Dexter, Mo., gets $100K from Delta Regional Authority

DEXTER, Mo. -- Dexter City Administrator Mark Stidham has received word that a $100,000 grant has been approved for the city of Dexter for the purpose of making improvements to the industrial park that houses Emcon Technologies (formerly Arvin Industries).

The funds come from the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and is a portion of over $737,000 in applications received by the DRA for various economic growth projects in the Bootheel.

The DRA, an agency created in 2000, is a partnership serving 240 counties, 30 of which are in Southeast Missouri, and has approximately $7.8 million to award to various projects aimed at providing a means by which local industry can successfully expand.

Application for the $100,000 grant was made by Stidham in October of last year upon getting word from Emcon Technologies of their pending expansion project that will involve what is referred to as "Building Two," located just southeast of the plant's main facility. Emcon, it was learned at that time, was planning to launch an expansion project that would designate the Dexter facility as a distribution point for Emcon and would potentially add 122 new jobs within the Emcon plant, which is the area's largest employer.

"With this expansion comes the need for improved and expanded conditions at the Industrial Park," Stidham explains.

"The proposed improvements to the area would include new asphalt, an extended water line, the placement of new shoulders to the surrounding roadways and striping and pavement marking," he added.

Stidham notes that the DRA grant is a portion of an estimated $635,000 in planned improvements to the industrial park.

"We have also made application for an additional $500,000 from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and that application is still under consideration," the city administrator explained.

With the pending approval of the additional half-million dollars in funding comes a commitment by the city to fund a portion of the improvement project themselves.

The city's responsibility in the improvement package will total $35,500, and will be money well spent, according to Stidham, who notes, "The proposed improvements will enable the Emcon plant to adequately accommodate the additional traffic that comes with the designation of the distributor status."

"As Emcon adds an estimated 122 jobs to the area, the city is pleased to continue with its commitment to ensure the industry with the support necessary for not only a smooth transition with the added workforce, but the necessary improvements that will allow for adequate access for the potential traffic that will enter the city."

Not only will the additional Emcon employees be supporting the local economy, Stidham added, but there is also "tremendous potential" for local merchants, especially eating establishments, with the increased traffic that will come as a result of the planned expansion and site improvements, Stidham explains.

Other recipients of DRA funding include the Bootheel Regional planning Commission for the purchase of software, Perry County and the city of East Prairie.