The Glenview Park District released its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan today after receiving Board approval at the meeting on Thursday, March 23. The plan outlines a strong vision with five areas of strategic priority: customer experience; financial stewardship; environmental and historic stewardship; employer of choice; and operational excellence.

The Park District began developing the strategic plan in September by engaging a consultant to assist with reviewing the Park District’s mission, vision and guiding principles and developing the process, timeline and framework. The development assessment phase included gathering input through a community-wide survey, several staff workshops, a partnership survey, and interviewing board members in addition to reviewing recent reports and planning documents.

Overall feedback from residents, partners, staff and board members indicated a strong satisfaction rating and a sense of pride in the Glenview Park District. Feedback from the community indicated a need for flushable toilets at outdoor parks, more walking and biking trails, and additional sports and fitness programming. Residents also indicated they want better communication, longer hours and improvements to the Park District website.

The next step was creating the strategy based on feedback, creating goals and objectives, and determining how success will be measured. The Park Board met in February to develop strategies based on the feedback received from the community and staff. A strong focus was placed on the customer experience and environmental stewardship, including objectives to create exceptional experiences through trendsetting parks, programs and facilities, as well as conserving and protecting the District’s natural, historical and cultural resources. The District drafted an initial plan that was released for public input on Thursday, March 9. The final plan can be viewed here.

“The strategic plan outlines, at a high-level, where the Park District will invest its resources to fulfill our mission and realize our vision,” said Joe Sullivan, Park Board President. “This plan was developed through community, staff, and stakeholder input, and I’m excited to see the plan come to life.”

The strategic plan will be formally adopted and put into place on May 1 to coincide with the beginning of the fiscal year.