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Elgin organizers hope trip to Springfield yields success

Elgin is going to Springfield - again.

Eyeing to sell a new message of community sustainability, securing new money and landing jobs before the state finalizes its new budget in March, the city is compiling a group maybe three times the size of its 2002 contingent to Springfield, when nearly 100 traveled to the state Capitol. The Elgin Day is Feb. 26.

Former Illinois State Representative Ruth Munson is organizing the trip, which is slated to include nearly every major group on the city's radar screen. Munson told a group of 20 organizers she is hoping to build on the trip's success seven years ago.

"When we went in 2002, we were selling development on the far west side, downtown revitalization - that we were more than just the town that had a casino and a state mental hospital," she said.

"This time, we have so much more to tell our legislators - our new green initiatives, successes with the school district (U-46), our improved health care system and the status of our business community."

Assistant City Manager Sean Stegall declared the 2002 trip a success on the city's bottom line because shortly after returning home, he discovered the city landed a coveted $5 million state grant to purchase property along the riverfront north of the Gail Borden Public Library.

"Now, did that trip make a difference? I always say, 'Elgin Day was the difference maker' because it kind of put us over the top," said Stegall.

He said the Elgin Fire Department also secured a $150,000 grant from Kane County because of the day's networking, and the Elgin Parks & Recreation department also landed a $1 million grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

A variety of meetings and gatherings are planned on Feb. 26, with combinations of groups hosting breakfasts for their guests at the historic Sangamo Club just two blocks from the state capitol.

Munson, a two-term state representative, told the group the state capitol rotunda is already booked with events and breakfast time is much more accessible on most state legislator's schedules than dinners. Sometimes lawmakers choose between going to eight to 10 events and skipping them altogether if none of their voters are planning to show.

"These will be much more focused groups of 10 to 20 people," she said.

In addition to featuring displays and booths in the club, the group is also to lead up to Feb. 26 with daily deliveries to state legislators, including tiny windmills from Siemens, which is building a new windmill turbine plant in Elgin; saplings from a local nursery, Historic House Tour tickets, and compact florescent light bulbs.

Munson told the group many lawmakers see Elgin as a trendsetter on preservation issues and the establishment of its four historic districts.

Organizers will also deliver lunch to lawmakers, which Munson declared a hit seven years ago when she was in office.

"Some of my former colleagues are still carrying around the reusable lunch bags the lunches were delivered in," she said. "The cafeteria is awful down there, so people always like something different."

Organizers are also planning a dinner for Elginites and lawmakers the evening of Feb. 26, but declared it may not be as fancy as the 2002 affair, given the economy and spare budgets.

Groups helping plan the Elgin day include the Elgin Chamber of Commerce, Elgin Community College, Elgin Area School District U-46, the Gail Borden Library, Downtown Neighborhood Association, United Way of Elgin, Judson University, the Elgin Climate Change Organization, Elgin Arts Showcase/ArtSpace, and representatives from the Latino, African-American and Lao communities, Elgin-based social service agencies will also participate.

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