Morton Grove vet named to head Vernon Hills parks
He won't officially begin his duties until July, but Jeff Fougerousse already has met with Vernon Hills Park District staffers and traveled to Springfield to hob nob with area legislators and inquire about state funds.
The park district board on Thursday approved a contract with Fougerousse as executive director, replacing Larry DeGraaf, who retired in March.
"I'm very excited about where we're going to go," park board president David Doerhoefer said.
The announcement Friday ends a long process in which the district thought it had a deal with top choice Jan Buchs, who heads the Wheeling district. She backed out at the last minute and decided to stay put.
Fougerousse has spent his entire 28-year career at the Morton Grove Park District. He began running athletic programs and rose in the organization to be named director in 2000.
Doerhoefer said it was not a matter of his being a second choice.
"It truly was a 1A and 1B situation," he said. "They both have strengths in different areas that they excel."
Fougerousse, 50, will be paid $125,000. His contract will be reviewed after a year with subsequent renewals in two-year intervals.
"What drew me to Vernon Hills was more of the professional opportunity," he said. "The community I'm working in now is tapped out in being a landlocked community."
Fougerousse oversaw 23 full-time and three part-time employees in Morton Grove, compared with 24 full-time and 25 part-timers in Vernon Hills. The Morton Grove Park District has 66 acres with 10 buildings and 13 parks, compared with 396 acres, seven buildings and 24 parks in Vernon Hills.
His strong suit is customer service and building relationships with other entities, Doerhoefer said.
An Elmhurst resident, Fougerousse is on the American Brain Tumor Association board and plans to be in Vernon Hills on Saturday for an event.
He also plans to stay in contact with staff and attend functions and community events before taking over officially.
"I'll be around," he said.