PEORIA, Ill. – Development of the Galena Road Industrial Park is getting a boost from the federal government.
On Friday, Congressman Darin LaHood (R-Dunlap) announced that $600,000 in federal funds will go towards the development of the area. The money will go towards land acquisition and infrastructure improvements.
LaHood says developing the park is “fundamental” to helping central Illinois become more competitive for economic development and growth.
“You think about all the folks that work at Caterpillar, you think about the amount of engineers, the machinists, the technicians, the skilled labor force in Peoria is second to none,” LaHood said. “But you gotta have the industrial park, you gotta have the land, you gotta have the infrastructure, that’s what this money that we were able to secure is going to go to to make us as competitive as possible here.”
LaHood says development of the industrial park will help attract good paying jobs and viable industries, which he says, in turn, could help grow Peoria’s tax base.
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali says the funding is about putting the land of the area to work.
“We have land here that has the potential to support new businesses, new investments, and good jobs,” Ali said. “But potential alone isn’t enough. Businesses need infrastructure. They need sites that are ready for development.”
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