Schaumburg seeks partnership with Turkish city
Schaumburg expects to establish a fourth Sister Cities partnership next month with Safranbolu, Turkey and perhaps even a fifth later this year with Changsha, China.
Schaumburg has long been partnered with Schaumburg-Lippe, Germany, and Namerikawa, Japan through the Sister Cities program. A third partner — Hyderabad, India — was approved in late 2011.
Schaumburg Community Services Director Kathleen Tempesta said there may ultimately be a question of how many such partnerships the village can manage. But officials are comfortable they can handle at least as many as are being considered presently.
Even so, partnerships with Safranbolu and Changsha would be administered through the village’s Business Development Commission as there is a more economic-oriented interest in these.
“They wanted to really promote business,” Tempesta said.
The partnerships with Schaumburg-Lippe, Namerikawa and Hyderabad are administered through the Sister Cities Commission.
Safranbolu is located about 62 miles south of Turkey’s Black Sea coast — north of its capital, Ankara, and east of its largest city, Istanbul.
Muhittin Er, executive director of the Mount Prospect-based Turkish American Society of Chicago, said the request was initiated by the mayor of Safranbolu after taking a tour of Schaumburg while visiting the area.
Schaumburg officials have likewise learned about the amenities of Safranbolu, which has an approximately similar population and is also a tourist destination, Er said.
Most visitors to Schaumburg flock to Woodfield Mall and, more recently, its convention center, Er said. Safranbolu’ is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site due its well-preserved Ottoman-era houses and architecture.
Schaumburg’s Health and Human Services Committee committee recommended approval of the partnership Thursday. The village board is expected to vote on it July 9.
The proposed partnership with Changsha, China, is at a more preliminary stage and final approval is a little further off, Tempesta said.