Park Pekin District

What Park Pekin District does

Pekin Park District is a special district and political subdivision of the State of Illinois, operating as a public, non-profit government entity headquartered at 1701 Court Street in Pekin, Illinois. Founded in 1902, the district delivers parks and recreation services to Pekin-area residents, operating 8+ community and neighborhood parks, two municipal golf courses (Parkview and Lick Creek), a 55,000 sq ft fitness center (Parkside Fitness, operated since 1975), the DragonLand Waterpark, the Veterans Memorial Arena (ice sports), Miller Center, Magic Dragon Mini-Golf, and a sports complex. Programs span youth and adult sports leagues, ice sports, aquatics, day camps, tumbling/dance/cheer, fitness classes, horseback riding, farmers market, and a fishing program, with dedicated special-needs recreation through the jointly-operated IRVSRA partnership with Fondulac Park District.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid public-funding model: property taxes form the primary recurring base (as a special park district), supplemented by program registration fees, facility rentals, and season passes/memberships for golf, fitness, and water park access. A Terri Gambetti Scholarship Fund provides up to 90% fee coverage for income-eligible households. Pricing is not publicly disclosed in structured form. The district uses a standard municipal technology stack — Streamline for website management, Amilia for online registration and program management, Google Analytics for web traffic, and the Follow Your Interest two-way text communication platform for facility status alerts and direct staff messaging. Customer engagement runs through the district website, online registration, in-person facility access, community events, and a dedicated Park Police department for site safety.

The district employs a traditional operational structure led by an Executive Director (Cameron Bettin), with superintendents overseeing parks, recreation, HR/risk, and marketing, plus a Chief of Park Police, Director of Golf, and facility managers. In 2026, the district experienced a significant credit deterioration when S&P Global Ratings downgraded it five levels into junk territory after a $416,000 bond debt-service payment went undisclosed for 102 days, with further downgrade risk signaled. The district has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities and no venture, private equity, or institutional ownership structure.

Name

Park Pekin District

Legal name

Pekin Park District

Website

https://pekinparkdistrict.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Pekin Park District is a non-profit Illinois special district that operates public parks, recreation facilities, and programming for Pekin-area residents across all age groups, funded primarily by property taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Recreation Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Amusement and Theme Parks (71311), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Entertainment Centers (Indoor развлечения: Arcade, Soft Play, Party Centers) (THAJAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aquatic Playgrounds & Splash Pads (Spray Parks, Kids’ Water Play) (THAAABAE), Water Parks (Outdoor/Indoor, Wave Pools & Slides) (THAJAEAB), Amusement Parks (Regional/Local Ride Parks & Funfairs) (THAJAEAD), Amusement Parks & Theme Parks (THAAAAAA)

Keywords

• Municipal recreation services
• Community parks management
• Youth sports programs
• Aquatic facilities operations
• Special needs recreation

Headquarters

HQ city

Pekin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: As a special park district in Illinois, the primary funding source is property tax revenue collected from residents within the district boundaries.
2. Program Registration Fees: Fees collected for recreational programs including day camps, sports leagues, swim lessons, skating lessons, fitness classes, and other activities. Registration processed through Amilia platform.
3. Facility Rentals: Revenue from renting facilities including shelter rentals, athletic fields, golf courses, and venue spaces for events and private functions.
4. Season Passes and Memberships: Annual and seasonal passes for facilities including golf courses, fitness center, and water parks providing discounted access for frequent users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pekin Park District is a municipal special district that operates parks, aquatic centers, an ice arena, a fitness facility, golf courses, and mini-golf across central Illinois. It delivers year-round recreational programming for youth, adults, and seniors, including sports leagues, swimming and skating lessons, day camps, dance and tumbling classes, horseback riding, and a farmers market. It also operates the IRVSRA special-needs recreation program in partnership with Fondulac Park District.

