New Stickers! -Joe Pitt

It’s official…there’s no turning back now! Rockford and Hard Rock’s proposal to build a Casino just of 90 and State St. is heading to Springfield.

Speaking at a brief press conference, at their temporary offices at State and Main in downtown Rockford, The Hard Rock Rockford Team including Rockford native and Cheap Trick lead guitarist Rick Nielsen, and Mayor Tom McNamara sent the City of Rockford and Hard Rock’s completed proposal to Springfield and the Illinois Gaming Board for final review.

This is the final step before any kind of gambling and construction can happen under the “Hard Rock – Rockford” name.

The new casino is slated to be constructed by I-90 and State Street. People have referred to this area as “the former clocktower site”, but Mayor Tom said he’s looking forward to now calling it “The new Hard Rock Rockford site”

Speaking candidly as a transplant to Rockford from just up the road in Elgin for a moment…

Growing up, Rockford was a place to avoid unless you were going to Magic Waters. But since moving here and finding out about how hard Rockford is working to brighten it’s image…getting this kind of world renowned entertainment company to commit to bringing a brand new casino, 3 full service restaurants, an over 1500 seat live music venue, and the potential for a Hard Rock Hotel down the road; this is a big deal. A game changer…

Two things Mayor Tom spoke about during the press conference that stuck out the most to me are, first of all…the jobs. One thousand full and part time jobs will be required to make the casino work. This doesn’t include the construction jobs needed to build the place! And this is the kind of boost to an area that helps generate adjacent jobs. Jobs that aren’t necessarily casino jobs, but ones that help the casino do theirs.

Secondly, Mayor McNamara spoke on how having the casino in Rockford will help lower property taxes for the city. As a potential future homeowner those kind of things matter to me. I want to live in a city that has a sense of pride in it’s identity, optimism about it’s future, and affordable to live in. Add in the fact there are rumblings that Metra will be extending rail service out to Rockford in a few years…Watch out Midwest…it’s a whole new Rockford!

Sorry…got kinda “soap boxy” there for a second. I’m just stoked to watch Rockford grow even more in the next few years…

So, wrapping up the conference, the Hard Rock team is sending a guitar case with the application and some stickers to the capital!

Make sure to check out the Hard Rock Casino Rockford website for updates on what’s happening! They also have a handy FAQ that answers questions like “Will you have Blackjack?” (They will) or “Can I buy a t-shirt now?” (Not yet).

And if you’re wondering when the job applications will begin to circulate…hold tight. Illinois still needs to approve the casino proposal first. But after talking to the Hard Rock team I think it’s only a matter of time before, like Mayor Tom, we’ll all be calling it “The Hard Rock Rockford site”

 

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NEW STICKERS!!! Kinda cool to meet @cheaptrickrick and talk to Mayor Tom about @hardrockhotels and the proposal sent downstate! #Rockford

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