Wood Dale Park District
Inclement Weather Policy
Purpose
The Wood Dale Park District recognizes that inclement weather and other emergencies can affect the District’s ability to open or stay open for business and the employee’s ability to get to work. The safety of our patrons and our employees is paramount in any situation. The following administrative policy has been developed to establish guidelines for making decisions regarding cancellations and closings in the event of inclement weather including, but not limited to extreme cold, tornados, hail or electrical storms, a large snow event, strong winds or heavy rains, or other examples of weather disruptions.
Policy
The Wood Dale Park District will monitor weather conditions through the National Weather Service. The Park District will make every effort to maintain normal work hours even during inclement weather. However, depending on the severity of the situation, programs and events may be closed, cancelled or modified. The opening and closing of facilities and the operation of programs and events is subject to prevailing weather conditions, predicted or being experienced.
Closure of the Park District
It is the policy of the Wood Dale Park District to remain open during most periods of inclement weather; however, where extraordinary circumstances warrant, due to weather or other unforeseen business interruption (e.g. loss of heat, water, or electric), the Executive Director or his/her designee may elect to close the Park District. For a declaration of Park District closure before the work day, employees will not be required to report to work. For a closing during the day, all employees may be released from their duties once effort has been made to notify participants, information regarding closure has been shared on media outlets and signage has been placed on the key facility entrance(s).
Cancellation of Programs and Events
If School District #7 and/or Fenton High School District cancel classes or shorten the school day, the Park District will cancel all youth programs up to 6 pm. This includes programs held at Park District facilities and all Park District sponsored programs held at other locations in Wood Dale and outside of the community. At approximately 4 pm, staff will reassess the situation and decide about evening programs and the programs scheduled for the next day or days.
For programs held on days when school is not in session, the decision will be made by the Executive Director, Department Head or designee. Extreme caution should be used with outdoor programs, especially those without an adjacent shelter.
Communication regarding inclement weather closings or cancellations must be done immediately when the declaration is made. Information must be disseminated through a variety of outlets and an effort should be made to reach all customers. Whenever possible, individual phone calls should be made to each household.
The announcement of cancellation or closing will be the responsibility of the Marketing Department, with the assistance of other District staff, and will be made via all media outlets, including the following information:
- Reason for closing
- Time of closing
- Who is making the announcement (typically the Executive Director or his/her designee)
- Anticipated time of re-opening or the time the situation will be reassessed.
- For program cancellations, let participants know that they will be notified soon as to whether the program will be refunded or rescheduled
Program may resume, and facilities may reopen under the following conditions:
- Severe weather has subsided, and the weather report is favorable
- Weather advisories have been lifted
- Staff and participants can travel safely to activity site
- Venue is operating normally and permits safe use
- Final decision is made by the Executive Director or his/her designee
Please give us a call if if you have any futher quesions at 630-595-9333