Morton Grove Envisions Bright Future, Hires Consultant To Map It Out

All six Morton Grove trustees were impressed after consultant/planner John Houseal made a presentation about creating a strategic plan for Morton Grove.

But the trustee who has the most background in fields similar to what Houseal spoke of--John Pietron--was the most impressed.

"This is unbelievable," he said admiringly after Houseal, a partner in consulting firm Houseal/Lavigne, described how the firm would conduct an approximately eight-month study of Morton Grove and develop a strategic plan for the village.

Houseal made the presentation at Monday's village board meeting.

Mayor Dan DiMaria said he feels the strategic plan is a key component in mapping out goals for the village's future, including economic development, a viable business community and strong tax base.

"I think a Strategic Plan is absolutely needed," he said. "I think this is the first step of many in getting Morton Grove moving in the right direction."

The board unanimously approved a contract for an amount not to exceed $43,800 with Houseal Lavigne, and Pietron said he thought that was a great value for the money.

Houseal described how his firm would interview various groups of stakeholders in the village, including residents, business owners, village employees and others, factoring in economic and ethnic diversity and other factors. They would elicit comments about how people feel about what exists currently and what they would like to see in the future.

Eventually, the findings would be analyzed and compiled into a strategic plan designed to function as a go-to document.

"Economic development is a big part of what we do," Houseal said. His firm has helped other communities, including Oak Brook, Downers Grove and Niles, develop strategic plans that included economic development goals.

In talking about how a strategic plan can benefit a community, he told trustees, "As trustees and department heads, you're very busy." 

Over the course of 10 years, they may make a million decisions in the course of their busy activity.  But without a plan, or roadmap, they can get 10 years down the road and find themselves no closer to their goals, he suggested, saying that following a strategic plan would be the key to reaching those goals.

He stressed that the plan would be practical and doable.

"We ground everything in market realities," he said, adding that his firm has many times been called in to help after another company came up with a plan that had pretty pictures but was not something that could be put into action in the real world.

"The one thing I most appreciate is that when we’re done we will have a viable strategic plan," said Trustee Maria Toth.

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