ROCHELLE — The City of Rochelle’s project on a new well house, well rehabilitation project and painting of the city’s water tower is proceeding but may get some monetary support if a Rebuild Illinois grant application is approved.
Following approval by the Rochelle City Council Monday night, Rochelle City Manager will file an application with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
As part of the state’s Rebuild Illinois program, the state has allocated $25 million in Rebuild Illinois funds to the competitive Public Infrastructure component with a grant ceiling of $5 million per project. The city’s new well house, well rehabilitation and water tower painting project submission is requesting $2.625 million with a match from the city of $875,000.
“The City of Rochelle is requesting this funding because they are unable to fund this vital infrastructure project on their own. The city just completed another major water system project with their own funds, and are not comfortable using the remainder of their surplus funds in this uncertain climate,” Fiegenschuh said. “Rochelle was prepared to move forward with construction on the proposed project, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city decided to initially delay/postpone the project if they were going to fund it on their own. With design completed and permits in-hand, the city is ready to move forward with the project immediately; they just financial assistance to make it happen.”
Following approval by council Monday night, the application for the grant will be filed with the DCEO.

Included in the grant application, paperwork reads “the proposed reconstruction project’s impact will be amplified by it’s location. The entire City of Rochelle is located in a designed DCEO Underserved Area.
In addition, the proposed project location is in an Opportunity Zone, in one of the City of Rochelle’s TIF Districts, and in the Lee-Ogle Enterprise Zone. Any infrastructure improvements in this area will incredibly impactful.
The City of Rochelle’s connection and proximity to one of the greatest multi-modal transportation systems in the nation will be impacted by the project as well, as most systems utilize the City’s water system in some capacity. Rochelle’s multi-modal transportation system includes the second largest public transportation system, the second largest rail system, the third largest interstate system, the fourth largest highway system, and one of the busiest airport systems.
Rochelle is located at the intersection of Interstates I-39 Logistics and Distribution Corridor and the I-88 Research and Development Corridor. The City of Rochelle Industrial Railroad has been the catalyst for economic development for the City of Rochelle for more than 30 years. The continuous expansion of the rail system has allowed rail-served industries to cut cost and increase efficiency in shipping and receiving operations due to the dual interchanges with Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroads.
The CIR was strategically established and located on the growth edge of Chicago’s westward commercial frontier to meet the demand of industries looking to locate outside the capacity-constrained Chicago area.”