Product overview

Pekin Park District operates as a municipal recreation provider offering a diverse portfolio of facilities and programs. The district manages community parks, multi-purpose recreation facilities (Miller Center, Veterans Memorial Arena), fitness facilities (Parkside Fitness at 55,000 sq ft), water recreation (DragonLand Waterpark), golf courses (Parkview and Lick Creek), and mini-golf. Program offerings span youth and adult sports leagues, ice sports, aquatics, day camps, tumbling and dance, and special needs recreation through the IRVSRA program. Additional services include park police protection, facility rentals, scholarships, and volunteer opportunities. The portfolio functions as a unified park district system rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IRVSRA: Illinois River Valley Recreation Association - special needs recreation program operated by the district in partnership with Fondulac Park District.
• DragonLand Waterpark
• Miller Center
• Veterans Memorial Arena
• Parkside Fitness
• Pekin Park Police

Products and services

• DragonLand Waterpark
• Veterans Memorial Arena
• Miller Center
• Parkside Fitness
• Parkview Golf Course
• Lick Creek Golf Course
• Magic Dragon Mini-Golf
• Community Parks
• Youth Sports Programs
• Adult Sports Programs
• Ice Sports Programs
• Aquatics Programs
• Day Camps
• Tumbling, Dance & Cheer Programs
• IRVSRA (Illinois River Valley Recreation Association)
• Horseback Riding
• Fitness Programs
• Pekin Farmers Market
• Larry's Casting Kids
• Park Police
• Facility Rentals
• Terri Gambetti Scholarship Fund

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Special Olympics IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRVSRA partners with Special Olympics Illinois to provide athletic programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Participants in Special Olympic sports must have valid Special Olympics Illinois Medical and Consent Release Forms on file and adhere to SOILL code of conduct.
• Heart of Illinois Down Syndrome AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRVSRA maintains a referral and resource partnership with the Heart of Illinois Down Syndrome Association to support individuals with Down syndrome in accessing recreation programs.
• SOAR (Special Opportunities Available in Recreation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SOAR program through Normal, IL to provide additional recreation resources and opportunities for individuals with special needs.
• HISRAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelationship with Heart of Illinois Special Recreation Association for shared resources and programming for special needs recreation.
• Fondulac Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint operation of IRVSRA (Illinois River Valley Recreation Association) providing special needs recreation services. Fondulac Park District commissioners serve on the IRVSRA board alongside Pekin Park District representatives.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Decatur Park District: Decatur Park District operates a comparable central-Illinois municipal recreation portfolio (Scovill Zoo, golf course, aquatic center, sports complex), serving as a peer benchmark for revenue mix and facility economics.
• East Peoria Parks & Recreation: East Peoria's municipal parks and recreation department serves a neighboring community with similar facilities (parks, aquatic center, community center) and competes directly with Pekin for residents on the Illinois River.
• Springfield Park District: Springfield Park District is a larger Illinois special district operating parks, pools, golf, and recreation centers statewide, providing a benchmark for scale and programming best practices in the same regulatory framework.
• Normal Parks and Recreation: Normal, IL operates a comparable municipal parks and recreation system including the Maxwell Park and Ironwood Golf Course, and is the home of SOAR, a partner in Pekin's IRVSRA program.
• Peoria Park District: Peoria Park District is the largest park district in the Peoria-Pekin MSA, operating comparable facilities (parks, pools, golf, ice arena via the Peoria Rivermen) and serving as a direct competitor for regional recreation spending.
• Fondulac Park District: Fon du Lac Park District in East Peoria, IL is the joint operator of IRVSRA with Pekin Park District. It operates a directly comparable portfolio of parks, recreation programs, aquatics, and fitness facilities in the adjacent Tazewell County market.

Regional players

• Morton Park District: Morton Park District is a smaller neighboring park district serving Morton, IL with similar park, pool, and recreation services, illustrating a comparable but smaller operational scale.

Broad incumbents

• Illinois Valley YMCA: The Illinois Valley YMCA operates fitness centers and youth programming in the same Tazewell County service area, competing with Parkside Fitness for membership and recreation-program registrations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pekin-park-district

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Park Pekin District