Quad Cities leaders are putting their heads together to bring more locals and visitors to Arsenal Island to enjoy the amazing things the Rock Island Arsenal has to offer.
The current effort was kickstarted last month at a well-attended “Accelerate VQC: Unlocking the Arsenal’s Tourism Potential” meeting centered on activating the full potential of this first-class, one-of-a-kind attraction. (See story page xx)
It includes, for example, the Colonel Davenport House, Clock Tower, Rock Island National Cemetery, a public golf course, and an impressive Rock Island Arsenal Museum that still smells and looks fresh two years after its $2 million makeover.
Leading the coming-out session were Col. Joe Parker, Rock Island Arsenal Garrison commander; Victoria Kline, marketing specialist with the Arsenal’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) office; and Visit Quad Cities President and CEO Dave Herrell.
“The Rock Island Arsenal is a destination within a destination. It’s a tourism driver and is steeped in heritage and opportunities for visitors to learn, engage, and explore,” Mr. Herrell told the QCBJ recently.
“The breadth of its portfolio is vast and very diverse. It’s something that visitors and every Quad Citizen should experience because it is simply a must-visit place,” he added about what he called the most important regional and community asset in the Quad Cities.
To help polish that hidden gem, Visit Quad Cities and the arsenal are working to spread the word and open the island’s gates wider to visitors. That includes through a MWR program designed to ensure the Arsenal’s 946 acres offer something for everyone.
For example, MWR spearheaded opening the arsenal’s Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Travel programs to the public for the first time for visitors to the island who obtain a pass using either their Real ID or two forms of identification.
In the future, visitors also will be able to take advantage of the newest self-guided experience Visit Quad Cities plans to offer. Mr. Herrell said the timing for that addition “couldn’t be better as we celebrate America’s 250th in 2026.”
He’s right. But why wait for the nation’s Semiquincentennial to visit this QC gem?
If you haven’t been to Arsenal Island in a while, make plans to do so now. And bring along your out-of-town friends and relatives to share in this one-of-a-kind experience they won’t find anywhere else.
Time is now to hop on Overdue QC rail project
Illinois lawmakers should seize the opportunity to put passenger rail service from Chicago to Moline on a fast track during the General Assembly’s fall veto session that begins Tuesday, Oct. 14.
A total of $388.8 million in funding to help pay for long-sought passenger service from Moline to Chicago is included in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s record-breaking six-year $50.6 billion infrastructure program. There’s plenty to like for communities throughout the state in the plan from Mr. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation. (See the story on Page 1.)
Locally, for example, it also includes hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for key IDOT projects including replacing the Mississippi River bridges on Interstate 80 and U.S. 67 and improvements at the Illinois 5 interchange in Moline. Intermodal funding also includes local mass transit upgrades and $6 million to help Illinois Quad Cities’ MetroLINK buy six replacement zero-emission buses.
Worth noting, too, is the IDOT plan for QC passenger rail takes a direct, more convenient and faster route from Moline to Chicago through Geneseo that is favored by local leaders over another featuring multiple stops via Galesburg.
Cheers to Quad Cities lawmakers including Illinois Sen. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, for leading the effort to make that happen in the next few weeks and to Governor Pritzker for providing $50.6 billion in ammunition to help win the fight.
