Development news

Cape Girardeau spa expands

Elements Salon & Spa, 2031 Cape LaCroix Road in Cape Girardeau, recently added a new business to its existing space. A 1,600-square-foot addition, the Boutique Beauty Center offers a plethora of items for women. The boutique offers three exclusive skincare lines, two cosmetic brands, candles, spa wear, bath and body products and most recently added the entire line of SmashBox Cosmetics.

The store is owned by Madra Jones.

Electric Motor Sales acquires former school bus building

Mid-America Electric Motor Sales in Cape Girardeau has purchased the 4,000-square-foot industrial building at 444 Commercial St., according to Lorimont Place Ltd. president and broker Tom Kelsey, who handled the deal.

Kelsey said the company hopes to move its entire operation to this newly acquired property by the end of the year. Mid-America Electric Motor Sales, co-owned by sells and repairs of all types of electric motors and related accessories.

Elfrink Transportation acquires Tidwell Express

Elfrink Transportation, Inc., a regional trucking and logistics company with headquarters at Cape Girardeau, has acquired Tidwell Express, Inc., a 30-year-old local trucking company operating from Fredericktown. Tidwell has provided local delivery with an emphasis on early morning delivery on shipments to and from the St. Louis area to southern Missouri.

Elfrink will continue all service of Tidwell Express and continue to operate a terminal in Fredericktown providing early delivery for local businesses in southern Missouri. Elfrink Transportation operates terminals in Memphis, Chicago, Bloomington, Ill., St. Louis and Cape Girardeau.

Jasper's store begins renovations

Since construction on Independence Street in Cape Girardeau began in July, businesses have reported decreased sales. One business has taken a proactive approach and used the time to remodel. Jasper's convenience store, located at the corner of West End Boulevard and Independence Street, closed on Sept. 8, and will re-open in mid-October.

While Keith Boeller, president of parent company Rhodes 101, did not reveal specific plans, he said customers will be pleased with what the renovated store will offer its patrons.

Groups may apply for community development funds

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. — The Ste. Genevieve County Community Development Fund is now accepting applications for grants to be awarded in 2008, with funds to be distributed early in 2009. Grant applications must be postmarked no later than Nov. 30. Any organization applying must be a government entity or a not-for-profit. Applications and instructions are available at Ozark Regional Library; the Ste. Genevieve County Courthouse; and at www.cfozarks.orgaffstegenevieve.html.

The Development Fund is a grant fund associated with the Ste. Genevieve County Community Foundation and was funded by Holcim, Inc. beginning in 2006. By accepting tax deductible donations of money, property or other assets, the community foundation serves as a "ready made" tax exempt foundation to support a wide variety of projects to benefit the community.

Emerson announces funds for Cape veterans home

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will make a grant to the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. The $638,000 grant from the VA is for physical improvements at the facility. Roof replacement at the home is expected to cost nearly $983,000; VA grants will cover 65 percent of the total project cost.

Farmington chosen as DREAM town

FARMINGTON, Mo. — Farmington has been named one of 10 communities in the state to participate in the "2008 Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri," or DREAM, initiative.

Other communities receiving the 2008 DREAM initiative included Fulton, Lamar, Boonville, Lebanon, Macon, Strafford, Warrensburg, Louisiana and Webb City. This marks the third year for the program.

Gov. Blunt unveiled the DREAM Initiative in 2006 to provide Missouri's small and mid-sized towns the same access to economic development tools as larger communities. Selected communities become active members of the DREAM Initiative for three years and gain prioritized access to state-supported programs through ongoing cooperation among several unique agencies and funding sources. Programs include technical and financial assistance for infrastructure improvements, historic preservation, affordable housing, community services, business development and job creation.

Jackson police receive grant to improve school security

The Jackson Police Department will receive $25,840 in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Justice community policing program, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson announced Sept. 12. The funds are part of a Secure our Schools program through COPS, or Community Oriented Policing Services, a program established in 1994 to enhance public safety through community policing strategies.

Jackson intends to use the grant funds to buy new technology to use in its current safety programs, said Lt. Rodney Barnes, spokesman for the Jackson Police Department. Jackson has two school resource officers assigned to the beat. To receive the grant money, Jackson must match 50 percent of the approved amount during the grant period.

