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Council approves amended River Tracks redevelopment deal after prevailing‑wage amendment
Summary
The council voted to amend and approve an amended redevelopment agreement with River Tracks LLC (Crawford Company), adding a requirement that any work funded through the agreement be subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act; developers said the brownfield site requires costly site‑readiness work and estimates of 20–40 jobs were discussed.
Alderman Parker moved an amendment to the proposed redevelopment agreement with River Tracks LLC to require that any work funded through the agreement be performed under the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act. The council considered public comment and developer testimony and approved the amendment and the amended agreement by roll call on June 8.
Ian Frank and other representatives of River Tracks/Crawford Company described the parcel as a long‑vacant brownfield that needs demolition, clearance and remediation to be made site‑ready for industrial and office uses. Frank said the demolition and site‑readiness work could cost “over $400,000” for certain phases and that the company seeks city assistance to clear and ready the land. He said the firm is headquartered in Rock Island and currently employs about 500 people across the region, with roughly 60 Rock Island residents on staff.
Council members discussed the scope of the redevelopment agreement and whether prevailing‑wage requirements would deter the project. Parker said the amendment would ensure that any work funded by city TIFF dollars carries local wage protections. River Tracks representatives said they intend to use union contractors for demolition and site work and that prevailing wage would apply to the portion of work funded by the city.
During discussion, council and staff clarified funding sources. Staff confirmed some site work would be reimbursable TIFF‑eligible expenses and that earlier ARPA support of $300,000 had already been approved; developers requested an additional upfront contribution of $458,000 for site readiness (as presented to council). Council members pressed for commitments about local hiring and workforce access; River Tracks said the project could support 20 directly related jobs initially and potentially 40 or more as the campus grows.
The council first voted on Alderman Parker’s prevailing‑wage amendment (roll call: Evans, Hurt, Barnes, Parker and Pulis all voted in favor). The council then voted to approve the amended redevelopment agreement incorporating that amendment (same unanimous roll call).
