First Illinois Waterway Ports Commission meeting held Aug. 31

The Heart of Illinois Regional Port District, serving as the lead coordinating port, hosted the first Illinois Waterway Ports Commission meeting Aug. 31 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

The recently enacted Illinois Waterway Ports Commission Act, a bill introduced by state Sen. David Koehler, D-Peoria, and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on June 30, created the Illinois Waterway Ports Commission.

The commission has jurisdiction over the following counties and port districts: the Seneca Regional Port District; the Ottawa Port District; the Illinois Valley Regional Port District; the Heart of Illinois Regional Port District; the Havana Port District; and Fulton, Mason, Tazewell, Peoria, Woodford, Marshall, Putnam, Bureau, La Salle and Grundy counties.

“Today’s meeting represents a critical juncture for our region,” said Anshu Singh, director of sustainability at HIRPD. “The collaboration and dialogue fostered here will undoubtedly pave the way for continued growth and connectivity across the ILWW ports.”

This meeting, the first gathering since the state’s recognition of the Illinois Waterway Ports Commission Act, served as an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange information, network and create a vision for the ILWW ports.