A Rock Island redevelopment project is set to receive reimbursement from the city totaling over $700,000 for an expanded manufacturing facility.
Crawford Company co-owners Ian Frink and Jim Maynard along with employee Troy Green make up Rivertracks Holdings LLC, which is the owner of the former Rock Island Livestock Auction Barn and Bi-State Masonry property located between 34th and 37th Avenue and 9th Street.
The city in October approved $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to reimburse a portion of the estimated $3.7 million costs. Now the project is totaling between $6-7 million and they are asking for an additional $458,200 to mainly cover the demolition and site readiness costs of the former Swords Veneer dilapidated building along 37th Avenue seeking to include it in their project to create a 44,000-square-foot manufacturing facility expansion of Crawford’s fabrication and assembly process and space for painting large-scale machinery.
Frink said the site is over 30 years old and is considered a brownfield, an area in need of cleaning up before developing new buildings.
“So these are old industrial sites,” Frink said. “It's not as cut and dry and it takes a lot of work to get to that point. So our intention is to demo and clear the site primarily towards 37th Avenue. And the cost on that would be over $400,000. Most likely partner the local union contractor, just as we're a union contractor in three different trades. And that would be our plan for that side of it. In addition to this, there's an existing black building we'd retain, and then we'd build a new building next to that as well. And with the rest of the site open, they would give us 9 to 10 acres of future site development.”
The funding would come from the North Rock Island Port tax-increment financing or TIF District.
Fifth Ward Alderman Dylan Parker drafted an amendment for the amended agreement that all work subject to city reimbursement follow the state’s Prevailing Wage Act.
“And so TIF does not trigger the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act. I mean, other public funds, like at the city rebate taxes, or gives you general fund money or something like that, that would trigger the Prevailing Wage Act. TIF does not,” Ald. Parker said. The act requires contractors and subcontractors to pay laborers, mechanics, and other workers on public works projects no less than the local prevailing hourly cash wages plus fringe benefits for their specific job classification.
The amendment passed unanimously. Fourth Ward Alderwoman Jenni Swanson and Seventh Ward Alderman Bill Healy were not present during the June 8th meeting.
First Ward Alderman Glen Evans and Third Ward Alderwoman Linda Barnes asked the developers if the proposed jobs will benefit Rock Island residents.
Frink said out of the nearly 500 employees, based in Davenport, Dubuque, Muscatine and Rock Island, there are an estimated 60 employees from the city.
“I mean, the people are coming to Rock Island every day, so they're eating lunch, buying gas, they're going to Hy-Vee things of that nature,” Frink said. “So, you know, those are all real dollars that are being reinvested into the community, you know, one way or the other. And we're also spending money here. We're buying supplies. You know, we have relationship spenders. I mean, we spend, you know, tens of millions of dollars in the Quad Cities every year. You know, not all of it's in Rock Island, but it is proportionately spread throughout the community.”
The amended agreement passed unanimously for its first-reading.
Council approves city clerk pay classification increase
The council heard a request to increase the city clerk’s position into a higher pay classification grade. The grade increase goes from 10 to 14. [WVIK reached out seeking how much that would be for a yearly salary. We will update the story when we hear back.] Human Resources Director Rob Baugous says the increase is due to the clerk’s impact and importance of their duties; planning responsibilities required to perform all tasks and level of interpersonal relations needed for the role. A comparison study was conducted too.
“We also looked at the municipalities locally. On the Illinois side, there's Moline as our closest comparison,” Baugous said. “Moline's grades are that they have a city clerk plus a deputy city clerk. In comparison, our grades were not in the same alignment. We're not proposing the ranges be comparable to theirs, but within our own compensation system, it would look like it was a valid thing to look at as well.”
The reclassification passed by a vote of 3-2 with First Ward Alderman Evans and Third Ward Alderwoman Barnes voting no.
Council approves police customer services assistant position
The council also voted on a proposal by the city’s police department to add a Police Customer Service Assistant to its 2026 budget cycle.
Chief Tim McCloud said the department currently has one full time customer service assistant after the second one retired this past April. The assistant handles calls and walk-ins seeking information. With only one person employed the department will have to cease weekend hours and close the front desk weekdays at 4 p.m. McCloud states when the front desk is unmanned or busy any new calls are forwarded to the eight 911 center dispatchers increasing their workload.
“The starting salary for a police customer service assistant back to the front desk is just under $40,000 a year,” McCloud said. “However, with the year about half over, the cost to fund this position for the remainder of the budget year would be approximately $25,000. I'm not asking the city for any more money than was already been budgeted for the police department.”
Chief McCloud said the request is to transfer funds from police salaries for unfilled positions to the front desk.
The request was approved 4-1 with Alderwoman Barnes voting no.
