HR0827 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0827 LRB095 14382 KXB 40285 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate John Reilly, owner of the Rend Lake Resort & Conference Center at Rend Lake, on his hard work in making the Rend Lake area one of Illinois' brightest tourism areas; and

WHEREAS, For decades the land surrounding Rend Lake was plagued by a lack of water, despite plentiful rainfall, and its location between two of the nation's great rivers, the Mississippi River and the Ohio River; although the region flourished as a coal mining area in the early 1920's, the land's impermeable clays were incapable of soaking in rain, making ground water scarce; and

WHEREAS, By the 1950's, the onset of an economically devastating three-year drought took its toll on the region; as a result, plans to construct a large water supply lake were started, and evolved into the project that would become Rend Lake; with the support of the Rend Lake Conservancy District, Congress authorized the building of Rend Lake, near Benton, in accordance with the United States Army Corps Chief of Engineers' recommendation; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers accepted the responsibility for the lake's development and the $60 million project was completed ahead of schedule in March of 1973, months prior to the anticipated date; and

WHEREAS, The authorized purposes of the Rend Lake project include flood control on the Big Muddy and Mississippi Rivers, water supply, water quality control, fish and wildlife conservation, recreation, and area redevelopment; today, Rend Lake is a multi-purpose project designed to enhance the region's quality of life, supplying over 15 million gallons of water per day to 300,000 persons in over 60 communities; and

WHEREAS, John Reilly became the owner of the Rend Lake Resort & Conference Center in 1990; after renovations, the Center now has 105 rooms, a state-of-the-art conference center, a Great Room, a gift shop, a general store, and a lounge named after Mr. Reilly; and

WHEREAS, John Reilly is referred to as the "Ambassador for Southern Illinois" for his hard work on behalf of the people of Southern Illinois; he has made appearances on WGN-AM radio in Chicago and with Mike Shannon on the radio in St. Louis, always to promote and encourage tourism in the southern part of the State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank John Reilly for his hard work in bringing Southern Illinois to the forefront in Illinois tourism, for spreading the good word about Rend Lake, and for caring about the area he calls home; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to John Reilly as a symbol of our respect and esteem.