Illinois River Ports Form Association
For several years, ports and terminals along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers have been grouping together in regional clusters like the Corn Belt Ports to improve their federal recognition and grant opportunities.
On February 19, the mayors of 15 ports along the Illinois River went a step further. They held the first meeting of a new group, the Illinois River Cities and Towns Initiative (IRCTI) in Peoria, Ill. Seven mayors were present, while other towns sent representatives. The group is patterned after a successful model, the Mississippi River Cities and Town Initiative, founded in 2012 and made up of mayors of towns and cities all along the length of the Mississippi River. MRCTI executive director Colin Wellenkamp spoke on how a mayor-led organization can influence policies and drive regional benefits. Anshu Singh, who gave an overview of the Illinois Waterway ports, will be the IRCTI’s executive director.
Other speakers at the first meeting of the new association included Robert Sinkler, water resources infrastructure director of the Illinois Waterway (ILWW) Ports Commission and a former commander of the Rock Island Engineer District; Jonathan Altenberg, president and CEO of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLSLCI); Travis Wheeler, chief policy officer for GLSLCI, and Chris Setti, CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council (GPEDC). Altenberg and Wheeler, representing GLSLCI, a similar port grouping, gave an overview and perspectives on the needs and benefits of regional and national collaboration.
The meeting’s co-chairs were Rita Ali, mayor of Peoria, Ottawa Mayor Robert Hasty and John Kahl, mayor of East Peoria, Ill.
A one-page document released by IRCTI laid out the group’s goals.
“There are over 15 mayor-led cities and towns on the Illinois River,” the group stated. “The IRCTI will give a common voice to cities along the Illinois River to protect their political and economic interests. The IRCTI will build the capacity of member mayors to undertake effective local initiatives to attract jobs, move to sustainable economies and achieve local environmental protection goals. Ultimately, this work will protect and restore the Illinois River as a natural system. The Illinois river watershed is home to 46 percent of the state’s agriculture production, 44 percent of the state’s land area and 90 percent of the state’s population. The objective of creating IRCTI is to improve the ecology and economy of the ILWW region. The Illinois Waterway Ports Commission (IWPC) will sponsor the formation of the Illinois River Cities and Towns Initiative (IRCTI) within the boundary of IWPC as a tributary organization of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative to increase funding opportunities in the IWPC area.”
The mayor members then formed an advisory board and elected officers. Next steps include writing bylaws and planning for a Washington “fly-in” March 5-7 with the mayors of MRCTI and GLCTI.
