Dixon is moving forward with fourth phase of riverfront development

DIXON – The city of Dixon and the Dixon Park District signed their first intergovernmental agreement in almost 30 years as progress continues on Dixon’s riverfront revitalization project that began in 1998.

The Dixon City Council’s riverfront development master plan began in 1998 with the formation of the Dixon Riverfront Commission. The plan includes four projects: the construction of Heritage Crossing, completed in 2009; the installation of a multi-use path that extends east along River Road from Galena Avenue to Route 2, also completed in 2009; the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program multi-use path that runs west along the Rock River, officially completed this week; and Project Rock, which extends the ITEP path across the river with a pedestrian bridge.

The agreement lays out which entity – the city of Dixon or the park district – is responsible for costs, maintenance and repairs for Project Rock. The final phase of the city’s development plan will extend the ITEP multi-use path with a pedestrian bridge across the river using the old Illinois Central Railroad piers; add 2.8 miles of multi-use path; and resurface Page Drive, which is owned by the park district.

The project is being funded by a $12 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program, and because the city and the park district both own land that the project will be constructed on, the agreement is required by the grant.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, Public Works Director Matt Heckman said “the agreement is fairly simple and straightforward.”

In a nutshell, Heckman said, the city of Dixon will be responsible for anything that sits on city property and the physical structure of the bridge that will run across the river. In the winter, the city also is responsible for salting all roads and pathways within Project Rock.

The park district will be responsible for anything that sits on park district property, he said. That includes the multi-use path that will run adjacent to Page Drive and the paths that will run through Page Park.

The park district also will be responsible for anything that it adds to the walking bridge after construction is completed, Heckman said.

On Wednesday evening, the agreement was presented to the park district board, which also unanimously approved it.

“It’s a good agreement with the city,” park district Executive Director Duane Long said in an interview with Shaw Local.

He said the park district is excited to be working with the city and to move forward on the project.

Thursday morning was a celebratory moment for both parties as the city of Dixon held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the completed ITEP multi-use path.

“After a culmination of six years of work, we are one step closer to realizing our vision of Dixon’s riverfront redevelopment,” Mayor Glen Hughes said Thursday.