Emerald Ridge Ribbon Cutting – Windy and Fantastic!

It was a cool, blustery and sometimes sunny day, perfect for a grand opening and ribbon cutting! About a year and one month after construction began Rise and the Village of East Alton celebrated the Grand Opening of Emerald Ridge with a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 20, 2015 at 1 PM. The event was well attended by representatives of the Madison County Board of Directors, Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), the Illinois Department of Commerce And Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Southwestern Illinois Development Authority (SWIDA), and the RiverBend Growth Association. There were also some residents and community members in attendance. The Emerald Ridge development is the culmination of over a decade’s work by the leadership of Rise and the Village of East Alton aimed at combating the negative impact of the continued decline of the housing stock in the “Defense Area”, now know as Emerald Ridge. Fred Bright ( Mayor of East Alton ), who is scheduled to retire in a couple of weeks, was key in bringing the dream to reality and was there to thank and praise the Village and all of its staff for their tenacity and hard work. Honored guests and speakers to included: Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunston, Mayor of East Alton Fred Bright, Treasurer Mary Kane (Illinois Housing Development Authority), Board Chairman Jim Nations (Southwestern Illinois Development Authority), Regional Manager Edie Koch (Illinois Department of Commerce And Economic Opportunity), Monica Bristow (President, RiverBend Growth Association), and Stephen Acree (President, Rise Community Development). The ceremony concluded with a traditional “cutting of the ribbon”, followed by a tour of some of the brand new single family homes. Special thanks to Joe Silkwood, Roger Werts, Denny Weber and John Nuernberger for your in valuable help in making the event a success!