Wauconda is now the village with a view

From now on, Wauconda will now be known as the “Village with a view.”

Trustee Patrick Murphy said Friday the village board has chosen that phrase as Wauconda’s new slogan, and it will appear on marketing paraphernalia throughout town.

“It’ll be on the letterhead, the website, gateway signs into and out of the village,” Murphy said. “It’ll appear on pretty much every promotional piece in the village.”

The slogan was created as part of an update to the village’s 2009 strategic plan, when village planners rewrote strategic goals with an overall goal of attracting more commercial businesses to Wauconda, he said.

Part of that plan was to establish a new slogan that could be used in all marketing campaigns villagewide.

Last year, a committee was formed that featured 19 village officials, residents, and business owners, and that group came up with about 75 potential slogans to be considered, Murphy said.

That list was reduced repeatedly during three other meetings until three final slogans remained. Those were presented to the village board for a final decision about one week ago.

Other potential slogans considered by the board were “Embracing our past and envisioning our future,” and “Work, play, live: The unique spirit of Wauconda”.

“The board chose ‘Village with a view’ because there are many different ways people can interpret it,” Murphy said.

With the slogan now in place, the board will move ahead and start to develop additional ideas for promoting the village, including the use of social media as a way to create a buzz, he said.

“But, that’s for the next board to take on,” said Murphy, who will step down as a trustee in May after not seeking re-election on the ballot Tuesday. “But, the strategic goals are to promote the town and discover new promotional avenues the village can use.”

Sandy Hartogh, executive director of the Wauconda Chamber of Commerce, said it’s a good idea to have a tag line for a village.

“Absolutely, it’s a great idea and nice for the village to have an identifier,” Hartogh said. “I think this puts them in the right direction.”