Nash Road, port authority on economic development list

Business Today

The Delta Regional Authority has tentatively given Cape Girardeau County $46,350 to help extend Route AB (Nash Road) to improve access to industry. The money is a part of the $267,655 total awarded to the Cape Girardeau region.

The money is still subject to final approval by the DRA, according to Jim Grebing, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Economic Development. But Grebing said, "It is likely to happen."

The Delta Regional Authority, which was created by federal legislation in December 2000, allocates money for economic development to Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Kentucky.

Scott and Cape Girardeau counties, the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority and Southeast Missouri State University were among the entities chosen by the Missouri commission on the Delta Regional Authority. The commission was appointed by Gov. Bob Holden, a member of the DRA board, to recommend projects that would qualify for the money.

Holden recommended July 8 that the money Congress appropriated for Missouri be divided among 10 projects statewide.

Dan Overbey, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Port Authority, was happy to hear that two of the port's proposed projects will likely be funded by the DRA.

The DRA will provide $50,000 to help fill about 16.5 acres of industrial sites near the port's slackwater harbor and $17,000 for improvements to the port's rail yard.

But a Scott County proposal that was accepted will indirectly benefit the port. So agricultural products can be moved to the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority, the DRA has allocated $127,500 to help fund the paving of 5.1 miles of Highway 266.

Southeast Missouri State University will receive $26,805 to go into a revolving loan fund for new business startups.

While 57 applications were submitted in Missouri, totaling $7.1 million, only 10 projects were accepted, Grebing said. The projects that Holden recommended July 8 totaled $740,225.

Kenneth Dobbins, president of Southeast Missouri State University and chairman of the Missouri commission, said members had a challenging time deciding which projects to fund because there are a variety of needs in the region.

The money available this year is significantly less than what was available last year. The DRA distributed $6.1 million to the eight states this year, compared to about $30 million last year, according to Grebing.