Despite a budget stalemate in Illinois, Moline is moving forward with the construction of an Amtrak station. Last night, the city council approved the proposal by Moline and MetroLink to begin funding the project.
City Administrator, Lew Steinbrecher, says five years ago, Illinois committed to a 20 percent match of a ten million dollar federal grant. It would pay for the city-owned O'Rourke Building to be renovated into a train station and hotel.
But, the state legislature has not put the funds in the budget. So, the project has been on hold, until recently, when the state gave Moline and MetroLink the option to pay for it.
He says the maximum amount Moline might spend is 875,000 dollars, but construction won't occur all at once. The city council approved funds for the first bid package, which will cost the city over 172,000 dollars.
Steinbrecher says it's uncertain, but he's hopeful the state will reimburse the city. And, is happy funding is now in place, so the private developer can resume plans for the hotel.