MARBLE HILL INDUSTRIAL PARK `RE-OPENS'

MARBLE HILL -- The Marble Hill Industrial Park officially is now "re-open" for business.

The 75-acre tract of land, situated on Highway 34 West, will in the near future be home to one of the area's biggest packaging and mailing businesses Heartland Industries Inc.

Marble Hill city officials, Bollinger County officials, and representatives of Heartland Industries gathered Sunday at the site for special ground-breaking, both for the new industry and the park.

"The park has been in existence since August of 1973, when the property was purchased," said Marble Hill Mayor Shirley Cooper.

That was before the consolidation of Lutesville and Marble Hill, and both cities worked together to establish an airport, which now is part of the industrial park.

"We had one business in the park at one time," said Cooper. "A furniture manufacturing firm put up a building before the park had water, sewers or streets. The firm didn't make it, and the building is still located in the park."

Since then, the city has received funding from the Missouri Department of Economic Development ($130,000) and the Department of Natural Resources ($78,845) for infrastructure work.

"We now have water in the park, sewers are being installed at this time, and the streets will soon be ready," said Cooper. "We hope now that we have the infrastructure there, the park will open up to other industry."

Heartland Industries, which will be performing sub-contract labor for industries in packaging and assembly work, plans to construct a 40,000-square-foot facility on an 11-acre plot in the park.

"We'll be the first business in the park since the infrastructures have been added," said Hilary F. Schmittzehe of Heartland Industries, who was present at a Sunday ground breaking at the industrial park. "But we hope to see some company in the near future."

Heartland Industries, Inc., which is a not-for-profit corporation, employs graduates from the sheltered workshop and chronically unemployed persons.

"We provide these people with an opportunity to learn the skills they need to function in the regular work force," said Schmittzehe.

Heartland, which also has an assembly plant in Cape Girardeau, serves as a mailing house for several magazine and comic companies.

"Up to three-fourths of our business is preparing these publications for mailing to subscribers all over the country," said Schmittzehe. "With a new contract just acquired, we'll be sending materials all over the world."

Heartland just signed a contract with the Disney Company.

"We're happy to be locating in the new Marble Hill park," Schmittzehe added.

The new facility was made possible by a series of grants and loans to the city of Marble Hill and Heartland Industries.

Besides the grants to the city of Marble Hill, Schmittzehe said Heartland received a $350,000 loan from the Small Business Administration.

"Heartland will be providing matching funds for some of the city's grants, and financing of the remaining cost of the facility," he said.

The estimated cost of the facility is $600,000.

"We're looking to a Dec. 1 opening," said Schmittzehe. "A lot of groundwork has already been completed, and the bid for the metal building has already been let."