Holden recommends area projects for federal funding

Gov. Bob Holden has set in motion a process that may result in the federal government's funding of several local projects that will help build bridges, aid business expansion and fund new educational equipment in Southeast Missouri.

Holden recently announced that he has recommended 10 projects totaling $420,582 of federal funding from the Delta Regional Authority, which has just more than $3.5 million to allocate to the eight states in the Delta region this year to help stimulate economic growth and create jobs in that area.

Of the 10 projects, four of them totaling $181,000 will affect Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area.

The governor's recommendations are for preapplications, which means that the Delta Regional Authority will now invite the communities in which those 10 projects will take place to formally apply for the funding by the end of July. Those applications must then be approved by the authority, which typically occurs by the end of August. Missouri Department of Economic Development public information coordinator Kristi Jamison said that last year, all 10 of Holden's recommendations were approved to the tune of $740,225 in federal money coming into Southeast Missouri.

"These projects help these communities make infrastructure improvements and help companies expand and add jobs," Jamison said.

Perryville planOne such project would take place in Perryville, where $25,000 would go toward offsetting the cost of constructing a new turn lane into TG Missouri, which manufactures parts for Toyota Motors and domestic auto makers and is one of the city's top employers. Chauncy Buchheit, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission in Perryville, works with the Delta Regional Authority on some of these projects and said the new lane would offer relief to the dangerous turnoff of Highway 51 and help facilitate heavier truck traffic that will follow the company's recent expansion. He said that expansion includes adding 50 jobs to the company's current payroll of about 1,200.

Two of the local projects would help build bridges, one each for Scott and Bollinger counties.

Construction of the Ramsey Creek Bridge, which will connect the two halves of Scott City -- Elm Street in the south and East Outer Road to the north -- would be aided by $100,000 in federal funds. The bridge would create another route to Interstate 55 and allow direct access to a still-undeveloped industrial park.

The other bridge, Laflin Bridge, which would be built just east of Leopold in Bollinger County, will get $25,000 if approved. The bridge will replace what Buchheit termed as an obsolete structure on County Road 408 that was closed last November. Buchheit added that this closure has resulted in about 100 cars a day -- carrying area residents and people from Leopold en route to work in Marble Hill and Jackson -- as well as school buses and emergency vehicles having to take a 30-mile detour.

Funds for university facility

The other local project recommended by Holden was the allocation of $31,000 to Southeast Missouri State University for the purchase of equipment for the Innovation Center. This equipment will help the center provide technical/food science support and business counseling in marketing, financing, accounting and business planning.

University president and chairman of the Missouri Commission to the Delta Regional Authority Dr. Ken Dobbins said that he was happy that these important projects were addressed at the group's May 21 meeting, when these 10 projects were outlined for pre-application. He also said that of the 25 total projects brought to that table, many of those that didn't make the governor's recommendation list were found to be eligible for alternative government funding, including Holden's "Jobs Now" program.

trehagen@semissourian.com

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