U.S. Congressman Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, visited Rochelle and Ogle County on May 28 and met with city and county officials.

In Rochelle, LaHood heard a presentation from Mayor John Bearrows, City Manager Zeke Jackson, City Engineer Sam Tesreau and City Economic Development Director Tom Demmer. Bearrows updated LaHood on current economic development and infrastructure happenings and presented three potential future projects in hopes of federal funding assistance.

The first project Bearrows detailed to LaHood was the Rochelle Intermodal Transload Center, a transload yard the city recently put into place following the closure of the Global III Intermodal facility.

Bearrows said the city has a desire to expand the RITC, which is located on a 1,000-acre, shovel-ready megasite slated for future industrial development.

Demmer said recent economic development conversations regarding the area have included a potential large food manufacturer, other production and distribution facilities, and automotive and wind power component transloading. The city owns its own railroad that services the area, which is operated by Burlington Junction Railway.

“The 1,000 acres is all shovel ready with all of the utilities including sewer, water and fiber for businesses to jump right in,” Bearrows said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for growth and development.”

Another project Bearrows discussed with LaHood May 28 was the city and the Ogle-Lee Fire Protection District’s joint fire training facility off South Main Street. The facility was constructed in recent years and includes two training structures, with a tower soon to be built.

Bearrows said the city and the OLFPD have a desire to see a classroom and vehicle bays also built at the site, estimated to cost a total of $4 million to $6 million. The classroom would be used for training fire personnel and other entities and the bays would be used to store extra fire vehicles. The training facility expansion would reduce insurance rates in the city, saving money for businesses and residents.

“For every one-point decline in insurance services office rating the city receives, that’s an 8-12 percent decline in insurance rates that our manufacturers and commercial property owners have to pay out,” Jackson said.

Tesreau presented a third project to LaHood regarding pedestrian walkability improvements in Rochelle. The city has plans in place to construct a walking path on South Illinois Route 251 along Fairways Golf Course this year to improve safety.

Tesreau said the city also has a desire to install a pedestrian bridge over the Kyte River north of the golf course, which is estimated to cost $600,000. City officials are interested in federal funds for the work.

The city also has interest in another pedestrian bridge over both sets of railroad tracks in the heart of the city to improve safety, which it also wants to be considered for federal funding for. That project, which would be a separate entity from the current Illinois Route 251 overpass, is estimated to cost $16.5 million.

“We’ve had a few fatalities here over the years and a number of injuries at those at-grade crossings,” Tesreau said. “Going forward, we want to look for an opportunity here to find an alignment adjacent to the overpass for a pedestrian bridge. The bridge would be 1,600 feet long. It would connect to a sidewalk that goes downtown.”

LaHood provided details on the federal community funding projects program that would apply to the potential projects. That program partially funds projects that concern infrastructure, economic development, and nonprofits.

LaHood said the city projects could be considered in fiscal 2028. In fiscal 2027, LaHood will be lobbying for a $4 million request from Rochelle Community Hospital for a buildout for its emergency department.

“That will be one of the 20 projects we submit for consideration this year,” LaHood said. “Nothing is more important to a community than its local hospital and keeping it independent. They have a great plan to do that. We’re going to bat for it right now and we’re hoping to get it done.”

LaHood said the meeting and direct communication allows himself and his office to do all they can to help cities like Rochelle to grow and prosper in the future.

“When you talk about creating economic opportunities, it has to be done in partnership,” LaHood said. “And that was shown here today. When we think about how we can leverage federal dollars and how federal agencies can help and how we can attract businesses here, having that base of knowledge and understanding is helpful for all of that.”

Prior to the meeting in Rochelle, LaHood met with with Ogle County Board Chairman Bruce Larson and other Ogle County board members at the Ogle County Courthouse in Oregon on topics including rural broadband internet expansion, getting more federal prisoners to be housed at the Ogle County Jail, data centers and wind power.