Glen Ellyn trustees question downtown group
A downtown Glen Ellyn business group likely will have several issues -- including village officials' concerns and a recent resident survey -- to discuss at its meeting today.
Village trustees sought more answers from the Glen Ellyn Economic Development Corporation after Vice President Michael Seehausen's presentation last week on the group's ongoing efforts and new initiatives.
"Are we getting our bang for the buck?" Trustee Timothy Armstrong asked.
The group, which gets some funding from the village, came under fire earlier this year after a record number of downtown businesses closed in recent months. The vacancy rate at the end of 2006 was at 9.8 percent, while it had held at 3 percent the prior three years, according to development corporation documents. It has improved to 7.6 percent as of September, which is similar to the region, the report said.
The organization believes the situation is rebounding and 2007 will close with a similar pattern to prior years with more stores opening than closing, the memo said.
To that end, the corporation aims to assist in the efforts to devise a strategic plan for the downtown area, to step up business recruitment efforts and retention, and continue networking to ensure business owners know all of the services and programs available, Seehausen said. The group also wants to implement a formal exit interview with business owners who close to understand the reasons and if the group could have helped.
Also, the group is formulating a new advertising campaign to alert shoppers what the core shopping hours are downtown and which businesses are open later.
"We'd like to bring in businesses that residents said they want to see," Seehausen said. "We're casting a wide net."
Trustees said they remained concerned about how much time and money was being spent in part because of the lack of detail and because reported activity didn't match up with goals. For example, Trustee Pete Ladesic said the executive director is supposed to visit with at least six business owners each week, yet the annual report indicates she logged about half that, assuming four weeks off for vacations and holidays.
"That's my overriding concern: What is the goal of the EDC? What is the goal of the executive director?" asked Ladesic. "It seems like somebody is missing the target."
However, EDC Executive Director Janie Patch said her job description does not mention she's required to visit six businesses a week.
"Our priorities are business recruitment and business retention," she said.
Patch said there has been an increase in business visits since 2006, when the report was completed.
"It's very important for us to be in touch with business owners, and we do have a very high uptake in the number of visits," Patch said.
Trustees asked for more transparency in the corporation's work, details on priorities and an evaluation of how time is spent.
Seehausen noted some of the details could be too time-consuming to collect, but the organization would be happy to furnish elected officials with more information.
Ladesic also questioned whether Glen Ellyn was taking the best approach.
"In Lombard (where economic development is handled in house), it seems like there's a new building every day. Restaurants -- there's no shortage of places to go," Ladesic said.
Village President Vicky Hase said improvement takes time.
"There's room for improvement everywhere," Hase said. "We're in it for the long haul. Wheaton has been in their (strategic planning process) for years."
Village officials are in the process of considering 17 consulting firms to evaluate the downtown and devise a long-term plan for the area. Officials hope to have consultants on board by the end of the year and a completed plan within six to 12 months afterward, Acting Village Manager Curt Barrett said.