Realty Executives receive leasing contract

Realty Executives of Cape County has been awarded the exclusive sales and leasing contract for Walden Park, a master planned community in Cape Girardeau.

"We believe that Walden Park will offer a wide range of home buyers the choice, architecture and green space they're looking for in today's market," said lead real estate agent Susan Cole. "Whether it's an individual or couple looking for luxury town house living, or a family looking for the classic American home in the classic American neighborhood, Walden Park is a place they can call home."

Walden Park is a master planned community, designed in what is commonly referred to as the new urbanist style.

WIRED grant to support SEMO program

Southeast Missouri State University's Center for Entrepreneurial Studies has received a $25,000 grant from Southeast Missouri WIRED. The grant will support Missouri REAL Entrepreneurship, a program to help develop entrepreneurial talent to foster the creation of new enterprises throughout the state.

Missouri REAL provides entrepreneurship curriculum, professional development and support services to secondary and postsecondary students and teachers. Southeast Missouri WIRED is a Department of Labor initiative funneled through the Workforce Investment Board, which aims to increase the skills of the region's students and workers.

Holcomb receives well grant

HOLCOMB, Mo. — The City of Holcomb recently received approval to begin building a new water well and elevated storage tank. Approximately one and one half years ago the firm Palladian Consulting Engineers, Inc. and Engineer Wade Morse, of St.Louis, Mo. began working with Holcomb on the project. Also working with the city has been Finanical Advisor Charles Zitnik with D. A. Davidson Company.

According to Mayor Max Clark, the City of Holcomb needs this new well and the storage tank to be able to provide enough clean water for the residents. The well currently in use is well over 40 years old and the storage tank only holds 50,000 gallons. The new one will hold more than 100,000.

Holcomb Public schools donated half an acre of ground to the city for the well and storage tank to be located. The advertising for bids are expected to begin in October 2008, the bid opening in November. The construction contract will be awarded in January 2009, with a completion date in 2009.

Sen. Crowell announces arts council funding for Southeast Missouri organizations

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Sen. Jason Crowell announced that eight Missouri Arts Council grants totaling $106,326 have been awarded to organizations in Southeast Missouri. MAC funding is awarded to nonprofit organizations through grants that encourage and stimulate the growth, development, and appreciation of the arts in Missouri.

Grants awarded to those in Southeast Missouri include: $5,00 to Old Town Cape, Inc., in Cape Girardeau; two grants for the Sikeston Cultural Development Corporation in Sikeston, including $9,393 for Community Arts Program Support and $3,600 for Missouri Touring; $26,355 to Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts in Cape Girardeau; four grants for the Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, including $2,000 for literature, $23,816 in pass-through funding, $11,172 for theater, and $24,990 for visual arts.

Head Start building takes shape

PARK HILLS, Mo. — Work began in mid-September for the new Head Start building in Park Hills. The new facility is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Cape Girardeau receives award to preserve history

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced that the city of Cape Girardeau received a Local Records Preservation Grant in the amount of $2,688. The grant will be used to purchase new equipment including a reader/scanner.

The Local Records Preservation Grant initiative is funded through user fees collected by Recorder of Deeds' offices. More than $6 million dollars have been distributed to support local public records management and preservation since the program's inception in 1991.

PFC Services announces new construction project

SIKESTON, Mo. — Progressive Farm Credit Services has announced plans to build a new 10,540 suare foot corporate office at 1114 N. Main in Sikeston. Dale Rogers of Robert Stearns & Associates is the architect on the project and C.A. Walker Construction will be the general contractor. Construction is expected to be complete by June 2009.

Progressive FCS serves 1,850 stockholder/customers through their eight branch locations in Caruthersville, Dexter, Jackson, Kennett, Mississippi County, Poplar Bluff, Portageville and Sikeston.

Dance studio has new name, plans for expansion

SIKESTON, Mo. — The Patti Simmons School of Dance, owned by Melissa Seiler, is now Melissa's Studio of Performing Arts. Seiler purchased the school from Simmons in 2001. In August, Seiler renamed the studio to better reflect her vision for the studio's direction.

