Keys to Dieterich's Success Shared w/Noon Rotary

(FROM LEFT, ROTARY WEEKLY PROGRAM CHAIRMAN DAN WOODS, ROTARY STUDENT GUEST JOSEPH KABBES, DIETERICH VILLAGE CLERK BRITTNY GIPSON, AND D-C-D-C MEMBER ERNEST GARBE)

The Village of Dieterich is not along an interstate, nor a major highway or railway or waterway, however, the village continues to see growth and development that is the envy of a lot of communities their size.

That success was the topic at Wednesday's meeting of Effingham Noon Rotary Club.

A major portion of that success is due to a group of Dieterich residents that evolved into Dieterich Community Development Corporation, or DCDC as it's known to most. 

One of the original DCDC members, Ernest Garbe, was a guest speaker at the meeting, along with Dieterich Village Clerk Brittny Gipson. 

Garbe said the DCDC group meets for lunch at noon on Wednesdays. He said the meetings last about an hour and decisions are made over the meals. Among the accomplishments Dieterich has seen are E-J Water Corporation, Dieterich Medical Center, the Dieterich Industrial Park, North Pointe Subdivision, the Dieterich Community Improvement Association and the Dieterich Community Veterans Memorial.

The group has been meeting, informally and now formally, since 1986. Garbe said one reason for the success seen is the continuity of the group. He said six of the 10 original DCDC members are still active in the group.

Gipson said North Pointe Subdivision has been a huge part of Dieterich's growth. She said the school district was declining in enrollment to a point where it's future was bleak. When the subdivision began, though, lots were offered for purchase at $5,000 each. That decision has led to phenomenal growth. Of 95 lots in North Pointe, just four lots have not been purchased and more than 80 homes have been developed in the subdivision. Gipson said the village's Tax Increment Financing, or TIF districts have allowed the lots to sell for affordable rates. The Village is in the process of developing another residential area.

The other big factor was E-J Water. Gipson said there was a point when Dieterich's water quality was so poor that schools had to be closed from time to time since they couldn't flush the toilets.

E-J was born, and now not only serves Dieterich, but has become the largest water cooperative in the state of Illinois.

The Rotary weekly student guest was Joseph Kabbes, son of Chris and Pam Kabbes and a senior at St. Anthony High School.