokie Park District Board of Commissioners, the board voted unanimously to rename Lawler Park, located at 10040 Lavergne Ave., after the newly retired commissioner, Mike Reid.
Reid left the board due to illness in early July, after serving nearly 20-years as both its president and vice-president. (View his retirement story here.) The park name change is effective immediately.
"Mike has been the backbone of this park dis
trict since 2005," said longtime colleague and board president Susan Aberman, "The board of commissioners and all of Skokie will miss his amazing leadership and his friendship. Now, generations of Skokie residents will enjoy this beautiful park that bears his name."
Mike Reid Park is near Reid's home and is adjacent to Niles North High School, where his three children graduated. An extensive renovation to the park is nearly complete, including the addition of new playground equipment, a 65-foot zip line, outdoor exercise equipment, a teqball court, an open-sided picnic shelter, native prairie plantings, a nature trail with educational signing, and repairs to the existing park path.
Update: Dedication of the newly named park was held on Saturday, September 21 at 1:30 p.m. See photos of the event here.