the May 2023 | Volume 36 | No. 5
SEVERSON DELLS Ann Wasser
HEROES OF THE HIGHWAY Dustin Vock
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of the rockford business community
FINANCE PROGRAM FOR COMMERCIAL
Reconfiguring Rockford
PROPERTY OWNERS Winnebago County is offering the Commercial
Changing how people move around town
Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) finance program for
By Andrew Wright, Rockford Chamber of Commerce
commercial property owners in Winnebago county. C-PACE is an innovative
On a brilliant, sunny Wednesday in downtown Rockford, I met Orlando Toatley for lunch. Toatley, communications and marketing specialist for the Rockford Mass Transit District (RMTD), had it all planned out. We met at his office at the RMTD Downtown Transfer Center and caught the #4 bus to Fulton Street, just outside the Olympic Tavern. Before we got underway, he gave me a tour of the RMTD bus terminal— mechanic bay, bus garage, new charging stations for the six new electric busses
scheduled to enter the fleet. Toatley pointed out the hybrid-electric busses in their periwinkle blue wrap, batteries stored in a cap on the roof of the vehicle. When we boarded the #4 bus, we were greeted by a friendly driver, and I found a seat next to a gentleman who introduced himself as Chuck. Chuck, an over-theroad driver who’s on temporary disability, made conversation with us. His friendly and welcoming conversation filled the time as we made our short journey north. The bus was clean, with colorful ads along the roof line promoting local businesses and service organizations. In just a few minutes, we arrived at our destination. “We’re expanding,” Toatley said. “As the city changes, we’re making sure to work with the city to accommodate those changes. With a grant that the city just received, we’re working to create a city
route that goes strictly around downtown. A free route that will employ the electric busses to help us improve efficiency.” RMTD’s goal is to reduce headway times. “Headway” is the amount of time between transit vehicle arrivals at a stop. A suburban route that has a bus once an hour would have a 60-minute headway. Frequent service buses in the U.S. often have 10- to 15-minute headways. “We don’t want headways to be an hour long, we want to reduce them to 30 minutes or less,” Toatley said. Greater efficiency gives the public more reason to use RMTD. It helps people retain their independence while reducing their carbon footprint and cost of living. RMTD is working towards having more interaction within their ticketing app, looking to a time when busses will (continued on page 6)
tool that enables commercial property owners to obtain up to 100% long-term, fixed-rate financing for energy efficiency, renewable energy, resiliency, water use and electric vehicle charging building improvements. Winnebago County commercial property owners can receive funding from qualified capital providers for eligible projects and improvements, such as HVAC, lighting and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and other improvements in both existing buildings and new construction projects. The Illinois Energy
YWCA’s Child Care Assistance Program
Conservation Authority NFP was
Connecting and educating parents, child care providers and businesses
org/winnebago-county-c-pace-
selected by Winnebago County as the program administrator. For more information on the program and how to apply, visit https://iecapace. program. C-PACE financing is currently
By Andrew Wright, Rockford Chamber of Commerce
THE VOICE IS PUBLISHED BY
Join the Chamber on Social Media
The Voice is online at rockfordchamber.com
Working parents have needs outside the office that can significantly impact the job they do when they’re on the clock. Finding child care can be a critical step toward returning to the workforce. And finding qualified and convenient child care can be difficult for parents who aren’t sure what’s available to them. The YWCA’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) serves the child care needs of Rockford’s workforce as part of their ongoing mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families and strengthen communities.
available in 37 states and stimulates local economies by
Funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, CCAP helps lowincome families pay for child care while they work, attend school or look for a job. They serve Boone, Jo Daviess, Stephenson and Winnebago counties, with some services provided to Ogle and McHenry counties.
Helping parents CCAP staff are dedicated to helping parents select the right child care provider so they can return to the workforce. “This is something that we really try to customize to the client’s needs. We want (continued on page 5)
funding the upfront capital for PACE projects that may lower operating costs, generate clean energy, instill resiliency, and promote water use conservation in commercial properties. From 2009 to 2020, C-PACE programs have funded more than 2,500 qualifying projects nationwide for a total of $2 billion, while also creating over 22,400 jobs.