This Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn will join with local and state officials to salute the city of Rockford, which will be officially inducted into the Illinois Main Street program. Quinn will unveil the Illinois Main Street community sign. Signs soon will be placed at the entrances to Rockford. �We salute the dedicated residents and business owners who have volunteered countless hours to creating a vibrant downtown Rockford,� Quinn said. �And the River District Association has gone even further by reconnecting Northern Illinois to the Rock River and all that it has to offer.� The River District Association is creating a hub for entertainment, tourism and community events in Rockford and the surrounding River District. Residents and visitors alike are already enjoying a refurbished Coronado Theatre, improvements to Davis Park and Riverfront Museum Park, and a rebirth of the East State Street Business District. And the Illinois Main Street program will ensure that more positive changes are on the horizon. The River District Association seeks to increase riverfront access for pedestrians and bicyclists throughout the River District, expand Davis Park and create streetscape improvements to further connect the riverfront with the River District. Quinn will be joined at the designation ceremony by Rep. Chuck Jefferson (D-Rockford); Rep. Dave Winters (R-Shirland); Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford); Rep. Ron Wait (R-Belvidere); Sen. Brad Burzynski (R-Clare); Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen; Director of the Mayor�s Office of Tourism, Culture and Special Events Cyndie Hall; and River District Association Board President Rebecca Kopf. City and county officials and River District Association board members will also join in the celebration. Illinois Main Street represents one of the state's most effective public-private partnerships for economic development and community renewal. Since its inception, designated communities have reported net gains of more than 1,600 new downtown businesses and created more than 6,000 new full and part-time jobs. The Main Street program has spurred the reinvestment of more than $575 million in Main Street downtowns. Illinois is one of 40 states participating in the National Main Street program, administered through the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Lt. Governor�s Office administers the Illinois Main Street program, now the fourth-largest in the nation, with architectural assistance from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. For more information about the Illinois Main Street program, please visit: www.IllinoisMainStreet.org. |