September 25, 2019 – Robert Sinkler, former Colonel for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers overviewed a proposed concept to pursue designation of a federally recognized port consisting of existing ports and terminals along the Mississippi River from the Iowa and Illinois border at river mile 580 (Dubuque) to the south border at river mile 362 (Keokuk), north to south. There are 7 counties in Illinois and 8 counties in Iowa adjacent to the river in this corridor.

August 28, 2019  – New Western Illinois University Provost and acting President Martin Abraham recently relocated from Youngstown, Ohio and is in the process of addressing the school’s number one challenge of improving enrollment. Since 2014, new freshman enrollment has been declining from 3,400 to 2,000 students currently. He looks forward to making more contacts within the Quad Cities area as he begins working toward stronger partnerships within the region. 

July 24, 2019 – The Quad City Health Initiative was formed in 1999 and is celebrating 20 years of cross-community partnerships to create a healthy community. Nicole Carkner, QCHI Executive Director, spoke about engaging a variety of sectors across organizational and geographic boundaries to improve community health. There are 13 health opportunity areas, such as disease, oral health, tobacco use, and injury/violence. Priorities include nutrition, physical activity and weight, mental health, and access to healthcare. 

June 26, 2019 – Ray Wolf, Science and Operations Officer with the National Weather Service (NWS), under the parent agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), provided an overview on weather and climate resilience. With a mission of a “Weather-Ready Nation,” the NWS provides weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property, and for the enhancement of the national economy. Hazards planning and preparedness is core to this mission.

May 22, 2019 – Ben Leischner, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Rock Island County, provided an overview of the Quad City International Airport. The Authority employs 55 workers, and another 30 are employed with the service arm of the organization for ground services support. The authority’s 8 commissioners oversee $250 million in assets and facilities.

April 24, 2019 – Rachel Bruce, Bi-State Regional Commission Planner, reported that Census Day is April 1, 2020, but outreach efforts began as early as 2018 with the coordination of programs like the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) and Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP). These programs gave local jurisdictions the opportunity to review and propose modifications to boundaries for census tracts, block groups, and census designated places (CDPs) to ensure that the Census Bureau accurately represents the geography of the region. This summer, the Census Bureau will begin address canvassing to verify structures and addresses for the questionnaire mailing.  Canvassing is expected to last until August, and the Census Bureau has already begun hiring workers for canvassing activities and in preparation for Census Day.

March 27, 2019 – Bi-State Regional Commission receives federal pass through funds to plan for short and long-range transportation needs. Planning areas are the Quad Cities and Region 9 for rural Scott County and Muscatine County, Iowa. Key travel issues in these areas include improving river crossing capacity; reducing congestion; maintaining good standing for air quality; and coordinating maintenance, operations, and improvements between the modes of transportation for an effective system to move people and goods.

March 27, 2019 – In February, Rachel Bruce, Planner with Bi-State Regional Commission, provided a draft of the demographics section of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2019 Progress Report (CEDS PR), which breaks down regional statistics on people, place, and the economy. Ms. Bruce also handed out a listing of completed, underway, and planned economic development-related projects in the Bi-State Region. She urged Commissioners to read through those lists and encourage their community employees to provide information on known projects they want included in the plan.

February 27, 2019 – Pat D’Alessandro with the American Red Cross of the Quad Cities and West Central Iowa provided an overview of the Disaster Relief Operation (DRO). It is similar to a business with management staff, logistics, human resources, and public relations/communications. The functional areas of a DRO are feeding, sheltering, and casework. The staff comes together in a very short time frame and may not have ever met or worked together. Also, the staff have to be housed and provided with transportation. Because services are generally being provided before set-up of a DRO, a handoff is required between the local team and new team, and local partners don’t know the people who are arriving. Finally, the staff cycles out every 2-3 weeks.

January 23, 2019 – Colonel Stephen Marr, Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) Garrison Commander, provided a presentation to the Commission. He manages services and facilities for the 950 acre (1.5 square mile) Arsenal Island.
The Garrison has four overall priorities:

• Infrastructure - Addressing the urgent infrastructure challenges brought on by a decade of underinvestment
• Protection - Focusing on installation and full scale protection
• Soldier/Civilian Employee Programs - Improving the readiness and resilience of individual soldiers and civilians
• Family Programs - Improving the readiness and resilience of Army families, in order to allow soldiers to focus on their military occupation