When Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms gives his annual “State of the City” address Jan. 22, it will be a decidedly mixed bag. But at least the new venue will be shiny and upbeat.
After many years of giving a January report card on city happenings to a joint meeting of Rock Island Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs (at the QC Botanical Center), the mayor is delivering the address Monday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. at Bally’s Casino Quad Cities (off I-280 and Illinois 92), Rock Island.
Thoms thanked the Kiwanis and Rotary for hosting the mayoral updates for all these years, but said it made sense to expand the venue beyond club members and their guests.
“We’re just looking at, can we get a larger group, reach more people?” he said Wednesday. “We’ll see. Maybe not many people will show up.”
The 15-year-old casino – which last summer opened Bally’s Sports Bar in the QC – just recently added a retail sportsbook and rebranded the sports bar to Bally Bet Sportsbook & Bar. The area includes 25 big TV screens, a 20-foot LED video wall, 25-seat bar, and The Luxury Box, a private dining area.
The city of Rock Island got about 500 acres of property around the casino, and is doing an environmental study now to see how much of the land could be developed, Thoms said. He expects that to be done in the next two months.
More long-awaited big projects are in the works, testing the patience of many.
The new federal courthouse (320 18th St.) which was originally planned to be completed this past summer, is now expected to be done by the end of 2024, if not early next year, Thoms said. The three-story, 53,356-square-foot building (across 4th Avenue from the long vacant former Rock Island Argus building) will house the U.S. District Court and several other federal agencies.
Some of the courthouse delay (the steel frame was first erected in September 2022) is due to the fact there will be seven or eight federal agencies in the building and they had to agree on who goes where and what amenities they will have, the mayor said. The tenants will include the F.B.I. and U.S. Marshals Service.
The new YWCA downtown (1702-1794 5th Ave.) is expected to open by March, Thoms said. That is a two-story, 48,900-square-foot building that had its groundbreaking in fall 2021.
Thoms said it’s been disappointing to see delays in these large building projects, since they delay infusion of more jobs and traffic downtown. (For comparison sake, the 102-story Empire State Building opened in 1931, during the Great Depression, after just 14 months of construction.)
A long-planed $7.4-million Rock Island downtown revitalization plan has been put out to bid, and those contracts should be approved in February, with work starting in the spring. It will take up to two years to complete the work, Thoms said.
“I think it makes a lot of difference,” he said. “I think it will add a lot of aesthetic value to downtown, and help attract businesses. You’ll have wider sidewalks, café seating for restaurants.”
The new Rock Island Downtown Alliance kicked off in October, working with the city of Rock Island to fine-tune a $7.4 million capital improvement project in the core downtown area. That will bring major streetscaping and placemaking improvements in the downtown historic district, primarily between 1st and 3rd avenues and 17th and 21st streets.
The proposed scope of work calls for total reconstruction of multiple blocks, along with the addition of decorative lighting, landscaping, signage, outdoor dining structures, greenspace, public art installations and pop-up vendor stalls.
That’s a challenge to attract businesses while work is not done, but greater success is likely in 18 months, Thoms said.
“Sometimes, true entrepreneurs if they see it physically happening ahead of time, like RIBCO. They may start renovations,” he said. “I imagine most people want to see it physically happening, not just because you said so.”
“They may do it the same time we’re doing it, and be able to open at the same time,” Thoms said. It will be a major headache for businesses and the public downtown while streets and the 2nd Avenue plaza are torn up, he admitted.
“This is really a two-year project, so have some patience,” Thoms said. “Good things take time.”
“What’s the alternative? Do you want a tired, old-looking place? You want it torn up? One of the other has to happen,” he said.
The popular Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 2nd Ave.) closed before Christmas, the less-than-two-year-old Sound Conservatory moved in the fall from downtown Rock Island to downtown Moline, and the Artsy Bookworm on 30th Street is closing its store after January.
It’s a challenge to put on a happy face on things, the mayor said.
“At least we’re doing something about it – versus ‘We don’t know’ or ‘We don’t have the money’,” Thoms said. “We’ve got a plan.”
Many challenges
It is daunting to fill many empty downtown buildings, but there are new city incentives to improve building conditions.
New economic development director Tom Flaherty started his job this past October, and he works to attract new business to the city.
Last June, the city introduced two new small business assistance programs, in partnership with DARI (Downtown Association of Rock Island), with $1.25 million in funding available through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The Property Enhancement Program (PEP) is designed to encourage new and expanding businesses, foster revitalization of commercial corridors and encourage private investment in commercial structures. Eligible applicants are commercial property owners or tenants who are planning to renovate their property.
The PEP program provides a matching grant, up to 50% of eligible expenses or up to $20,000 match per project.
The Growing Rock Island Together (GRIT) Program provides low-interest gap financing in conjunction with a forgivable loan for projects to incentivize business expansion and attract new businesses. Eligible applicants are those relocating or expanding operations in Rock Island; industrial, commercial, retail, small or new businesses.
The GRIT program provides a 50% low-interest loan, 50% forgivable loan, up to 30% of the total project cost, or up to $50,000 per project.
On the positive side, the historic Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum in Rock Island (700 22nd St.) was sold this past fall to become the new location of Great Revivalist Brew Lab. Thoms expects the new brewery/restaurant to take about a year to open.
The city is in the process of tearing down three vacant buildings – the former Bear Manufacturing building, 2016 5th Ave., and the two adjacent Klass buildings at 1901 1st Ave. and 111-113 19th St. They should be torn down by end of February.
The 19th Street site would be great for market-rate apartments, Thoms said.
Project NOW plans to buy the Star Cres International building at 1830 2nd Ave., Rock Island, and move its downtown offices there after renovations in about a year.
Also, the city property tax rate is staying the same, Thoms said.
The Downtown Alliance, an affiliate of the Quad Cities Chamber, partnered with the city to staff, manage and implement Downtown Special Service Area (SSA) programs. The establishment of the Alliance and the SSA was the outcome of a two-year effort led by downtown stakeholders to explore the creation of a dedicated place management organization and sustainable funding model to improve, maintain and program the commercial district.
For more information on the new Downtown Alliance, visit its website HERE.
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