SCOTT CITY BENEFITS FROM E. NASH ROAD

SCOTT CITY -- Four years after becoming a part of Scott City, the East Nash Road Industrial Park is providing a growing impact on the economic development of Scott City.

"The East Nash Road Industrial Park is our ticket into the next century," said former Scott City mayor Shirley Young, now president of the Scott City Chamber of Commerce. "The friendly annexation of the East Nash Road Industrial Park was the largest step Scott City has ever taken toward economic development.

"East Nash Road will attract more business and industry, and that means more jobs. When people have jobs they spend money mainly in the area where they live. The development of East Nash Road Industrial Park will have a major impact on the future of Scott City."

From its humble beginning in the 1970s, when a few businesses and industries decided to build on what had been corn and soybeans fields, the East Nash Road Industrial Park has become home to some 15-20 wholesale and retail businesses that employ more than 400 people. It is the largest source of jobs in Scott City next to Blair Industries and Wetterau Foods.

Until 1989, the East Nash Road Industrial Park wasn't even in Scott City. The park is situated on a 543-acre tract East of Interstate 55 and south of East Nash Road, across from the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport.

Despite the lack of utilities and infrastructure, East Nash Road grew because of its favorable proximity and access to I-55.

In the early 1980s one of the businesses in the East Nash Road Industrial Park, Industrial Fuels and Resources, asked the city to extend a water main into the area to provide better fire protection. Some of the industries in the park had already signed agreements with the Scott City Fire Department to provide fire protection, but there were no water lines or fire hydrants, and water supplies were limited. The quality of the drinking water was also poor.

Within a short time, a majority of the businesses asked Scott City to take the industrial park into the city as a friendly annexation so that police and fire protection services could be extended as well as water and sewer services.

In June 1989, the annexation was approved. The city had three years to extend the water and sewer lines.

Young said the task became "a project against all odds."

Somehow the city had to come up with $563,500 to finance the lines. After being turned down by one state agency, the city received a $203,500 grant from the Department of Natural Resources. That money was combined with proceeds from a 12-year, $360,000 bond issue plus another $60,000 provided by Scott City, and $120,000 put up as collateral by seven contributing businesses. The seven businesses got their $120,000 back plus 6.17 percent interest in March 1992.

Two years later, on Sept. 19, 1991, water from the new water main was turned on. The sewer line was completed a year later.

Young said the industrial park is paying for the improvements. "They are paying their own way," she said. "The annual $48,000 bond payments come from the property tax paid by the businesses and the sale of water and sewer services," she explained.

Scott City Mayor Larry Forhan said that with completion of the water and sewer projects, and addition of fire and police protection, Scott City is looking to the East Nash Road Industrial Park as a place of future business expansion.

Said Forhan: "This area is very important to the growth of Scott City. We have the infrastructure in place for growth and development. The site is located in an excellent area; during the recent flood there was no interruption to business in the industrial park."

One of the newest businesses to locate in the East Nash Road Industrial Park is Harry Sanders Enterprises, a plastic recycling plant owned by Harry Sanders. Ernie Buessink, a partner in 730 Corporation, which owns the building Sanders' business is in, said Sanders wanted to be close to the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority's public dock.

"He talked about going out to the port, but decided to stay on Nash Road because it will be close to the port and the interstate when Nash Road is extended," said Buessink.

The 730 Corporation owns about 27 acres in the East Nash Road Industrial Park in addition to the former Harris Truck and Trailer Sales site.

Buessink said having the necessary infrastructure in place (water, sewer, fire and police protection) makes it easier to market the area to businesses and industries.

"The new water line is the key," he said. "All of a sudden the number of industrial development prospects for East Nash Road have picked up considerably. I have shown three of our properties within the past week. Each prospect had different needs and requirements, but all were interested in the East Nash Road area because the infrastructure is already in place."

Young and Forhan said the scheduled extension of East Nash Road from I-55 to the river port in the three to five years will provide another major economic boost to the East Nash Road Industrial Park and to Scott City.

"The full impact of East Nash Road is yet to be felt on Scott City and the area around it," said Forhan. "The potential is phenomenal."

Forhan said the extension of East Nash Road will give Scott City at least one, and possibly more, additional entrances and exits from the city and relieve traffic congestion at the I-55 Scott City interchange.

Forhan said the stretch of I-55 from the Nash Road interchange to the Scott City interchange handles more traffic per day than any other road in the region. A state traffic survey shows approximately 23,000 to 24,000 vehicles travel between the two interchanges each day.

Included in the state's 15-year highway construction plan is a project to extend East Outer Road (Old Highway 61) along I-55 from Nash Road to Main Street, and construction of a bridge over Ramsey Creek. Forhan said the extension and new bridge will provide a direct link to the Nash Road Industrial Park from Scott City.

He said completion of the East Outer Road would make it more attractive for retail businesses to locate on property that fronts I-55.

Young said as the East Nash Road Industrial Park continues to grow and create more jobs, it will impact existing service-oriented businesses in the rest of Scott City.

Said Young: "What we have done in the East Nash Road Industrial Park is lay the groundwork for the 21st century for Scott City. It is my hope that it will attract and create a variety of jobs so, when our sons and daughters graduate from high school or college, they will not have to look outside this area for jobs."