Recovery to revitalization: Dixon mayor reflects on milestones in office

DIXON – Mayor Li Arellano Jr. takes pride in the recovery the city underwent in the last eight years, and he’s glad to be leaving office while Dixon is in a strong position for the future.

Arellano, a business owner and veteran, was elected in 2015 at a time of great transition for the city.

He first ran for mayor because he wanted to bring financial and ethical reform to city government following former city Comptroller Rita Crundwell’s $53.7 million embezzlement scheme across two decades.

Voters ushered in the new city manager form of government along with Arellano as mayor and an entirely new slate of members on the Dixon City Council.

A lot of work was done with converting the city to more professionalized government, Arellano said, and they made strides with an overhaul of the financial systems, code changes, and structural adjustments “from the top to the bottom.”

“Some things would have been much harder without unified pubic support, and, really, it’s the people and their energy that drove all of this,” he said.

There also were massive infrastructure improvements and road resurfacing as the city worked to catch up from the “lean and fraudulent years.”

“It’s what the taxpayers expected from us, and we were able to tackle that,” he said.

The city has had much success in recent years with winning millions of dollars in grants for economic development and quality of life improvements. Arellano said part of their success was building on the investments made by the previous administration, such as with the riverfront and Heritage Crossing projects.

“Having the best foundation to build on is critical to success,” he said.

Larger grant wins during his time in office include a $12 million federal transportation grant to build a pedestrian bridge across the Rock River on former railroad pylons, about $5.6 million in state transportation grants the last six years to extend the city bike path along the riverfront, and $3 million in grants for infrastructure work for the Gateway Project commercial development on South Galena Avenue near Interstate 88.

“Winning so many local grants has helped to stretch our local dollars further,” he said. “The level of planning has really made a difference and continues to show what the city is capable of.”

A couple of his proudest accomplishments in office are work with the Viaduct Point riverfront revitalization project and the Gateway Project.

I’m excited for the city. There’s definitely plenty of room left to be excited with what we’ve done and what’s still to come.”

—  Dixon Mayor Li Arellano Jr.

Viaduct Point is a partnership in which the city and the Lee County Industrial Development Association secured about 10 acres of land stretching from the Peoria Avenue Bridge to the viaducts, to prime the area for redevelopment.

The cornerstone of that project has been cleaning up the former Dixon Iron & Metal junkyard on the river, which the city acquired through abandonment court in a process that took more than two years.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completed about $4 million of emergency cleanup at the scrapyard at 78 Monroe Ave. after contaminants and heavy metals were found in the soil and in the Rock River.

The “imminent and substantial threat” of the condition of the surface and subsurface soils and groundwater caused the agency to do critical remediation at the site, according to EPA project reports.

The EPA did a variety of work including excavating as deep as 19 feet in areas, providing contamination barriers, making riverbank improvements, replacing contaminated soil with clean soil, disposing of hazardous materials, and restoring the property with backfilling excavated areas and planting grass.

Arellano said properties with environmental concerns can sit as community eyesores for decades because of the cost, and the scope of work done by the EPA was unprecedented and a great benefit for the city.

“I truly think it saved the city 20 years,” he said. “It’s some of the most prime development land along the Rock River.”

With the cleanup mostly wrapped up, the city can move forward with the $7.3 million bike path extension project that’s more than six years in the making.

[ Dixon wins $2.25 million grant for bike path extension project ]

The city was awarded three grants for the path project since 2016 through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program to extend the bike path 1.6 miles, stretching east on River Road toward Raynor Garage Doors and west along the river with a ramp to the viaducts running to Seventh Street.

Work is expected to be completed for the path by the end of the year.

The Gateway Project is also years in the making. In 2021, the council approved annexation agreements across 657 acres, including land for the Gateway Project, after years of working with landowners and developers to open up new opportunities in the area.

The city created two tax-increment financing districts for new commercial and industrial development.

The 27-acre Gateway site along South Galena Avenue across from Walmart between Keul and Bloody Gulch roads is expected to bring gas stations, restaurants and a hotel to the Interstate 88 corridor. Being developed by Xsite Real Estate of Burr Ridge and Walsh Partners of Elmhurst, it includes the construction of about a dozen buildings, including a 16,000-square-foot anchor that will be the new Dixon Family YMCA child care center.

[ Dixon City Council OKs $4.8 million infrastructure work for Gateway Project ]

Construction will take place this year.

“I’m excited for the city,” Arellano said. “There’s definitely plenty of room left to be excited with what we’ve done and what’s still to come.”

Council member Mike Venier said the level of love Arellano has for the city is reflected by his work and commitment he’s shown during the years.

“Dixon is a better place because you were here for the last eight years,” Venier told Arellano at a recent council meeting.

Council member Mary Oros thanked Arellano for his service and leadership to the community as well as for the opportunity “to learn and work alongside you.”

Arellano is the owner of two Jimmy John’s sandwich shops in Dixon and Rock Falls and co-owner of the Frosted Spoon in Rock Falls.

He also is a sergeant in the Army Reserves and served two combat tours in Iraq, in 2005 and 2009. In 2019, he was deployed to the Middle East for almost a year, serving as a construction squad leader for the Homewood-based 317th Engineer Company, primarily in Saudi Arabia.

Arellano is the city’s first mayor under the city manager form of government and its first Latino mayor. He made an unsuccessful bid last year for state representative for the 74th District, and he plans to focus on his family and his businesses.

He and his wife, Jamie, have four children.

Arellano decided not to run for re-election, and he will be replaced in May by Mayor-elect Glen Hughes.

“I think the city is in a very strong position, and I’m proud of the recovery,” he said. “It’s never easy to walk away, but the recovery has been everything I dreamed it would be when I took office. The big things have been done, and future leaders will be walking into a healthier, stronger position.”