Rock Island city officials recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with federal officials and lobby for funding in support of several city projects.

Mayor Mike Thoms was joined by Community and Economic Development Director Miles Brainard, Community Development Manager Nichole Mata and former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, who is now co-chair of Mercury, a public strategy firm, according to a city release Friday.

Meeting in Washington, D.C. recently were (L-R) Rock Island community development manager Nichole Mata, Mayor Mike Thoms, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and community and economic development director Miles Brainard.

The group met with Illinois U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin; Congressmen Eric Sorensen and Darin LaHood; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge and other HUD officials, who were all willing to listen to the needs of the city of Rock Island. 

Requests included funding for reconstruction of 11th Street, housing rehabilitation and new development projects, and a request for FEMA grants to install electric pump stations for use during flooding events.

Nichole Mata, Mayor Thoms, and Miles Brainard met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (second from left).

“It is my hope that meeting with federal officials in person will strengthen our requests for funding of major city projects,” Mayor Thoms said Friday. “We are always working together to find ways to ease the financial burden from taxpayers as we strive to make needed infrastructure improvements in the city.”

For 11th Street, the city is seeking a multi-million-dollar grant that would help fund new water infrastructure underneath 11th Street; remove the four lanes (two in each direction) and instead reconstruct one lane in each direction with a third lane in the center to serve as a turn lane, which will ease traffic tie-ups, plus streetscaping.