‘Exciting’ plans – Public looks over improvements to East Moline

Mike Laufenberg has been an East Moline resident since 1978 and remembers clearly when the section of the city riverfront was all factory land. He’s thrilled that it has been reborn and converted into other uses, such as The Rust Belt entertainment facility. In the coming years, much of that land will be reborn again […]

Mike Laufenberg has been an East Moline resident since 1978 and remembers clearly when the section of the city riverfront was all factory land. He’s thrilled that it has been reborn and converted into other uses, such as The Rust Belt entertainment facility. In the coming years, much of that land will be reborn again as part of the Greater Downtown East Moline Revitalization Project. 

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“To see it come along has been very exciting. … It’s just very interesting what they are doing with the place,” Mr. Laufenberg said Thursday afternoon, Nov. 7, as he looked over plans for the proposed project. Mr. Laufenberg and his wife, Zobeida, joined dozens of other area residents at The Rust Belt Common Area, 533 12th Ave., for the latest public open house held to showcase the city’s revitalization plans. The meeting gave residents a chance to review, question and comment on the part of the plan focused on improvements to The Bend area. (In addition to projects centered around The Bend and Rust Belt, other  revitalization improvements also will target East Moline’s downtown.) The City of East Moline is working with a design and engineering team to develop a proposed extension that will connect The Bend to be more accessible and better integrated with the greater downtown area. The proposed extension is from 7th Street, north of 12th Avenue, to Mississippi Parkway, and includes additional streetscaping improvements. "Extending Bend Boulevard will transform how our community connects with the riverfront and make it easier for people to enjoy and access all that East Moline offers,” East Moline Mayor Reggie Freeman said in a news release before Thursday's open house. “This is about setting the stage for future developments that will continue to enrich and grow our community." The goal of the multi-phased, almost $30 million project is to make improvements so the city is more walkable, bike-friendly and beautiful. The project – which could start construction next year and be complete in 2027 – will include new landscaping, more outdoor event space, improved railroad crossings and much more. Area residents got a chance to see some of the details of the proposed improvements, which were outlined on a series of seven display boards and in copies of project reports on display. “These meetings help us get the final touches for the project,” said J.D. Schulte, an official with Hutchinson Engineering, Inc., one of the partners helping the city with the project. He added that public input from similar meetings have helped change and improve the revitalization plans. For instance, Tim Kammler, East Moline’s director of engineering, said a suggestion from the public led them to include a walkway that will be placed near The Rust Belt. That walkway feature will be ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant. “This is one of the examples of how we modified the design because of public comments. … This (walkway feature) wasn’t in the original plans,” Mr. Kammler said. The event gave the public many chances to make other comments and questions about the planned improvements. In addition to East Moline city staff, one of those people fielding those comments was Ally Fields, community enhancement and government affairs manager with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT), an engineering partner on the project. She was kept busy much of the meeting answering questions about project timelines and details on improvements. One of the most repeated comments voiced was “It’s almost time.” That  refers to the construction schedule. If all goes according to plan, streetscaping construction work near The Bend will start in the spring. During an similar open house in February, the public viewed the streetscaping improvement plans to The Bend, which consists of the area north of 12th Avenue between First Street and Seventh Street.  Here are some of the details of the East Moline project’s plans and the process:

• Main goals: Enhance connectivity between three districts of the city; support continued economic development; and facilitate safe pedestrian and bicycle traffic between the riverfront and 15th Avenue residential areas. Other goals include: creating a strong community brand; create improvements to make it easier to get to The Bend’s entertainment, businesses and riverfront; create new pedestrian-friendly connections, landscaping and directional signage at The Bend.
• Project scope:  Planned improvements include streetscaping and Bend Boulevard extension. Improvements to the Rust Belt area include work on 12th Avenue and Seventh Street railroad crossing. Improvements to downtown include 15th Avenue streetscaping.
• Construction targets: Streetscaping at The Bend is scheduled to begin in 2025. Rust Belt work will follow in 2026. Bend Boulevard extension work will begin in 2027.
• Funding: Most of the multi-year project will be funded by a $23.7 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant. The City of East Moline will kick in $5 million for the work as required by the terms of the federal grant.
• Project team: The teams includes: the City of East Moline; Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) engineers; Image, Inc.; SWT Design; Hutchinson Engineering, Inc.; Terracon; and American Surveying & Engineering, Inc.

Visit www.downtowneastmoline.com to learn more, sign up for updates, and share comments online about the project.