Fourth of July parade back to downtown Elgin?

Elgin officials will look at the viability of bringing the Fourth of July parade back to downtown, and the condition of the Tower Building could be a key factor.

The proposal comes from the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin, which organizes the parade with assistance from the city. The parade was conducted downtown until about 2004, when it moved to the adjacent northeast neighborhood because of widespread, yearslong construction projects downtown, DNA Executive Director Deirdre White said.

Now that construction is over, it makes sense to bring it back, White said. The parade has about 100 participants and is attended by an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people, she added.

"With every other city, their main parades all go through their central business district," she said. "Our mission, and the mission of our PSA (purchase of service agreement) with the city, is to focus on the economic vitality of downtown Elgin. Having it in the neighborhood (brings) little to no residual economic development into downtown Elgin."

City staff members will examine the costs, safety and logistics of the DNA proposal, and the city council will make a final decision. "I am open to the conversation," Mayor David Kaptain said.

The Tower Building at 100 E. Chicago St. is expected to be under construction by July, which could affect a parade route and pose additional safety considerations, Kaptain said. The building, condemned since 2014, is surrounded by a protective fence installed by the city; chunks of concrete have fallen off its facade in recent days.

White pointed to Chicago, where she said parades and other events routinely take place next to buildings under construction that are protected by scaffolding.

The Stickling Foundation owns the Tower Building and is in negotiations to sell it to developer Richard Souyoul of Chicago and St. Louis-based Capstone Development Group. Stickling manager Neal Pitcher didn't return a call for comment.

"We are working to get (the sale) wrapped up," Souyoul said. "We were going to do facade work anyway. Now we're going to look into doing it more."

City Manager Sean Stegall said the city is looking at options to address the falling concrete. "As the building continues to languish in disrepair, its rehabilitation has become as much about safety as economic development."

Meanwhile, many within the North East Neighborhood Association were disappointed to hear the parade might move, because it had become a fixture and source of pride for the neighborhood, NENA President K. Eric Larson said.

"I can't say that NENA supports this because as an organization, we don't necessarily think it's necessary, or the best solution, for making the parade more effective for downtown businesses," he said. "But recognizing it's not our event or our decision, we absolutely won't oppose the move in any way."

The DNA funds the parade at about $20,000 via sponsorships and fundraising, and the city contributes personnel plus $10,000 for entertainment, White said.

For a downtown parade to make most sense, businesses would have to stay open to cater to the crowds, Kaptain said; White said business owners have indicated they would do that.