Rock Island is a Cool City

The Quad Cities of Illinois consist of Rock Island and Moline on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River and Bettendorf and Davenport on the Iowa side. Historically the area is known best as the headquarters of the John Deere Corporation and the location of Arsenal Island, the 946-acre island that served as a prisoner of war camp for nearly 13,000 prisoners during the Civil War. Today it is home to the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the western world.

Rock Island acquired new significance this week by becoming the latest Illinois city to join the national Cool Cities Campaign. Mayor Mark Schwiebert showed his leadership skills by being the first Quad City mayor pledging to reduce global warming emissions citywide to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012!

To begin its Cool Cities efforts Rock Island intends to:

• Buy and operating White Hydropower Company dam on the Rock River to generate electricity for the city.
• Rehab a downtown warehouse into first floor offices and retail space with loft apartments on the upper floors. The building will be fitted with a green roof - often a key component of an autonomous buildings.
• Build a bike lane system throughout the city and promote safe and energy efficient bicycling.

Let's hear it for the Mayor Schwiebert! Leadership does make a difference.