Bill > SR0249

This resolution congratulates the Channel Cat, a passenger ferryboat service in the Quad Cities region, on its 30-year anniversary, highlighting its significant impact on regional transportation and riverfront development. The resolution traces the service's origins to 1994, when River Action, a local nonprofit, received a grant to study a water taxi on the Mississippi River, ultimately leading to the launch of a single pontoon boat on July 4, 1995. In 1998, MetroLINK, the local transit authority, assumed operation of the service, subsequently obtaining federal grants to expand its fleet with three 47-foot military transport barges that are ADA accessible, environmentally friendly (using B20 biodiesel), and capable of carrying passengers and bicycles. The Channel Cat has provided over 1,000,000 rides, connecting two states, three downtowns, and riverfront trails, and has received multiple community awards. The resolution specifically acknowledges the leadership of Kathy Wine from River Action and Jeff Nelson from MetroLINK, praising their innovation and commitment to the Mississippi River and Quad Cities riverfronts, and formally congratulates the Channel Cat on its milestone anniversary.

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=249&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SR&SessionID=114&GA=104