The city of Moline is seeking public input in drafting a first-of-its-kind Environmental Resiliency Plan (ERP) to inform its responses to flooding, extreme heat, storms, and infrastructure stress.
City officials have scheduled an in-person community session about the ERP on February 9th at the Moline Public Library, starting at 6 p.m. That is also the last day for residents to submit an online survey.
“So we really wanted the survey to be short and sweet. We really didn't want residents to take too much time having to go through questions,” said Moline Public Works Director Denver Schmitt in an interview with WVIK.
Schmitt said the city wants feedback from residents about their daily environmental concerns, broader issues related to climate change, and programs they would be interested in participating in.
“I think [its] important for local government to not only plan short term, but long term as well. I give the mayor and city council a lot of credit for trying to do this endeavor when a lot of communities around us are really not engaging in this process,” Schmitt said. “But I really think it goes back to having sustainable practices and resiliency programs that will actually help residents in need, maybe lower costs for energy efficiency, water conservation, [and] recycling. There's a number of different ways I think this plan will really help the community.”
The city has hired Blue Strike Environmental, a California-based consulting firm, to produce the ERP and help manage public engagement.
Schmitt said staff chose the firm from among eight applicants in their Request for Proposals (RFP).
“To us, they were clearly the best, and their pricing was pretty reasonable. I think it came in around $99,000, which, for a consultant providing this type of service, we felt was very reasonable. So we're very happy with that,” Schmitt said.
Blue Strike Environmental has been working with the city since last summer as part of the city's year-long process to craft the ERP.
To help engage young people in the process, the city also held a logo design contest for Moline-Coal Valley School District art students. According to a city news release, the winning logo was created by Lana R, a freshman at Moline High School.
In other news, Schmitt wants to remind Moline residents of Public Works’ Snow Angels Program. It’s a volunteer-based program for residents who lack financial resources or family support. “So I will promote that a little bit if you're interested in either helping someone in need shovel their sidewalk, or if you're someone who is sixty and older or [has] mobility issues, you can definitely sign up as well. We'll pair you with someone to help get that sidewalk shoveled from the snow.”
This story was produced by WVIK, Quad Cities NPR. We rely on financial support from our listeners and readers to provide coverage of the issues that matter to the Quad Cities region and beyond. As someone who values the content created by WVIK's news department, please consider making a financial contribution to support our work.
