Steve Johnson gave 18 years to his community as a member of the Homewood-Flossmoor Park Board. He has decided that after three six-year terms he will step down from the board.
Johnson, of Homewood, said he and several other young fathers who were involved with Homewood Baseball and Softball decided they needed to do more for the community. It was their way of giving back to make certain Homewood and Flossmoor would be thriving communities.
At the time, Johnson’s kids were ages 6 and 4. He said he’s enjoyed sports and the outdoors, so he decided he’d consider giving his time to the parks. He went to the park commissioners’ meetings for about six months before the election in 2007. Within a year, he was faced with his first major decision – closing Dolphin Lake Pool.
“We had a huge meeting at Irwin Center. We tried to present all the facts. It had been donated by the developer of Dolphin Lake (subdivision). It had been built on sand so everything was falling in,” he recalled. Repairs would be extensive and the park board didn’t have the money. The pool was closed in 2010.
“It was a very challenging decision for the community, I think, and tough going home to my kids who went to Dolphin. That was the first significant decision, but I still think we made the right decision in terms of that,” he said. The site of the pool at Governors Highway at 183rd Street is where The Clubhouse facility is today.
Decisions like the one to close the pool and the previous park board’s long fight to purchase land that is today Coyote Run Golf Course were difficult, but Johnson said he thanks every park commissioner for making those choices.
“You look back at some of those hard decisions the board had to make, and you look back and wonder what the park district would be like without their votes. They took the heat by making those decisions. Thank goodness they had the foresight to see what could have happened if they had not done that,” he said.
The pandemic forced the shutdown of park activities for months. Golf was the one godsend, but even that had its mandated limitations in the beginning. Just as things started to return to normal, the icemaking system at the H-F Ice Arena failed. Again, Johnson and his fellow commissioners were left to make the hard decision of borrowing money and upgrading the facility.
“The pandemic raised the cost (for materials), but l look at it now and say ‘Look at the state of the art facility in our community,’” he said. The park district is working hard to spread the word about all the Ice Arena has to offer.
The message is that the “community knows about it, has access to it, uses it and (the Ice Arena) can attract people to our community just like Coyote Run does. It shines a nice light, brings people into the community and keeps it vibrant and active and that’s a benefit for the residents,” he said.
Johnson gives kudos to the H-F Park District staff. He calls them true professionals.
“That staff is so passionate about what they do and so adaptive. They figure out how to make something work. Give them a challenge and watch them figure it out. They really are amazing at what they do,” he said.
Johnson’s given up plenty of time to his park district duties, including serving as board president. He has no regrets.
“It has been a phenomenal experience for me and for my family. I’ve met so many great people through the park district that are on that board, staff, patrons. It allows you to be much more involved in the community in which we live. … You have to be involved.
“If anyone’s looking to truly be part of a community there’s no better way than serving on a board. The reality is it takes time, but that’s it – it’s time. And if you have a different perspective to offer, that’s a good thing. I would highly encourage anyone to do it,” he said.