West End revitalization team details pilots, $50,000 participatory budgeting and $20 million EPA grant application

Rock Island study-session presenters said on Thursday that the West End revitalization effort has launched multiple pilots, secured partner funding for home energy upgrades and budgeted $50,000 for a participatory budgeting process while seeking a large EPA grant to expand workforce and infrastructure work.

Mr. Jones, a director involved with the initiative, opened the presentation and introduced Mr. Brooks and Avery Pearl, who outlined program goals and recent activity. “We’re here to give you an update on the work that’s being done with West End revitalization,” Jones said.

The presenters described five impact areas guiding the plan—economic vitality; personal assets and income; housing and land; infrastructure and visual appeal; and civic capital—then reviewed partnerships and concrete pilots. They listed local partners that include Augustana College, Black Hawk College, the Rock Island Housing Authority, Prairie Rivers Network, Project Now, the Rock Island Milan School District, and MidAmerican. The presentation said city departments, community organizations and other funders are also engaged.

Mr. Brooks described a home energy-efficiency pilot that, according to the presenters, reached about 30 homes, 10 businesses and three multifamily properties in western Rock Island. Presenters said MidAmerican is covering roughly 90% of the upgrade costs while local partners covered the remainder so participating homeowners and businesses pay little or nothing for improvements such as water heaters, HVAC work and lighting upgrades.

The team reported planting trees across the West End and credited partners such as Prairie Rivers Network, the Clean River Advisory Council and Saint Mary’s Monastery for contributing to the effort. Presenters used the transcript phrasing “50/56 trees” when describing recent plantings and said a broader goal would increase that number next spring.

Presenters also highlighted ongoing school engagement with Rock Island High School and Thurgood Marshall Learning Center, describing weekly work that staff said has improved student engagement and provided opportunities for youth to shape neighborhood planning.

Two short-term programs were outlined: a nine‑week financial‑literacy/cohort pilot with Central Credit Union (the transcript includes inconsistent references to the institution’s name) expected to enroll about 20 West End residents beginning in March, and a participatory budgeting grant of $50,000 of which presenters said $40,000 is earmarked for community projects and $10,000 for youth-driven initiatives.

On staffing and finances, presenters said total revenues were $194,000 in 2024 and that $195,000 is confirmed so far for 2025. They said they have requested an EPA Community Change Grant (submitted Nov. 21) seeking $20,000,000 to fund a multiuse facility and a workforce development/service corps to deliver weatherization, nature‑based solutions and other training in partnership with organizations such as YouthBuild and the American Job Center. “We’re really excited about what this can do for the West End community,” Avery Pearl said when describing the EPA application.

During a brief question-and-answer period, unidentified council members asked about the MidAmerican pilot’s completion timeline, whether tree removal assistance could be provided to residents, and which contractors were performing HVAC and water‑heater installations; presenters named contractors (including Crawford and Brady) and said they would finalize remaining reports and finance reconciliation before closing out the pilot.

Council members commended the emphasis on youth engagement and the team’s outreach, and the study session closed after a motion to adjourn carried by voice vote.

Next steps listed by presenters included launching the Central Credit Union cohort in March, beginning the participatory budgeting process early in the year, hiring an additional West End revitalization coordinator and continuing grant writing and partnership development. The project team also said a pending EPA award would expand workforce programming if funded.