New plans to ‘Rebuild Downtown’ presented to Rock Island City Council

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) - Downtown Rock Island leaders presented a $7 million plan to revitalize the area at a city council work session Monday night.

Director of Downtown Rock island, Jack Cullen, in collaboration with Streamline Architects, came together and made plans to transform downtown into a better place for businesses and citizens alike.

The plan included improvements to recognizable landmarks like “The District” and Schwiebert Park. It also established the alley next to Quad City Arts on 2nd Ave., as “The Arts Alley.”

According to Cullen, along with necessary improvements to infrastructure, these plans will provide downtown with what it needs to recover from the pandemic.

“A lot of these improvements will be ... making [downtown} a more attractive space for people who are just down here over the lunch hour, leaving their office or those who want to open up a shop in one of our available storefronts down here,” Cullen said.

The plan already secured $1.5 million in TIFF funds, and it hopes to receive $3 million from the State of Illinois’ Rebuild Downtowns and Main Streets Capital Grant. It also calls for $2.5 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Fourth Ward Alderwoman Jenni Swanson said the city needs to invest in downtown so others will as well.

“If we don’t allocate those dollars, we are basically sticking a stake in the heart of the city,” Swanson said.

Everyone on the council agreed that downtown needs investment, but some are split on whether or not to allocate ARPA funds.

Third Ward Alderwoman Judith Higgins Gilbert said she’s worried about using ARPA funds without public input.

“I’m open to making a decision if council is open to deciding at the same time, how we spend all of the ARPA dollars,” Gilbert said. “I’m opposed to piecemealing this out without an overall strategic plan for these dollars.”

Mayor Mike Thoms said since the application for the grant is due Jan. 10, an exception is warranted.

“You gotta deal with situations that pop up in front of you. You gotta be able to dance when the music’s on, and it’s on,” Thoms said. “We’ve talked about ARPA monies actually multiplying when you leverage them with other organizations, whether it be other non-profit grants, the state [or] the feds.”

If funding is secured, Cullen said construction could start late next spring to be completed by winter of 2023.

The council made no action on the plan at the work session, but City Manager Randall Tweet said he would work on a resolution to introduce at next week’s council meeting.

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