Moore announces Housing, Sports committees

QUINCY — Mayor Linda Moore has made her selections for the people who she wants to lead and be members of committees to work on a pair of projects she pushed for during her mayoral campaign.

Moore has created a “Strategic Task Force on Housing” and a “Sports Commission.” Each committee includes members and some ex-officio, or non-voting, members. They will also be broken down into subcommittees.

The committees are both large in numbers and Moore said about 100 people volunteered to serve on each of them.

Moore said the first few meetings will be “a lot of brainstorming” to see what can be accomplished. They will also be broken into sub-committees and, eventually, she envisions the overall committee to shrink in size.

The housing issue has been much discussed over the last few years and voters passed a non-binding referendum in April by a 60-40 margin that calls for the implementation of a comprehensive and proactive rental inspection program.

Quincy and Adams County also commissioned the Great River Economic Development Foundation to develop a study on housing and the County set aside $1 million in COVID-relief funds for building grants.

Alderman Karol Ehmen (R-4th Ward) will co-chair the housing task force along with former alderman and current supervisor of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Adams County, Paul Havermale.

There have also been discussions in the community about the feasibility of a sports complex to help the city better attract youth sports tournaments and events that would bring in tourism dollars via hotel stays and restaurant traffic.

“The commission will look into what sort of facility we might need, where we would locate that facility and how we would finance it,” Moore said on the Muddy River News program “Minutes with the Mayor.”

Alderman Kelly Mays (R-3rd Ward) will co-chair the sports commission along with David Adam. Adam, who is currently the news editor at Muddy River News, will leave that position for a full-time position with the city’s Planning and Development office in July.