After three months of looking at candidates to fill the vacant director’s position, the Roselle Park Board decided it had the best candidate in house all along.

The board has approved the appointment of Heidi Lapin to manage the day-to-day operations of the district.

Lapin, who served as acting director since June, has worked for the Park District as superintendent of recreation since 2004.

Lapin was hired as director at a starting salary of $85,000, Park Board Vice President Patty Burns said. Lapin was chosen from a field of 40 applicants, officials said.

She replaces Tom Kruse, who retired from the district in June after serving in the position for more than four years.

District officials said Lapin’s outstanding efforts on the Kemmerling Park and Pool project, which opened this summer, coupled with her integrity, leadership and enthusiasm, made her choice a decision with which the board feels very confident.

Burns said the thing that made Lapin stand out from other applicants was her relationship with the staff and community.

“I can’t even count how many times people have come up to me and said ‘Heidi rocks’ or ‘Heidi is awesome,’” Burns said. “She has really good communication with the community, and that is something we were looking for.”

Lapin said the district has had a solid relationship with the village, the schools and other Roselle entities.

She also said her familiarity with the district will be an asset in her new position.

For Lapin, the new position also means she no longer has to handle both the duties of interim director and superintendent of recreation, which she has been doing since the summer.

Lapin had served as an early childhood and special events supervisor for the Glenview Park District. Prior to that, she was an instructor at Margate Park in the Chicago Park District, where she also did her internship in the Lakefront Region.

“We believe she has the experience and is ready for this position,” Burns said. “We are really looking forward to the future of the district with Heidi at the helm.”

Lapin holds a bachelor’s degree in leisure studies from the University of Illinois with a concentration in recreation management. She also holds a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from North Park University.

Burns said the district will begin searching for a superintendent of recreation, and that Lapin will conduct the interviews.

Her first major hurdle will be the budget process, which will begin in January. The district has no major projects on the horizon, officials said.