Update Rock Island is a segment at City Council meetings given by Mayor Mike Thoms focusing on news in Rock Island. The video segment from the meeting is available on YouTube.

Rock Island City-Wide Garage Sale 

Garage sales will be happening all over Rock Island and Milan the weekend of September 26th. Rock Island Parks and Recreation has an interactive map to show you where they are located! Visit the interactive Google map at http://bit.ly/RIGarageSaleMap to view continually updated locations. Be sure to view each sale for specific times and dates. If you’d like to have a garage sale location added to the map, please call (309) 732-7275 and register by phone for $10. Garage sale event will be held rain or shine. “In lieu of having a large event at Longview Park, we feel this is the best option to keep shoppers and vendors safe, while still promoting garage sales in the Rock Island/Milan community.

Fire Hydrant Flushing Program 

The City of Rock Island’s Public Works Department will begin the Fire Hydrant Flushing Program on Sunday, September 20, 2020, at 12:00 AM (midnight). Crews will be flushing fire hydrants on first and third shifts until completed. The purpose of this program is to help maintain water quality standards and the fire protection system. Citizens may experience brief periods of discolored water or low pressure which is normal during flushing operations. Due to flushing there is potential for sediment containing lead to be present in the water supply. Generally, this will clear up and be mitigated by running some water from a cold water tap for a few minutes. For additional information about the Fire Hydrant Flushing Program please visit the City’s website at rigov.org/water or contact the Public Works Department at 732-2200.

The City of Rock Island Response to the Storm 

The Public Works Department is working very hard to expedite the debris pick up quickly, but also in a cost-effective mode. Public Works is picking up the trees and shrub debris on straight time and not overtime. What this means is that in addition to performing regular refuse pick up, the department is also collecting and disposing of as much the debris as time allows in a normal workday. Crews are not able to collect and dispose of everything all at once. Therefore, this will be a continued effort over the next several weeks. The grass under the debris may go dormant, but should return in the Spring. The City is trying to be conscious of the tax payer’s money. Additional ways to remove the debris without additional cost to tax payers are being looked into. We appreciate your patience.