Re:New DeKalb will be strategically refocusing the organization’s activities following the completion of its ambitious public improvement program and the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Groce.
Frank Roberts, President of Re:New DeKalb, stated “this marks the beginning of a new era for Re:New DeKalb. The organization will continue to coordinate with the City of DeKalb on various public projects, but is also taking downtown revitalization to the next level. Ms. Groce has contributed richly to this organization and its activities, and we look forward to continued collaboration with her in her new position at Northern Illinois University. The Board of Directors and I are energized about our direction and look forward to identifying new leadership to help us continue the revitalization efforts for Downtown DeKalb.”
For two years Groce has been a part-time Research Associate at Northern Illinois University’s Center for Governmental Studies while also serving as the Executive Director of Re:New DeKalb. She will pursue her NIU work full-time, which consists of a range of research and policy studies relating to community and economic development. The Center for Governmental Studies is a public service, applied research, and public policy development unit within NIU Outreach. The Center functions as a “think and do” tank, applying the intellectual resources of the university to address public issues facing communities, the region, the state, and the nation.
Re:New DeKalb is preparing to complete the initial phase of public improvements of the downtown revitalization plan. The project, which will be completed ahead of schedule and under budget, included needed infrastructure and aesthetic improvements. “With the construction of the public improvements coming to a close, we had to ask ourselves if our work was done. We concluded that our strategic partnerships and targeted investments are more important than ever. High on our list for the next phase of downtown planning are mixed-use projects, increased parking, and business development,” said Roberts.
Jennifer Groce has served as the Executive Director of Re:New DeKalb, Inc. (formerly known as Main Street DeKalb) for nearly eight years. Groce led the organization through the creation and the initial implementation of the downtown DeKalb plan. She will see the public improvements project through completion this June followed by a community celebration in July before moving on to the Center for Governmental Studies on August 1, 2011.
“I am very grateful to the DeKalb community and the many downtown stakeholders for their support and dedication to the revitalization of our community over the years. This has been an incredible journey and I am honored to have been part of such an important effort. DeKalb has become home for my family and we are excited to watch the revitalization of our community continue. I am pleased that my new role at Northern Illinois University will allow me to continue to serve our community and our region,” said Groce.
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9 Comments
Like I think the skating rink should be her very deserved going away present man (with affection). And perhaps a special recognition to the NonDaily Chronicle that was so in the tank for teh rink that they nuked ALL our early mocking of the idea in the comments thread.
Macman, who says you don’t get a lot of comments:)?
I appreciate each and every comment and commenter I get, Maynard. Except the .ru and .de types that keep sending those Viagra offers. Akismet catches most of them but they occasionally slip through. 🙄
Maynard
When the 50k figure was mentioned I was worried so asked.
What I was told was the following: if the city were to through away all the stationery etc. with the old logo and replace it immediately that might cost the 50k.
However, the city was not planning on doing this, simply putting the new logo on as new stationery etc. were purchased ie. almost no new cost
Like I wish her well too man, but I haven’t forgotten CCEC, the WAR on bloggers, the ridiculous ice skating rink, and my personal worst remains the over $50k the FREE New Dekalb City Logo cost (h/t Sycamore Morningstar:) It took CCEC over 6 months to finally come back and report/ADMIT the FREE logo was going to cost over $50k in incremental installation/customization expenses over two years. Gruesome man.
Project Management 101: Here’s a snippet of the Wikipedia entry:
“Like any human undertaking, projects need to be performed and delivered under certain constraints. Traditionally, these constraints have been listed as “scope,” “time,” and “cost”. These are also referred to as the “Project Management Triangle,” where each side represents a constraint.”
Easy to fulfill time and cost constraints if your scope is irrelevant. Outside contractors did 99% of the work we’ve seen to date downtown and somehow ReNew pocketed a nifty oversight fee.
Everything up to now has been prelude. Now that the real work needs to happen, look who is bailing ship.
Bricks and mortar are relatively easy to install. Just ask former Alderman Wogen. But adding people and pocketbooks to the mix is the real challenge. At that, the skating rink debacle will endure as the lasting legacy of her tenure.
An executive director fulfills orders given by her/his board. They more often than not have to set aside their personal likes/dislikes and opinions to keep focused on the mission set by the board.
On time and under budget is a direct reflection of the job performance of the executive director as it relates to Groce and the downtown revitalization. She had oversight responsibility of putting all the bricks into the right places before a set date and at a determined price. Mission-so-far accomplished.
The board’s performance is judged by the return on investment factors such as economic development, private investment, tax base enhancement. The board is an extension of the city council in that respect.
Jennifer and I did not always agree and sometimes sharply so. I’m pretty sure we were both hoping to contribute to the betterment of our community. I wish her well in her venture as a formal full time employee at the NIU Center for Government Studies.
“High on our list for the next phase of downtown planning are mixed-use projects, increased parking, and business development”. Really? I thought those were the primary objectives in the first phase. No wonder those never happened.
It’s amazingly easy to be “on time and under budget” when you didn’t really accomplish anything of significance to the overall economy.
Time to let downtown see if it can stand on its own and focus city efforts and finances on other areas of town.
I think everyone on the re-new committee should resign.
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Good riddance! We need to get rid of Re-NEW DeKalb completely. I see NO return on investment from this organization that is still a burden on the taxpayers!. Maybe, Ms Groce will get into the skating rink consultation business.