Naperville Park District board approves 'road map' for future with new strategic plan

The Naperville Park District has its road map for the future.

The board unanimously approved a new strategic plan at last week's meeting, completing a process that began nearly a year ago with the hiring of the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies to facilitate the formation of a mission, vision and core values for the next three years.

With a focus on the five priority areas of community engagement, facilities and programming, organizational effectiveness, fiscal planning and stability, and technology, the strategic plan is designed to carry the park district through 2025.

Three high-priority short-term goals identified include evaluating staffing needs within the current labor market. The park district also will launch its wider-ranging master plan and assess the current utilization of its facilities to determine the possibility of expanding programs and services.

Among the long-term goals is maintaining the park district's fiscal position and bond rating.

The previous plan, which was developed in 2017, encompassed 2018 to 2020.

"The plan is meant to serve as a road map for the park district with the flexibility to adapt to changes in the district operations and community interests," said Brad Wilson, executive director of the park district.

Wilson said the strategic plan was finalized after months of communication with various stakeholders.

The process included community and staff surveys, and four focus groups featuring employees, community organizations and residents. The outreach culminated with leadership workshops to establish and prioritize the goals of the plan.

"I would like to thank the board, our staff and members of the community who assisted with the development of the 2023-through-2025 strategic plan," Wilson said. "We look forward to achieving the district's strategic goals over the next three years."