Park District and Senior Services Settle Lawsuit

The Park Ridge Park District released the following statement Friday:

The Park Ridge Recreation and Park District is pleased to announce that, following extended negotiations between Park Board President Rick Biagi and Senior Services, Inc. President Carla Owen, a settlement has been reached between Teresa Grodsky, Trustee of the Betty F. Kemnitz Trust, the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District, Park Ridge Senior Services, Inc. and Park Ridge Senior Center, an unincorporated association which will resolve a number of ongoing lawsuits.

Under the terms of the settlement, the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District will waive any claim to the Betty F. Kemnitz Trust bequest and Senior Services, Inc. will waive any right to recover capital improvement expenditures under the prior agreement between the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District and Senior Services, Inc.

Park Board President Rick Biagi stated, “we are delighted that the parties have finally been able to resolve this rather contentious dispute in a manner which will allow everyone to move on and for seniors to receive the quality and level of services and programming that they deserve.”

In the event that Senior Services, Inc. chooses to open a new senior center elsewhere, the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District acquiesces to the request of Senior Services, Inc. to remove certain items such as pool tables, a grand piano, a ceramic kiln, tables and chairs and other such items that currently are in use at the Park Ridge Senior Center, 100 S. Western Avenue, Park Ridge, Illinois. A list of items will be posted at the Senior Center.

Nothing in the settlement between the parties will impact the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District’s ongoing commitment to serve the senior population of Park Ridge through its robust offering of programming and events. Indeed, the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District will continue to operate the Park Ridge Senior Center at 100 S. Western Ave. regardless of whether SSI chooses to open its own facility in the surrounding area.

Rick Biagi, President of the Park District Board of Commissioners and Gayle Mountcastle, Executive Director of the Park District, will hold a meeting at the Senior Center on April 2, 2013 at 9:30am to allow Park Ridge Park District Senior Center members the opportunity to ask questions about the settlement and the prospective items that may be removed from the Senior Center.