GRANT WILL HAVE MAJOR IMPACT AT PORT

SCOTT CITY - The most immediate impact of a $1.2 million Economic Development Administration grant announced Friday for the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority is that construction can begin right away on the final phase of a railroad spur.

The first phase was completed in late summer and, with the grant secure, the port will begin advertising for bids this week on the final phase.

The second phase involves putting two feet of rock along the 8,800-foot railroad embankment, installing ties and rail, and appropriate signals and crossings.

Port Authority Executive Director Allan Maki said if all goes well, the railroad spur could be finished by the end of the year.

Maki has been negotiating with railroad officials for several months to acquire a branch line, and the grant will enable that acquisition to take place.

"We think this grant is a good and essential step forward in our development," said Maki. "It continues a good relationship with the federal government on capital improvement projects. We appreciate them working as a partner in our project."

The EDA grant requires that the port authority pay for 40 percent of all projects funded with the federal money.

Of the $12.5 million in capital projects completed so far at the port authority, the federal government has provided 36 percent of the funds. The local share has made up most of the funding, with the bulk of that coming from a quarter-cent sales tax that was in effect for four years.

The tax was enacted in 1985 with a vote by people in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties, who jointly operate the port authority.

In 1985, the port received a $1 million EDA grant that was used for the construction of the dock and for a water tank and water lines.

The largest federal contribution was $3.2 million for construction of the 1,800-foot slackwater harbor.

A Federal Railroad Administration grant of about $300,000 paid for a portion of the first phase of the rail spur, which cost $2 million.

Some of the other items that will be funded with the new grant, Maki said, include an extension of the rail spur, with lines to industrial sites and interchange tracks; extension of the water lines; for the purchase of a heavy-lift capacity crane at the dock; and for other infrastructure improvements.

A pre-application for the grant was filed in March and a formal application was sent to the Department of Commerce on May 31. The application indicated that the grant could lead to 170 new jobs and a capital investment of over $100 million for 10 different companies or operations.

The first phase of construction of the rail spur basically involved preparing the railroad embankment. In addition, the first phase also created 40 acres of new flood-free industrial sites.

While the EDA grant was good news for the port authority last week, officials are also looking forward to another announcement soon concerning funding from the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department for an extension of Nash Road into the port.

The project is on the state's 15-year needs list and the highway commission is being urged to give it a high priority ranking.

The SEMO Port Authority is considered the northernmost, ice-free, lock-free port on the Mississippi River.