Seiler is in the process of looking for other instructors and is open to ideas. She envisions making the studio a bit of a one-stop-shop for adults and kids to learn all kinds of fine arts skills, including theatre, vocal and instrumental music, and dance. Seiler has also added Melissa's Dance Divas, a competitive dance team.

The current staff includes Seiler, her sister, Melanie Alexander, who teaches preschool and pre-cheerleading classes; and Brandie Maddox, formerly of the Kansas City Ballet, who teaches several ballet classes at the school. Seiler's mother, Carolyn Belk, is the office manager.

The studio is located at 124 N. Kingshighway in Sikeston. The phone number is (573) 472-4443; call from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Web site is www.mspadance.com.

Sikeston Rescue Squad gets grant

SIKESTON, Mo. — The Sikeston Rescue Squad has received an $8,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund for grain bin rescue equipment and training. The grant money will go toward the purchase of two rescue tubes, according to Rescue Squad member Capt. Ken Dicus of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

The equipment "will greatly reduce the time needed to rescue victims trapped under grain," Dicus said, and will benefit the entire region. "If somebody else needs the equipment it's readily available." A grain bin rescue tube is "almost like a large, plastic culvert that is in two pieces," according to Dicus. The two pieces are fit together around the victim to prevent more grain from falling in around them.

County gets grant to fight prescription abuse

BENTON, Mo. — Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter advised county commissioners during their regular meeting Tuesday that his department has received a $10,000 grant to fight prescription drug abuse.

The grant funding comes from a private source, he said: pharmaceutical companies. While he intends to spend some of the money to cover deputy overtime for enforcement operations, "some of it will be for educational purposes," Walter said.

County Commission accepts bid for new building

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — The Stoddard County Commissioners have accepted a $2.8 million bid for the new government building to be erected in the courthouse square. The bid, submitted by Sides Construction of Jackson, was one of five received at the bid opening.

According to architect Dale Rogers of Sikeston, work will likely begin in early October.

The board also voted to include all three of the alternate projects that were bid out, including an elevator, a backup generator and an extended warranty on the roof.

The Stoddard County Government Building will house the county clerk, assessor, collector, recorder, prosecuting attorney and will have meeting facilities for the county commission. The building will also supply ample storage space for the county's documents.

Southeast Missouri receives rural development funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing three grants for equipment and training for first responders in Reynolds, Ripley and Stoddard Counties. The funding is part of the USDA's Rural Development initiative through their Economic Impact Initiative Grant program and will help enhance the emergency management and safety programs in these communities.

The Bunker Volunteer Fire Department in Reynolds County received a $42,256 grant that will help construct a firehouse and community center. The Ripley County Commission was awarded a $40,050 grant to purchase three warning sirens to warn residents of natural disasters. The USDA also awarded the Stoddard County Development Foundation with a $3,840 grant that will help purchase equipment for the Community Emergency Response Training program at three local schools.

New plans for former K's Merchandise property

In 17 months, Cardiovascular Consultants will move to a new 27,000-square-foot building to be constructed on the former K's Merchandise lot at Broadview Street and Bloomfield Road in Cape Girardeau.

The building housing K's Merchandise had been vacant since the company closed its doors early last year, and was recently razed along with the parking lot. In July, Cardiovascular Consultants finalized its purchase of the 98,121-square-foot building.

The move will more than double the medical business' square footage and provide 20 exam rooms. According to Office Manager Lois Soellner, the employees' top amenity choice was more natural light, which will be provided by the building's many windows.

Construction is set to begin in March, with a scheduled completion date of February 2010. Since the business plans to occupy only a portion of the property, they eventually will sell unused land to other companies.

Cardiovascular Consultants is currently housed in a12,100-square-foot building at 25 Doctors Park in Cape Girardeau.

SCAD awards building contracts

DEXTER, Mo. — The Stoddard County Ambulance District Board of Directors awarded the contract for construction and remodeling of the ambulance facility in Dexter to Sides Construction of Cape Girardeau at a cost of $2,193,946. Sides Construction was the low bidder among six companies that bid on the project. The board also awarded contracts to Cabinet Bath and Supply of Nixon for prefinished casework (cabinets) at a cost of $44,955 and to Sikeston Restaurant Equipment for kitchen equipment at a cost of $44,048.69. Both contracts were part of the building project.