City Council Study Session

Regular Meeting

Rock Island, IL · January 27, 2025

Minutes

CITY OF ROCK ISLAND CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION City Council Chambers, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 1528 Third Avenue, Rock Island, IL 1/27/2025 - Minutes 1. Call to Order Mayor Thoms called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and welcomed everyone. 2. Roll Call Mayor Thoms asked City Clerk Samantha Gange to call the roll. Present: Alderpersons Moses Robinson, Randy Tweet, Randy Hurt, Jenni Swanson, Dylan Parker, Mark Poulos, Bill Healy and Mayor Thoms. Absent: None. Staff: City Manager Todd Thompson, Attorney Leslie Day, City Clerk Samantha Gange, and other City Staff. 3. Public Comment No one was signed up for public comment. 4. Presentations a. West End Revitalization Presentation Update MLK, Jr. Center Director Jerry Jones discussed the overall project and introduced Avery Pearl and Thurgood Brooks, who serve as the West End Coordinators for the project. Mr. Avery explained the key impact areas, which included: economic vitality, infrastructure and visual appeal, housing and land, assets and income and civic capital. He said they have been engaging with the community through a variety of ways, including media coverage, yard signs, community meetings with stakeholders, presentations and website updates. Mr. Avery explained the current strategy for building relationships. He indicated they have been working with and meeting with a variety of partners, including Augustana College, the school district, MidAmerican Energy, Community Home Partners, among others. Mr. Brooks discussed the Mid-American Pilot project, which included energy-efficiency audits, repairs and upgrades to homes in the West End and planting trees throughout Rock Island to address tree equity. Additionally, they are working on youth empowerment and have created two West End Revitalization Clubs at Rock Island High School and Thurgood Marshall Learning Center. He discussed two upcoming pilots that will be launched soon. The Ascentra Credit Union Financial Program is a 9-week financial empowerment course with a financial coach. The other pilot program involves a community participatory budgeting process. Mr. Pearl explained that their next step is strengthening the backbone, which includes hiring additional staff and internal capacity building. He provided resource development information and discussed the 1 Environmental Protection Agency Community Change Grant, which was submitted in November 2024 requesting $20 million in funds to address key components in the West End: workforce development/multi- use facility; service corps, and community partners, such as Augustana and Black Hawk Colleges. Mr. Brooks discussed reflections since the inception of the West End Revitalization project, which includes finding assets where others may see deficits, youth, mental health appears different in impoverished areas, trust and accessibility, among others. Mr. Brooks reiterated the next steps, which included launching the pilot programs, implementing the communications plan, research with Augustana College to establish a Special Services Area, forming a visioning committee for a Community Development Corporation, and writing grants to better understand the needs of the West End. Mr. Avery clarified that the majority of the trees were planted on City-owned property. He noted that in the process of planting trees, they found several residents asked for tree removal and they will be exploring funding for removal of dangerous or rotting trees. Mr. Brooks said the Acentra Credit Union project is scheduled to launch in March and that they worked with Mid-American Engergy. Alderperson Robinson praised the project and the work being done. 5. Adjourn a. Motion: Motion to adjourn. VV Voice vote is needed. MOTION: Alderperson Poulos moved to adjourn; Alderperson Parker seconded. VOTE: Motion PASSED on a 7-0-0 voice vote. Aye: Poulos, Healy, Robinson, Hurt, Tweet, Swanson, Parker. Nay: None. Absent: None. The meeting concluded at 6:18 p.m. 2

Agenda

Packet

City Council Study Session Agenda January 27, 2025 - 6:00 PM City Council Chambers, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 1528 Third Avenue, Rock Island, IL Click Here to Watch Live 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Public Comment 4. Presentations a. West End Revitalization Presentation Update 5. Adjourn a. Motion: Motion to adjourn. VV Voice vote is needed. This agenda may be obtained in accessible formats by qualified persons with a disability by making appropriate arrangements from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, by contacting the City Clerk's Office at (309) 732-2010 or visiting in person at: 1528 Third Avenue, Rock Island, IL 61201. Page 1 of 14 YEAR ONE mlkcenter.org/westend Page 2 of 14 Key Impact Areas Page 3 of 14 Communications • Meetings with community members, community-based orgs, government officials, school district officials, etc. • Presentations • Media coverage • West End Revitalization yard signs • Website updates Page 4 of 14 Building Relationships • Augustana College • Black Hawk College • Rock Island Housing Authority/Community Home Partners • Clean River Advisory Council • RIMSD • Project NOW • MidAmerican Energy • Ascentra Credit Union • Prairie Rivers Network Page 5 of 14 Mid-American Pilot • 30 single-family homes, 10 businesses, and 3 multi-family homes in the West End for energy-efficiency audits, repairs and upgrades • Planted 56 trees throughout Rock Island and the West End to address tree equity Page 6 of 14 Youth Empowerment • West End Revitalization Clubs at: ◦ Rock Island High School 50 members) ◦ Thurgood Marshall Learning Center 25 members) Page 7 of 14 Upcoming Pilots • Ascentra Credit Union Financial Program ◦ 9Week Financial Empowerment Course ◦ Financial Coach at the MLK Center • Community Participatory Budgeting Process ◦ West End Community – $40,000 ◦ High School Clubs – $10,000 • Both pilots are planned to launch in early 2025 Page 8 of 14 Strengthening the Backbone • Hiring a third West End Revitalization Coordinator Q1 • Hiring additional Resource Development staff Q1 • Internal capacity building - connecting to experts (ongoing) Page 9 of 14 Resource Development • Total 2024 Revenues = $194,000 • Confirmed for 2025 ◦ $100,000 from QC Community Foundation ◦ $75,000 from a private foundation ◦ $20,000 Healing Illinois • Pending: ◦ Environmental Protection Agency Grant Page 10 of 14 EPA Community Change Grant • Submitted a grant request for $20 million on Nov. 21st • Key Components: ◦ Workforce Development/Multi-Use Facility ◦ Service Corps ◦ Primary Partner: Augustana Collegeʼs Upper Mississippi Center ◦ Other Partners – American Jobs Center, YouthBuild, Project NOW, Black Hawk College, & the QC Chamber Page 11 of 14 Reflections ◦ Finding assets where others may see deficits ◦ Youth are a wealth of knowledge and action ◦ Mental health appears different in impoverished areas ◦ We can only move at the pace of trust ◦ Availability (of programs, services, etc) is not the same as accessibility. Trust is essential for accessibility. ◦ This work is messy! North star keeps us on track. ◦ Itʼs not just what you do, itʼs how you do it. Page 12 of 14 Next Steps ◦ Launch the Ascentra pilot ◦ Launch Participatory Budgeting processes ◦ Implement communications plan ◦ Research, with Augustana, establishing a Special Services Area SSA ◦ Form a visioning committee for a Community Development Corporation CDC ◦ Writing grant to better understand health and mental health needs of West End Page 13 of 14 Questions and Discussion Page 14 of 14