State will give Elgin $8 million for Riverside Drive rehab

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

ELGIN — Calling it the “ultimate in recycling,” Gov. Pat Quinn Friday pledged $8 million toward completing the redevelopment of the city’s downtown riverfront.

At a press conference held at Walton Island, Quinn, alongside Elgin Mayor Ed Schock and state Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin, touted it as a “special day” for the people of Elgin and the people of Illinois, as he announced that money from the state’s $31 billion capital plan would go toward building a new downtown riverfront promenade.

Quinn touted the benefits of the project as twofold, saying it provided an opportunity to improve the environment by cleaning up the waterfront area while creating as many as 100 construction jobs, with hopes of creating another 120 permanent private-sector jobs over time.

“The people of Kane County and Elgin understand how important the Fox River is to our history, to our environment, to our drinking water, to our commerce, to our recreation,” he said. “It’s so special to have this, and we want to make sure that in the 21st century, we make those investments that will pay huge dividends for years to come.”

It’s a project that Schock said was the “last leg” of a 10-year effort to revitalize Elgin’s riverfront area, which included development along the east banks of the Fox from the I-90 tollway to National Street.

“All but one section of the east bank remains,” he said. “Fifteen hundred feet of a decrepit parking deck that reminds us of the past degradation of the river, but thanks to Gov. Quinn and Sen. Noland, it’s about to change.”

Schock expected construction to begin by next spring, with the project’s completion taking about 14 months, barring any unexpected delays during building. He said the cost of the project — originally thought to be between $11 million and $13 million — might end up being less, since funding has come at a time when construction bids and building materials are about 20 percent less than initial estimates.

“We think we can get $9 million, 9 and a half million dollars’ worth of work for the $8 million,” he said. “So that goes a long way.”

The building of the promenade would entail tearing down a parking deck along Riverside Drive, as well as creating a new two-lane, two-way street, 16 parallel parking spaces, a bike path and space that could be used for small outdoor events.

Schock said news of the project already has garnered the attention of a number of area businesses that he said have expressed an interest in possibly relocating to downtown once construction is complete.

In terms of job creation, Schock said it was hard at this point to detail what kind of permanent jobs would be created as a result of the project, but was confident the area’s development would be key to sparking economic growth.

“I have already had several businesses located along this section say when we complete this project, they’re going to be looking at some facade improvement grants to re-orient to the river so that they can also have that riverfront presence,” he said.