Board Update on the Search for a New DOWNTOWN Location

Fall 2010

Sarah Walz, New Pioneer Board President

The listening session held by the New Pi Board in June drew approximately fifty members who came to share their views and ask questions about a potential relocation. In addition, the board has heard from another fifty or so members via e-mail (info@newpi.coop). Minutes of the meeting along with member e-mails to the Board are posted on our website—look for the Relocation link on the home page. There you will also find a list of “frequently asked questions” (FAQs) summarizing the board’s rationale for pursuing a relocated store in downtown Iowa City.  

The two most commonly asked questions for the Board have been:

Will the store remain in downtown Iowa City? Will the members get to vote?

The answer to both questions is YES.  

We are firmly committed to maintaining a store in downtown Iowa City, and are not investigating sites outside of the downtown area. Any rumors to the contrary are false.

Our Articles of Incorporation, section 7, require that any retail relocation be approved by a vote of the membership. We will not be putting this issue on the ballot this fall because we have not identified a viable site and have only begun our investigations.

Two other questions which have come up more recently are:

Is a relocation of the downtown store a fait accompli? Is the Board committed to relocating the store no matter what?

The answer to both questions is NO.

The Board did approve a motion to make relocation of the Iowa City store within the downtown a strategic priority. This means the Board and our management team are focusing intense effort on trying to identify a viable site, at the right price, with the right conditions.We will not settle for a mediocre site. We will not jeopardize the financial health of the organization to achieve a new location. The Board will only propose a relocated site if it believes it has a site that can succeed and satisfy the membership. (Again, a relocation must be voted upon by the members.)

Many members have expressed their concern as to whether a new store can capture the character—the charm and feeling of community—that the Van Buren location has. This is something that the Board must give close attention and that is an important part of the dialogue between the board and the membership—a membership that is now more than 21,000 strong and growing. We are very interested in hearing from members and hope more of you will share your ideas, questions, or concerns. Please e-mail the Board at info@newpi.coop.

If you have not reviewed the FAQs, I strongly encourage you to do so. We will post input from the membership as we continue our consideration and will host another listening session in the months ahead.

Thank you.