Rochelle celebrates completion of projects for future development

$50 million invested in new infrastructure, city opens Rochelle Railroad Transload Center

Posted 9/13/19

On Friday, officials from Washington, D.C., Chicago and Springfield assembled for an event promoted as Rochelle’s Infrastructure Celebration Day.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Rochelle celebrates completion of projects for future development

$50 million invested in new infrastructure, city opens Rochelle Railroad Transload Center

Posted

ROCHELLE – On Friday, officials from Washington, D.C., Chicago and Springfield assembled for an event promoted as Rochelle’s Infrastructure Celebration Day.

The event was held to commemorate the more than a dozen infrastructure projects that the City of Rochelle is building to attract new businesses and industries.

“This investment is what secures the city’s future, as we are among a small number of communities that can say they are truly “open for business” because we have what companies need and want to build and expand,” mayor John Bearrows said when acknowledging the more than $50 million investment the city has put into the projects.

Some of the major projects that support the mayor’s charge is the $7 million upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant and the more than $15 million spent on improving a number of wells and water mains to increase Rochelle’s water supply.

“It is all about teamwork and partnerships that lead to results,” city manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said when emphasizing what it takes to build the kind of infrastructure necessary to grow a community.

One of the partners Fiegenschuh referred to is the Economic Development Administration who was represented at Friday’s celebration by Dennis Foldenauer, Chicago Regional Office Area Director.

“The EDA has been pleased to partner with rural communities like Rochelle in helping to build infrastructure, that has resulted in the creation of hundreds of good paying jobs and millions of dollars in private investment,” Foldenauer said.

As part of the day’s events the city also held a grand opening of the new Rochelle Transload Center and City of Rochelle Railroad expansion. This project opens rail access to hundreds of industries across the Midwest looking for options to ship or receive raw materials, finished products, equipment, bulk materials or any product that could move by rail.

The regional impact of the RTC was noted by Michael P. Dunn Jr., Executive Director of the Rockford Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

“The investment Rochelle has made in their new Rail Transload Center and expansion of the City of Rochelle Railroad, directly benefits communities throughout Northern Illinois, and we are thrilled to be a stakeholder in their success,” Dunn Jr. said.

Along with communities throughout Northern Illinois the new Trans Load center will also help serve fellow communities in neighboring states.

“This beautiful new Trans loading center will serve the entire region of Eastern Iowa, Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois,” said Jason Anderson, economic development director for Rochelle.

In addition to the new Rail Transload Center the Rochelle Railroad now has a new four-track rail bridge which according to Anderson, opens up a number of new opportunities to expand the city’s rail services to industries both near and far.

The combined rail projects were funded by the EDA ($3.42 million), the Illinois Department of Transportation ($2.58 million) and the City of Rochelle ($1 million).

State Representative Tom Demmer receives award

As part of Rochelle’s Infrastructure Celebration Day, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce presented the Friend of Infrastructure Award from the Transportation for Illinois Coalition to State Representative Tom Demmer for his support of the state’s new $45 billion capital construction program. 

Since taking office, Representative Demmer has been an advocate for expanding infrastructure across northern Illinois, creating hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in new revenue.

“I am proud to represent you in Springfield and proud to be able to work with local officials and federal officials with business and labor with people across the spectrum politically to say what can we do to make sure that Illinois is prepared to be competitive,” said Demmer. “To attract people into our state, to add jobs into our communities and to make millions of dollars’ worth of investments. That is the partnership that I am proud to represent and that is the kind of partnership that we are all here today to celebrate.”