New Year means resolutions, right? I'll try to make sure this gets tended to weekly.
In the meantime, several things have been happening. You may have seen in the Gazette or heard on WSDR about updates concerning the eastern portion of the former NWSW plant, the area we generically refer to as "Plant 1." As I've stated before, when dealing with environmental law and liabilities, owners in an LLC and mortgage/lien holders, nothing is simple. While it seems black and white (you own a mess, clean it up), it's not so easy unfortunately. One misconception is that nothing is being done, or that only talk is happening. While there are multi-party negotiations in place, the City has filed and is still pursuing a nuisance abatement order in Whiteside County Court. An order of this magnitude is not adjudicated in one appearance unfortunately.
The future use of the property has not been determined, but considering the prior uses, it's likely that much of the are will be retained as public space. The river gave so much to this community in terms of its initial development, but short of Lawrence Park and the old slough, the community has had little access. Hopefully the area can combine some reuse in light development, balanced with green areas along the river. There will definitely be public involvement and comment sought from the community before any plans are formalized for reuse. The Council is committed to making the riverfront a place that serves the community.
