Naperville Park District board approves new strategic plan and mission statement

At their March 8 meeting, the Naperville Park District board of park commissioners approved the district's new 2018-2020 strategic plan.

Drawing from results of the spring 2017 Community Interest and Opinion Survey, park district staff and commissioners met in November 2017 to discuss and outline the 2018-2020 strategic plan.

Goals for the plan were drafted and reviewed by staff and board in December 2017 and January 2018, and prioritized by the board in February 2018. The approved plan is now posted at www.napervilleparks.org/about/plansandsurveys. The new strategic plan focuses on four key areas: implementing long-term plans, financial planning and stability, community engagement, and use of technology and data in decision making.

As part of the strategic plan discussions, the park district board and staff also reviewed the district's mission, vision and core values. The board and staff affirmed the relevance of the existing vision and core values, but agreed that the mission needed to be updated. The district's new mission statement was revised as follows: "We provide park and recreation experiences that promote healthy lives, healthy minds and a healthy community."

The 2018-2020 strategic plan will enable further planning in 2018, including an update of the district's comprehensive master plan and three-year financial plan. The master plan identifies priorities in land use, park development and maintenance, and use of resources for recreation. The three-year financial plan outlines strategies for financial stewardship. Once they are formally approved by the board of commissioners, the plans will be posted at www.napervilleparks.org/about/plansandsurveys. A public open house was held on March 8, inviting comments on the draft district-wide guides for the master plan. Those who wish to submit additional suggestions may email amceldowney@napervilleparks.org by Friday, March 16.

Also in the works in 2018 is a master plan for Southwest Community Park, a 33-acre site that is currently the Park District's last, large-scale, undeveloped parcel of open space. Community engagement is underway, with the goal of presenting a long-term plan for review by the board in summer 2018.