Park district outsources online registration following recent crashes

Wilmette Park District officials have set a new date and platform for summer registrations following technical difficulties on Feb. 6, the first day of summer-camp signups when the registration platform crashed.

Registration for Wilmette residents will open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24. Non-residents can begin registering a week later, starting at 9 a.m. March 2.

Executive Director Steve Wilson said the district has moved registration to an external host, which he said will provide a secure and more stable registration process.

The new platform includes a waiting room feature that will help mitigate overwhelming traffic, he said, adding that users will also have a time limit to complete signups.

“It will be a little different for people, but it won’t crash,” he said. “It’s a move in the right direction. … It might help families be relieved of the stress they feel around the process, which we know is critical for a lot of families to just manage their households.”

Wilson said a similar crash occurred during the first day of the park district’s winter registration. In the wake of the that crash, Wilson said the district’s tech team thought it had solved the problem by turning off a newly installed function. But after the Feb. 6 crash, park officials had enough evidence to make a platform switch.

In a change from the district’s initial messaging following the Feb. 6 challenges, registration will begin anew on Feb. 24, meaning any signups completed through the technical difficulties will be canceled. Refunds will be issued for all transactions executed on Feb. 6.

Wilson said an external registration host could be the district’s long-term solution, but more will be known following the Feb. 24 and March 2 registration periods.

The park district also offers in-person registration at the Community Recreation Center, 3000 Glenview Road, and Centennial Recreation Complex, 2300 Old Glenview Road. For those with religious accommodations, the city asks that you contact them at (847) 256-6100.

Wilmette Park District summer camps attract thousands of participants each year. The camps, which have limited capacity, range from community camps, such as Great Gillson and Junior Day Camp, to sports and activity camps, such as sailing, golf, tennis and Broadway Bound, to name a few.

Residents reacted swiftly to the digital struggle, taking to social media to express their criticism.

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