12/06/2021
Here is an recap of our past two years:
The Rockford Aquarium Board of Directors has been busy the past two years. In the summer of 2019 the Board worked closely with the Rock River West Casino Group, a coalition of community advocates vying for the Illinois casino license located in downtown Rockford. The proposed Aquarium along with a Casino would have been located at the gateway to downtown and adjacent to the anticipated train station and Amerock Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention center on the South Main corridor. The site provided easy visitor access with just a 5-minute drive from the US bypass 20, 10 minutes from the Chicago Rockford International Airport, and only 10 minutes from I-90 with easy on and off access thanks to the new bypass 20 entrance and exit ramps currently under construction.
The Rock River West Group wanted to enhance the vibrant atmosphere of our downtown at the Waterpower District. “This new Entertainment District will enrich our community while supporting the entire downtown destination,” states Stacy Bernardi, Rock River West Advocacy Group. Continuing, “We envision that this project location can definitively grow more entertainment events for the BMO Harris Bank Center, Coronado Theater and Davis Park with existing and added restaurants, existing and new retail, and new entertainment attractions in and around the South Main Corridor and the overall River District.”
“The presence of the Rockford Aquarium in the Rockford Main Street corridor along the Waterfront will be a further catalyst for downtown development and an enhancement to other museums and new entertainment tourist attractions,” states, Gayle Marzorati, Board President of the Rockford Aquarium. “We envision a world-class Aquarium which will create a vibrant and exciting place where people can spend quality family time while learning about the oceans of the world, our river and important aquatic-related issues”, adds, Terry Reid, Board Member Advocate, for the Rockford Aquarium.
Unfortunately, the Casino license was granted to another entity and the Aquarium experienced another setback. The Board was undeterred and stayed in contact with the outside investors who were interested in the original development of South Main Street. Negotiations began again. Currently we are hopeful once more that an Aquarium will be built along the Rock River off South Main Street as part of an overall Southwest Development project.
Come back to this space to check our progress.
