Work will begin soon to build a stage for special events in downtown East Moline. Backers of the project held a celebration Tuesday afternoon at the corner of 8th Street and 15th Avenue.
The idea came from Joe Moreno, race director for the Genesis Firecracker Run each year on the 4th of July. But it's not just for his race, it'll belong to the community.
"We're donating this property, this stage - this structure will be the property of the city of East Moline. It won't belong to the race organization. We're going to maintain it, we're going to schedule the events, but it'll belong to the city of East Moline."
Moreno says some of the money for the new stage comes from proceeds of the annual Firecracker Run.
"All those racers that have participated over the years can have some ownership of this - they're the ones paying for this. And believe me it's going to take a few more years of raising funds through the race to cover the expenses when it's all said and done."
Important donations for the project come from Triumph Community Bank, the city of East Moline, the Downtown Special Service Area, Revitalize and Develop East Moline (REDEEM), and East Moline Glass.
The cost of the new stage in downtown East Moline will be about 250,000 dollars.
