Work has begun to turn a vacant building in downtown Moline into an Amtrak station and hotel. Last week, barriers went up around the O'Rourke Building at 4th Avenue and 12th Street, and exterior work is underway, cleaning and tuck pointing.
Moline's Planning and Development director, Ray Forsythe, says asbestos has already been removed, and now the city and Metro Link are waiting for federal approval. Once that's received, along with private financing, then the project can go out for bids.
Construction could then start as soon as late in the fall.
