RETIRING CAIRO MAYOR PROUD OF PROGRESS

CAIRO, Ill. -- When Allen E. Moss Sr. announced that he would not be a candidate for mayor in 1991, it marked the end of a two-decade era, not only for a man who ruled the city treasury with an iron hand, but for the city itself.

"I have operated the city like a business," said Moss, owner and operator of Al's Boat & Trailer Sales and Service, 3801 Sycamore here. "If we had funds, we got some things done, if funds were tight, the spending was tight."

Moss, who served the southernmost city in Illinois as mayor for 15 years following a five-year stint as city councilman, is a bit modest about his accomplishments in a town that refuses to die despite the loss of more than 1,000 residents during the past 10 years.

"I feel honored to have had the support of the people of Cairo over the past two decades," said Moss. "I will be leaving the office proud of many accomplishments I have been able to complete," he said. "We have a new fire station, municipal building, pumping stations, sewage treatment plant, and dozens of blocks of new streets and sewer extensions.

"I'm proud of our police and fire departments," said Moss, who will attend his final council meeting as mayor Tuesday. "We have trained personnel for the citizens' safety and welfare, in both departments."

Assuming the mayoral post May 1 will be James Wilson, who defeated Carolyn Mayberry in the general election earlier this month.

Other improvements in this city of just under 5,000 population include a new Vietnam veterans memorial, a new Martin Luther King memorial, upgrading of ball diamonds and parks, and some beautification work.

"These projects are paid for," he emphasized. "And, we leave the city in good financial condition. I share these many accomplishments with my dedicated staff and most of the councilmen I have served with over the years. We have always tried to improve the city, even under some difficult circumstances."

Moss explained that many of the projects were funded with grants. "When grants were being passed out in the past, we've been there to get them."

The city has spent an average of $100,000 a year on street repaving, paid for with fuel tax funds.

During the past two years, street and sewer repairs have cost more than a half-million dollars $661,089 with 75 percent of the funding provided by the Emergency Services and Disaster Agency and 25 percent coming from the city's revenue-sharing funds.

Included in the sewer construction was an extension to North Cairo, reaching the junction of Interstate 57 and Route 3.

Another accomplishment was the paving of Sycamore Street, the main traffic artery through Cairo.

"We were successful in getting the state of Illinois to repave the street from downtown (Second Street) to uptown (38th Street)," said Moss.

Through Moss' efforts, funds totaling $2,664,000 were secured for demolition of substandard housing and rehabilitation of substandard homes.

"This included rebuilding streets, sidewalks, and sewers on Poplar Street, from 28th to 34th," said Moss.

Only recently, Moss and the city secured grant funding for required improvements to the sewage treatment plant, located at First and Ohio streets.

"This was a $1,435,000 project," said Moss. "A federal grant paid $789,000 and a state grant provided $215,000, leaving the city to pay less than a half-million dollars."

Moss, who has always maintained a good relationship with the Army Corps of Engineers, said the agency has been instrumental in helping the city get new pumping stations. "We have new stations at 10th and 28th streets on the Ohio (River) Levee, at an approximate cost of $6 million, paid for by the U.S. government," he said.

"We've had a lot of activity here within the past year or two," Moss continued. "Right now, we're looking at some industrial prospects, which would provide another 15 to 20 jobs each."

Despite its own struggles, Cairo provides jobs for many area workers.

"Just look at the license plates here every day," he said. "We have a lot of workers from West Kentucky, Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri here," said Moss.

Three businesses account for more than 450 jobs Bunge Grain, with more than 100 jobs; Burkhart Manufacturing, with over 200; and the Marine Ways, with more than 150 workers.

Over the past two years, business improvements have provided jobs and money to the local economy. Those business improvements included Cairo Dry Kilns Inc., which added three new storage facilities for a total expansion of 45,000 square feet. Also, a local grain company installed two new steel grain drier facilities, each 25 by 40 feet, at a cost of $2.5 million.

"A new business here is Econo Clean, a firm which cleans railroad tank cars," said Moss. "It started about six months ago, and the owners are already talking about expansion."

Another big business in Cairo is "one which people just take for granted," said Moss, in reference to Nabisco Co. "They've been operating here more than 40 years a good, viable business."

Numerous smaller operations have located in Cairo over the past two years, the mayor added.

"We have the American Commercial Barge training center building; Edgewood Products, a spinoff of a larger firm Servicemaster," he said. "We've also seen clothing stores for men and women, a new bank branch operation, and a half dozen or so other new businesses."

Moss said that he plans to devote more time to his business now that he is retiring as mayor.

"The job of mayor is a time-demanding one," he said, "I'm less than five years away from early retirement, and I want to spend more time at the store."

He will also maintain a keen interest in Cairo and its continued progress.

"It's my home and I want to see good things keep happening here," Moss said. "We've come a long way."