Council hears market study results for the Augustana-Hilltop area
The Augustana Hilltop Community Development Corporation is sharing results of a market analysis study, advocating for more multifamily rental units and commercial developments.
The study, which was completed by DiSalvo Development Advisors with a partnership between Augustana College, the Hilltop CDC, and the city of Rock Island states the area could accommodate up to 250 rental units in the next few years.
The Augustana-Hilltop area contains stretches of 14th and 18th Avenue from the Rock Island Center for Math and Science to the Moline city line near 44th Street.
President Pete DiSalvo said 40% of the housing stock in the area was built before 1940, and an additional 40% before 1980. He states the biggest takeaway is the need for new market-rate units, as the city mostly contains antiquated low-income housing, which restricts city growth.
“We know from prior research that we've done that the healthiest communities that we see have a diverse income base,” DiSalvo said. “They have low income, but they have moderate income and they have a higher income. And when we're missing that market rate component, we don't have the diverse incomes that you're looking for.”
He said there are more than 1,300 renters in the city who can afford market-rate units, those making $50,000 or more. The city could add 60,000 square feet of restaurant/retail space.
The study proposed four sites in the area that could be developed into mixed-use buildings consisting of rentals and retail/restaurant space. That includes 1403 30th Street, Webber Park, Reservoir Park and Horace Mann Park.
Community Development Director Miles Brainard thanked DiSalvo for the work as it will allow the city to make targeted investments.
“I want to again remind everyone that the CDC up on the Hilltop is actively marketing the site at 14th and 30th, and we hope to work with them to see a positive development come to that corner and hopefully be a catalyst for that whole area,” Brainard said.
Public share concerns the Centennial Bridge replacement project will displace residents
Three residents shared concerns of the Iowa and Illinois Department of Transportation’s proposal to replace the current Centennial Bridge with a new bridge either located west of the existing bridge or one connecting 11th Street in Rock Island to Marquette Street in Davenport.
Shahid Muhammad has lived in the city for 23 years. He said the possible relocation of the bridge to the West End would follow a long American history of displacing minority residents.
“I take umbrage at the fact that we have been displaced, our communities have been deliberately devastated in the name of progress. And I'm citing the U.S. Housing Act, Urban Renewal, quote, unquote, Urban Renewal from 1949 to 1974. And I'm citing the U.S. federal Defense Highway Act from 1956 to 1969, which was the first phase. Both of these acts, while well meaning, they literally devastated and decapitated over 1600 Black and Hispanic communities throughout this country,” Muhammad said.
“If we would take time to just look into, you'll see everybody, all the social scientists, everybody that as a historian, they will bear me witness to what I'm saying. What I'm talking about here is the literal destruction, for example, of houses and the housing of urban development. The U.S. Housing Act, they destroyed 400,000 homes, the majority of which were, owned by Black and Hispanics. They were Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. And this is of course, as you know, how you generate generational wealth that's cut out. And the Highway Act destroyed over 500,000 homes. This is nationwide.”
Dean of Christian Education for the Second Baptist Church in Rock Island Melvin Grimes said he has been listening to his congregation concerning the project.
“So our concern and what I'm hearing is this, is that out of these two projects the concern is coming up 11th Street, more people are going to be displaced and there's not going to be the economic development that has been talked about in the West End of Rock Island,” Grimes said. “I agree 100% there needs to be economic development. However, the displacement of an inordinate amount of people has cast doubt on whether this, the bridge coming through will be beneficial as opposed to doing as Bettendorf and Moline did with the I-74 bridge. And so I'm saying, and raising the concern that these are the concerns that I hear from our congregation and that we make sure that if economic development is going to come, that it comes with the less displacement and to the advantage of the residents of the West End of Rock Island.”
West End resident, Dave Hodge, has been in the neighborhood for seven years. He said many of his neighbors were unaware of the proposal.
“There's been no talks with the community about that,” Hodge said. “The big concern that I heard was the comment date closed on June 3rd for public comment to IDOT. So without people having the time to be talked to and get public knowledge, the comments are now closed. So my feeling and understanding is the city has ability, because the comments that I talked to IDOT said the city is pushing this way or that way. So you guys do have the ability to help make decisions and formulate what the community believes is the right decision.”
IDOT is expected to make a decision on the location of the new bridge by late summer or early fall.
Public Works Director Mike Bartels resigning
After 13 years of service with the city, Public Works Director Mike Bartels announced he is accepting a position at Iowa American Water.
“It's really the 117 people that work for me,” Bartels said. “I'm just a guy in the leadership role, but they're the ones doing the work every day. And I'm going to miss the staff. I'm going to miss everyone here. It's a great city. I wish you guys continued success, and I think it's time for me to move. And again, thank you very much for the opportunity and all the respect you've given me. And I wish, again, I wish nothing but the success for the city moving forward.”
His last day with the city is Friday, June 19th.
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