GOVERNMENT GRANT WILL MEAN MORE JOBS FOR SIKESTON COMPANY

SIKESTON -- Alan Wire Company will create about 10 more jobs thanks to a $119,000 Community Development Block Grant.

Officials from the Missouri Department of Economic Development announced Wednesday that Sikeston won the grant. City Councilman Alan Keenan, who owns Alan Wire Co., said the money would solve some safety issues for his plant and allow expansion.

The city will double the size of a water line, installed in the 1970s, allowing for an adequate sprinkler system inside the plant. Street improvements will reduce the danger of accidents between trucks traveling to and from the plant.

About 40 employees work for Alan Wire, which manufactures bare and insulated copper wire. The company currently sells products in 34 states.

"The improvements made possible by this grant will mean greater economic opportunity for the residents of Sikeston," DED Director Joseph L. Driskill said. "Our department is honored to be a part of the economic growth in Missouri's Bootheel."

Funds will be released to Sikeston as the city meets certain requirements set forth by the CDBG program. The program provides economic development grants and loans to cities with populations under 50,000 and counties under 200,000.

The money must be used to assist in the location of new industry and the expansion or retention of existing businesses.