The City of Henry kicked off its Port Master Plan effort to elevate the economic future of the City and the surrounding Central Illinois region. The study is being funded by state and local contributions, including a Port Facilities Capital Investment Grant from the Illinois DOT. The master plan’s data driven approach will provide insights about current and future markets for the port and provide directions on best land uses in and around the new port as it develops. Land use guidance will be grounded in local and regional business and civic expectations.
The Port Master Plan Kick-off Meeting was hosted by Ozinga Companies near the site of the future port. Twenty-four stakeholders representing various state and local interests braved the warm temperatures to hear a briefing from the consulting team led by Quetica, LLC. Quetica is a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business that specializes in freight and supply chain planning based in Minneapolis. The project overview discussed the approach, data needs, schedule, and future stakeholder engagement opportunities.
Attendees were polled about their expectations for the study, preferences for future communication mediums and thoughts about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the region. As the project progresses future updates will be posted to the City of Henry website. The consulting team is very interested in hearing from regional businesses about their current supply chains and shipping practices. Any business or public officials interested in taking part in a brief 30-minute interview should email Ben Zietlow at benjamin.zietlow@quetica.com or Ann Schnieder at: Annschneider100@gmail.com