It's time for shovels to hit the dirt at Western Illinois University's Quad Cities Riverfront Campus... again.
Seven months after Phase I was complete, the public university will break ground on Phase II of its new Riverfront Campus, located along River Drive in Moline. A ceremony will take place at 3pm on Wednesday, August 29th.
The site of Phase II is on the west side of Building One, which was Phase I, built in 2010 and 2011. It includes high-tech classrooms and state-of-the-art engineering labs that support the school's business, technology, and engineering undergrad students. It opened to the public in January 2012.
During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced a $38 million investment for the school to continue with Phase II. The development will include five interconnected buildings for the colleges of arts and sciences, education and human services, and fine arts and communications. Other programs and services from WIU's 60th Street Campus will also move over to the Riverfront Campus, including the library and WQPT - the Quad Cities' public television station.
Governor Quinn will be at today's groundbreaking ceremony, as well as other state and community leaders. The public is invited to attend, but they're being asked to park at the iWireless Center. A shuttle will be available every 15 minutes starting at 2pm to take people to the ceremony site.