May 24, 2017 – The Quad City Health Initiative and Bi-State Regional Commission have received the “Trails for Health Award” from American Trails in recognition of the Be Healthy QC Coalition and QCTrails.org.  The Trails for Health Award recognizes a community’s commitment to improving access to trails and promoting their use and importance for increasing physical activity.

The award was announced at American Trails’ 23rd International Trails Symposium held in Dayton, Ohio in May.  The National and International Trails Awards Program is one way American Trails recognizes the tremendous contributions and successes of exemplary people across the globe who are working to advance trails.  American Trails is the only national nonprofit organization working on behalf of all trail types.

July 2017 – Illinois Public Acts 97-905 and 98-109 were passed in 2012 and 2013 by the Illinois General Assembly.  These laws combine to make significant changes to the way enterprise zones are awarded and administrated in Illinois.  Enterprise zones were first established in Illinois in 1983 to stimulate economic growth by providing tax incentives and regulatory relief to businesses opening or expanding in specially designated areas.  To date, 97 enterprise zones have been authorized by the State of Illinois.

Click below for the 2016 Quad Cities Enterprise Zone Application

pdf FINAL QC 2016 EZ APP 81 MB.pdf (78.61 MB)

April 26, 2017 –   Bi-State Regional Commission offers their member governments a variety of services relating to grant activity.  Services include assisting with writing grants, reviewing grant applications, providing adequate resources, developing a “letter of concurrence” providing Bi-State Regional Commission’s support for a particular project, and distributing notifications to member governments about upcoming grant opportunities.  There are a number of grant opportunities available on the federal, state, and local levels in different fields such as transportation, public health, public safety, environmental planning, public works, economic development, and housing.  For an updated list of available grants and the maximum amount that may be requested, click here.

April 26, 2017 –   Laura Berkley, Senior Planner, presented the final draft of the Bi-State Region Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) 2017 Progress Report that had been distributed at the March 22, 2017 meeting to Commissioners for review and provided to the public on the Bi-State website.  Minor comments were received through the 30-day review regarding economic development related projects as noted in the projects list.  Commissioners approved a resolution to adopt the 2017 CEDS Progress Report, and the report was submitted to the Economic Development Administration.  

April 26, 2017 –   Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood.  Amber Wood, Executive Director of the American Red Cross for the Quad Cities and West Central Illinois said the Red Cross must collect 14,000 donations every day for patients in need.  While 80 percent of donations are collected at blood drives close to where people work and live, the blood Red Cross collects is distributed throughout the United States.  Red Cross blood is part of the National Inventory with a lower loss rate than any blood bank in the United States.  All Red Cross units donated find a recipient.  Red cross blood has the ability to spread needed units to areas of urgency such as the Florida night club shooting.  Red Cross blood is also the official secondary provider to the United States Military.

April 26, 2017 – Bi-State will offer training on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Open Meeting Act (OMA) for Illinois member governments on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. at the Hampton Heritage Center, 251 South State Avenue, Hampton, IL 61256.  A brief presentation on Bi-State Regional Commission services will be given followed by a presentation on FOIA and OMA.  Each presentation will be 45 minutes long.
Please RSVP by Monday, May 29, 2017 by contacting Executive Director Denise Bulat.  A light meal will be served.

March 22, 2017 –  The CEDS, or Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, is updated fully every 5 years and updated as a progress report in the interim years.  Since the last full CEDS was completed in 2016, Laura Berkley, Senior Planner, presented information on the 2017 CEDS Progress Report.  She reported that the Gross Regional Product was up to $19.54 million (in 2015 dollars), which is the most recent data available.  Unemployment is down, but the workforce is also shrinking.  According to economic modeling software JobsEQ, overall jobs are projected to increase by less than 1% by 2021, with Health Care and Social Assistance; Construction; and Professional, Scientific and Technical Services being the sectors with the largest growth.

April 7, 2017 –  We can’t wait for spring—and here’s why! On Saturday, April 8, 2017, people across the country will celebrate the nation’s fifth annual Opening Day for Trails.

Opening Day for Trails is a national event organized by the Rails to Trails Conservancy to encourage people across the country to officially kick off spring by hitting their favorite pathways.

Whether you’ve been out on the trail all year long, or have been waiting for warmer weather, Opening Day is a great way to officially kick off the season and explore trails!

In the Quad Cities Area, you can find opportunities for physical activity on over 75 trails using the free, user-friendly, interactive, and mobile-responsive website, QCTrails.org.

For a 15th year, the Bi-State Regional Commission is hosting a series of webinars sponsored by the American Planning Association (APA) and others.  The dates and topics are listed below.  These webinars are one and a half hours in length, unless otherwise noted. Attendance of planning staff, planning and zoning commissions/board members, and board of adjustment members is strongly encouraged.  This is a terrific training opportunity for planning and zoning commissions and is provided as part of Bi-State Regional Commission membership.

• Wednesday, July 5, 2017 – 3:00-4:30 p.m.

2017 Planning Law Review (1.5 hours)
This annual review delves into the important cases, the decisions that were made – or not made – and how this will affect planning at many levels.  Legal experts and members of APA’s amicus curiae committee fill you in on what you need to know.
Certification Maintenance – This webinar has been approved for CM | 1.5

All conferences will be held on the Third Floor of Rock Island County Office Building, 1504 Third Avenue, Rock Island.  The public entrance to the building is from Third Avenue.  Please plan to arrive by 2:45 p.m.

Contact Patty Pearson at (309) 793-6302, Ext. 138 or via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register or for questions.  For those calling long distance, you may contact me toll-free at 1-888-BISTATE.

March 22, 2017 – The largest infrastructure project in the Bi-State Region’s history will begin this year due to the persistence and leadership of all those involved.  The Bi-State Regional Commission adopted the Interstate 74 Bridge corridor project as the number one transportation priority in the Bi-State Region in 1998.  Since that time, four long-range transportation plans have been developed by the Bi-State Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the project has continued to be the top priority.  There have been over 14 changes in engineering and planning leadership between the Illinois and Iowa Departments of Transportation and over 20 chief elected official changes on the Transportation Policy Committee since 1998.  With all of these changes, the Bi-State Regional Commission has continued to communicate a unified message of support for the project.