DUBOIS – The Downtown DuBois Revitalization Group (DDRG) is going through a period of change.
During the public comment session on Monday night, DDRG President Julie Stewart detailed the changes to members of the DuBois City Council.
She said DuBois Renaissance Inc. has voted to separate itself from the revitalization group. This entity, she said, was the “umbrella” covering the DDRG.
Additionally, Stewart said that DuBois Renaissance held the 501(c)(3) status that made any contributions to the DDRG tax-deductible.
She said it was established in the 1980’s; however, it had a different, yet similar, scope. When DDRG was established 10 years ago, she said there were discussions on how they should “co-exist.”
Eventually, Stewart said it was decided that DuBois Renaissance would do business as “Downtown DuBois Revitalization Group.”
She said they shared the same employer tax ID and checking account name. However, she said the two entities had different boards of directors.
“Our hope is the city will continue to view us as the downtown revitalization group of record,” Stewart said, noting it was unclear if DuBois Renaissance would go dormant or overlap DDRG’s work.
She said financially, DDRG can continue on for a couple years, but there will be work to do, especially to gain recognition to help obtain grant funding for its various projects.
Stewart said they have high hopes of improving the region and its communication with the public. She said it’ll also be hiring a new manager with the current manager leaving their position.