Rochelle — The City of Rochelle announced Thursday the receipt of a Rebuild Illinois grant in the amount of $365,750 to fund demolition toward redevelopment of the former Hickory Grove site. City officials have already been in talks with three separate developers with interest in the project.

“Being selected as one of just 11 projects throughout the state to receive this funding is an honor,” Mayor John Bearrows said.

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded $11 million in Rebuild Illinois capital funds to support continued economic development across the state. Shovel Ready Infrastructure Capital Program grants will support 11 new capital development projects across the state, paving the way to projects that will create long-term investment in communities, while creating an estimated 824 construction jobs statewide.

“The Rebuild Illinois grant will allow us to move forward with this project while stretching our local dollars as much as possible,” City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said.

The maximum grant awarded in this round was $1.5 million and projects include site acquisition, brownfield redevelopment, site preparation and rehabilitation of empty buildings and vacant spaces. Preference was given to projects in underserved communities. The projects will serve a variety of end-purposes, including after school programs, affordable housing, business incubators, job training, recreation, and transportation. 

The City of Rochelle acquired the Hickory Grove property in early 2020 and applied for grant funding in June of 2020. City officials were notified of the award this month.