Some NIU students might be involved with the new engineering and research park, but as employees rather than students.

NIU has started efforts to obtain tenants to rent space in the park located about four miles south of NIU at the former Wurlitzer Piano Company Headquarters on Gurler Road. However, there are no confirmed tenants yet.

A selling point for the park is the “large residential student population to (become) employees,” said Tom Montiegel, NIU vice president of development and university relations.

Although some students would serve as employees for tenants of the park, NIU President John LaTourette has hinted that the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology now located in Sycamore might eventually be moved to the 70-acre site.

Funding for the research park will come from a $1.2 million state grant and about $380,000 in private donations from DeKalb banks and private citizens. Gov. James Thompson has until mid-September to sign the bill.

NIU is proceeding as if the bill had been signed, Montiegel said. Some remodeling is necessary before tenants move in, but NIU is waiting to begin repairing the buildings until tenants indicate what specifications they need.

NIU plans to charge tenants an average of $6 a square yard per year, Montiegel said.

Other costs with the research park include taxes. Once NIU turns Wurlitzer into a research park, it will lose its tax-exempt status as state-owned property.

For tax purposes, the park is assessed at $500,000 which is supposed to be one-third of its market value, but because NIU bought it for $400,000 the land will probably be reassessed at a lower rate, said Yvonne Barcus, supervisor of assessments.

NIU will be asking the City of DeKalb to annex the property and extend water and sewer service to the location, which is now served by well water.

DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow said improvements also might include reconstruction of Gurler Road to accomodate the extra traffic generated with a research park there.

DeKalb has a $1,000 per acre annexation fee, but recently the council has waived the fee to stimulate new economic growth in the area.

The search for research park tenants has started with NIU faculty, Montiegel said. Faculty have been asked to encourage firms with which they do research to move some of their facilities to the park.

Other efforts to attract tenants include working with the county and city economic development corporations and with developers along the Interstate 88 research and development corridor.

NIU’s goal is to become the west anchor of the research corridor. “Right now, the corridor is moving (west) at about a mile a year,” Montiegel said. “We’re trying to accelerate that about five to 10 years.”

One reason firms have not located in DeKalb is the lack of existing facilities to move into. “What we’re providing here is a ready-made facility,” Montiegel said.