Robert W. Bernas served the Westmont Park District from 1973 to 2016, including thirty-nine years as president of the Park Board of Commissioners, and helped it grow from 32 acres to more than 137 acres. He played a key role in developing Ty Warner Park, Twin Lakes Golf Course, Smith Woods, Bellerive Park, the Fitness Club, the Westmont Senior Center, and fifteen other parks throughout Westmont. His most notable effort was an eighteen-year commitment to acquiring and developing this park. Beginning in 1998, the district secured a Department of Natural Resources Open Space Acquisition Grant for a 4.78-acre parcel on Wilmette Avenue, but before accepting the award, owner Anthony Kuzminski decided he was not ready to sell. Rather than condemn the property as the grant agreement required, the Park Board withdrew the grant, preserving Kuzminski's home and land. The district instead entered into a right of first refusal with him, later granted him a life estate, and acquired the land with the help of another IDNR OSLAD Grant in December 2013. In 2014, the Village of Westmont deeded the 2-acre pond to enlarge the park, and in 2015 a second OSLAD Development Grant helped support the park's development for Westmont and the local neighborhood.