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Rock Falls river front plans coming to life

ROCK FALLS, Illinois – Warren Baxter watched as work was being done on the Rock Falls river front. He’s a lifelong resident of Rock Falls and is exc...

ROCK FALLS, Illinois - Warren Baxter watched as work was being done on the Rock Falls river front.

He's a lifelong resident of Rock Falls and is excited to finally see the river front take shape.

"To see the progress and as quickly as it's developing for this time of year is great," said Warren Baxter.

A plan for the river front has been in the works for 13 years.

"Over $8 million was spent to do the environmental clean ups and stuff and we were left with basically a palette of green," said Mayor Bill Wescott, City of Rock Falls.

Mayor Wescott said the green space will have an amphitheater for outdoor concerts and festivals, a splash park, skate park and a couple of veteran's memorial areas.

"We're trying to make it user friendly for everyone, all the different age groups in this city," said Wescott.

The money for the projects is coming from TIF funds from the Holiday Inn Express that sits on the land.

The city plans to have the amphitheater and splash park done by next summer.

For Baxter, he said he's excited to use the river front with his great grandkids.

"I go to Moline and pick them up and have a couple nice sleep overs and now I got a splash park to take them to," said Baxter.

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