Community Connections
Monday, February 2, 2009
Curious about a local business? Interested in knowing first-hand about plans for local renovations and development? Questions such as these and more will be explored on a trip through the inner workings of the DeKalb/Sycamore community.
Our journey will begin with a visit to the DeKalb Municipal Building on south Fourth Street for a presentation by City Manager Mark Biernacki, who will discuss plans for downtown renovation. The plans call for some demolition, reworking of several streets and parking lots, the development of new buildings, and the addition of new businesses to add vibrancy to the downtown DeKalb area and to prepare the community for the future.
Afterward, we will travel to the DeKalb Community School District offices to meet with Jim Briscoe, Superintendent of Schools. He will discuss the plans for the new DeKalb High School, one of the construction projects of the first phase of the ten-year Master Facility Plan that was approved with the passage of a referendum in February 2008. The Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new high school is expected to be March 2009.
We will the travel back to the NIU campus for lunch at the Holmes Student Center on your own.
After lunch, our journey will continue in Sycamore. Our first stop will be IDEAL Industries, a manufacturer of electrical products serving the needs of electrical and datacomm professions since 1916. The company’s headquarters are in Sycamore, with local manufacturing plants in Sycamore and DeKalb, as well as facilities across the United States and internationally. Dave Juday, chairman of the board of IDEAL, will take us on a tour of the distribution center and one of the manufacturing facilities. He will also explain the development of the Sycamore Prairie Industrial Park, which has many new businesses.
We will conclude our day at Der Holtzmacher, Ltd. Established in 1978 by Michael Holtz, a third generation woodworker, Der Holtzmacher (“The Woodmaker”) serves customers throughout the Midwest, including churches, homeowners, and architects. The company specializes in custom-designed furniture and cabinetry, liturgical furnishings, interior and exterior wood doors, and historical replication and restoration. We will visit the showroom, and then take a tour of the manufacturing floor to view the woodworking machines.
Depart from the Carroll Ave (west) entrance of the Holmes Student Center at 7:55 a.m. on Monday, February 2, and return at approximately 4 p.m. Fee includes guided tours and transportation. Lunch is on your own. There will not be an additional pick-up location for this field trip.
NIU LLI members $25 Cardinal & Black Alumni Members $30 All others $35
Click here to register online , call (815) 753-5200, or download the registration form to sign up!
Place: DeKalb and Sycamore, IL
Cost: NIU LLI members: $25
Cardinal & Black Alumni Members: $30
All others: $35
CLICK HERE to register online, call (815) 753-5200, or download the registration form to sign up