ROCHELLE – The second of five Revved up meetings was held in Hicks hall Tuesday night to begin brainstorming ideas of what community members would like to see in Rochelle.
The meeting began with a short video of a survey conducted by the Knight Foundation and Gallup Management breaking down the different driving factors as to why people become attached to a community. The three main reasons discovered by the survey were how open or welcoming a community is to different types of people, how pretty it is, and what types of opportunities there are for people to interact with one another.
These drivers create what is called resident attachment, another way of describing how emotionally attached a resident is to where they live. According to the video, the more attached a resident is to their community the less likely they are to leave. It was also determined, communities who have people who like where they live are generally more successful.
Following the video was a short presentation by program manager Gisele Hamm who discussed more in depth the driving factors. The presentation even discussed how driving factors can be different for people from different generations.

Kim Montgomery from the Rochelle Area Community Foundation reads off her table’s list of Rochelle’s positive assets during the second of five Revved Up meetings Tuesday.

“They say Baby Boomers used to go where the jobs were, but millennials tend to go where there is a high quality of life and then worry about getting a job. So, you have to have social offerings, the arts and culture to attract the young people into your community,” Hamm explained.  
After the opening video and discussion a PowerPoint presentation on “Creating a Vison for Rochelle” was given. This presentation included differences between planning and visioning, how to envision the future, and the important qualities of a good BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).
The four qualities that make up a good BHAG are: it being aligned or tied closely to what is important to the community, it cannot be achieved easily or quickly, it has a clear target and it is real, and it is achievable, but only through different thinking, real struggle, and a dash of luck.
After the presentation, each table was instructed to write down as many challenges in their community they can think of and then write down twice as many positive assets in their community on the opposite side. After the list was complete, one person from each table stood and shared their group’s list.
While one common theme among the negatives was having people who want to see change but don’t act on it, the main theme for the assets was the schools.
“We have good schools, we have Kishwaukee College and NIU, and then at the high school you can graduate high school with an associate’s degree. I love that program,” said local resident Jessica Morris.

Another topic discussed was how other communities have acquired a theme and adapted many of the events and buildings in the town to stick to that theme. It was an idea for Rochelle to adapt the theme of trains, since there are already major railroad companies and the railroad park in town.
At this point in the evening, it was now time for groups to begin writing down BHAGs for Rochelle. These ideas were to be written in a present tense, as if they had already been accomplished in the community. These ideas ranged from Rochelle being the festival hub of Illinois that attracts people from all around, to Rochelle Municipal Utilities being the premier public power, water and utility in Illinois.
One idea that was brought up multiple times was Rochelle having more retail and dining options.
“Rochelle is a walkable community that people flock to because it is home to unique shopping, dining, entertainment and constant activity,” added Jenny Thompson, director of marketing, public relations and tourism.
After everyone presented their BHAGs, community and economic development specialist Linda Lee collected all of the ideas. She will type them all up so they are worded clearly and properly. Next week each person will vote on their top five goals and the ones with the most votes will go through to eventually begin working on.
Next week’s meeting will also be held from 6 to 9 p.m., in Hicks Hall at the United Methodist Church.