The Town of Gravenhurst has a new strategic plan to guide the next five years and beyond.
Council members approved the strategic plan during a special meeting at the Centennial Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 28.
“This new plan will help us build on Gravenhurst’s strengths and serve as a guiding document as we make decisions about how best to move our community forward,” Mayor Heidi Lorenz said. “I thank council members, staff, and our community for helping create the plan.”
Scott Lucas, chief administrative officer for the Town of Gravenhurst, echoed the mayor’s comments.
“This has been an important exercise for council, staff, and residents. I am grateful to everyone who participated. Through this project, we have been able to identify the areas we need to focus on over this council term and beyond,” he said.
Work on the plan started in March with assistance from Strategy Corp.
Based on consultation with council, staff, and the community, the 2023-2027 strategic plan has three main pillars.
Each pillar includes specific goals, planned initiatives for achieving them, and performance measures to monitor and track progress.
The three pillars are:
- Community vibrancy
- Sustainable growth
- Effective municipal services
“As the town continues to grow and attract new residents due to our beautiful lakes, vibrant arts scene, and rich cultural heritage, we will need to work to balance the protection of these attributes with the economic prosperity, cultural richness and spirit of opportunity that growth brings,” Mayor Lorenz said.
At the same time, the mayor noted, the town is wrestling with the challenges facing many municipalities: housing availability and affordability, economic inflationary pressures, healthcare system pressures, and the continuing threat of climate change.
“Our strategic plan is a roadmap that will help us navigate these challenges as we work towards our vision of building a community where everyone can thrive,” Lorenz said.
CAO Lucas noted the plan is a ‘living document’, meaning it must be tracked, evaluated, and, when required, updated.
“As we go forward, staff will report to council on the progress made under the plan and we will also share this information with our residents,” he said.
Additional Resources
Town of Gravenhurst Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
Quick facts
- The strategic plan was created with input from the public, council, and town staff.
- Input was collected in a variety of ways: one-on-one meetings, small group meetings, and through an online survey.
- The strategic plan is for the period 2023 to 2027.
- There are three pillars to the plan: community vibrancy, sustainable growth, effective municipal services.
- Each pillar includes specific goals and planned initiatives.
- Staff will review the plan regularly and report to council.
- The plan is available on the town website.