Galesburg city council will consider a $200,000 grant for the FCA manufacturing company in order to incentivize them creating a facility and jobs in Galesburg.
Plans are in place to bring another manufacturing company to Galesburg, supplying many well-paying jobs to the community. The Galesburg City Council on Monday will consider a $200,000 grant for Moline-based company FCA Packaging LLC to take over the location formally home to Phoenix Industries LLC at 1200 Monmouth Boulevard. FCA, founded in 1985, provides custom industrial packaging solutions and builds custom boxes, crates, skids, and pallets out of wood, corrugated cardboard, plastics, foam, and metal. Ken Springer, President of the Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development, tells WGIL that the company plans to hire 100 workers by September 2024. These jobs must pay 125% of Galesburg's per capita wage according to the guidelines of the grant program. "We're really excited about this project coming to Galesburg," Springer said in a Thursday interview. "The company is going to request the use of what's called the 'Major Project Grant'
Galesburg City Council meets tonight at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall will a full agenda. Some of the items Aldermen will address tonight include- an agreement that would change Galesburg Police to a 12-hour shift schedule. Aldermen would technically be approving an addendum to the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Public Safety Employees Organization. Both the city and PSEO came to an agreement on Aug. 29 on this change. The policy change to 12-hour shifts is effectively a recruitment strategy, which will allow all officers to get at least one weekend off per month. Council will also vote on a facade program grant for Cherry Street Brewing Company. They're seeking almost $39,000 to update the exterior of the property. If approved, the owners anticipate beginning exterior work as soon as possible and estimate completion by January 2023. When the project is completed, Cherry Street anticipates retaining 3 full-time jobs and 8 part-time jobs while creating 4 new full-time and 22 new
A former popular downtown bar will soon reopen with a new owner, a new name and an expanded food menu. Opie's Bar and Grill expects to open in late October or early November at 158 N. Broad St., former home of Fat Fish Pub. Opie's will offer traditional and unique grill items for lunch and dinner six days a week. It's Opie Carter's first venture into restaurant ownership, but won't be her first time in the food service business. Her parents ran the Watering Hole at Oak Run for many years, and she's also worked at several restaurants in Galesburg. Carter told WGIL, "I've been around the restaurant business my whole life, and I've always wanted to open my own bar and grill. It's time to get my dreams going." In addition to traditional grill items, Opie's Bar and Grill will feature speciality items like a beer battered tenderloin, chicken and waffles, and scorpion tails – which are shrimp with provolone and jalapeño, wrapped i
You will soon be able to enjoy an authentic Moroccan shish kabob or gyro at various locations around Galesburg. MB's Food Truck expects to start operating later this month. Owner Mohammed Ben Youness and his wife Ghizlan will serve out of their food truck at a city approved location on the Public Square. They will be able to move their truck to local events and festivals, along with bars or brew pubs that don't serve food. A native of Morocco who moved to the United States and Galesburg in 2017, Ben Youness said authentic Moroccan shish kabobs available in beef or chicken and cooked on a charcoal grill will be MB's signature item. Ben Youness said he will prepare shish kabobs the "Moroccan way," featuring only the meat and seasoning that includes spices only available in his homeland. Gyros will feature slices of grilled beef and lamb. And on Fridays, MB's will serve Moroccan couscous. To start, MB's Food Truck will be open Thursdays, Fridays and