ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The City of Rock Island took a vote on the possible donation of the Black Hawk statue at the Watch Tower Plaza site on Monday night.
Blackhawk Bank & Trust asked the city for the donation with the intent to remove, restore and then relocate the statue to a property on West 4th Street and West 3rd Avenue in Milan.
“My very first thought was – because of my age and I've never seen the difference – 'Oh, I'm not sure about this," said Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms. "But after talking to [the bank] and seeing where it's going to go, I’m very supportive of this process."
Right now the statue is located on a vacant lot on 11th street. Mayor Thoms noted that the city may not have the ability to save the statue once that lot is purchased.
“Their developer could come in and say: hey, I don't want it. It's not part of my plans,” said Mayor Thoms. “at that time we would have to give it up and it would be destroyed.”
Quad Cities native Kevin Putnam finds the statue to be a piece of Rock Island.
“It is usually one of the first things you see when you're coming down 11th Street,” said Putnam. “You know, when you look up there it's always been there, and it's going to be weird to see it gone. But you know it's progress.”
The statue would reside in Milan rather than Rock Island.
“We work as a Quad Cities. I’m Mayor of Rock Island and I think about Rock Island. But we have to work together as a Quad Cities. And we can't be too pigeon-holed and say no, it's just got to benefit my city and no other city,” Mayor Thoms said.
Rock Island city council members voted to approve the donation. Once the statue is moved to its new location, a plaque will be added that acknowledges the statue was a donation from the city.
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