SCOTT CITY BREAKS GROUND FOR INDUSTRIAL SITE PROJECT, GIVES KEYS TO CITY

SCOTT CITY -- On a dusty gravel road, Scott City officials handed out the first keys to the city and broke ground for an industrial site improvement project Thursday.

About 25 people attended the ceremony near the intersection of Havco Road and East Outer Road Drive at the Scott City Industrial Park.

The first key ever presented by the city was given to former Cape Girardeau Mayor Gene Rhodes.

"Gene has been a good friend to the city and good to work with," City Council member Brenda Moyers said.

Other keys were presented to State Sen. Peter Kinder, U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond and U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson. Bond and Emerson did not receive the keys in person.

The ground-breaking ceremony kicked off construction on a $1.37 million street and drainage improvement project at the Scott City Industrial Site. Roads in the park will eventually all be paved or asphalted.

Work on the project is expected to begin next week, said an employee of Fronabarger Concreters, which will do the construction.

With the completion of the project, the city will provide for growth and take care of existing businesses, Mayor Larry Forhan said. It also allows the city to "present roads of a first-class nature."

The project is funded by a grant from the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The street and drainage improvements are the first phase of construction at the industrial park. It should be completed by mid-February.

The next phases include installing a box culvert under an old Highway 61 bridge, resurfacing Nash Road from old Highway 61 into the city, and overlaying old Highway 61.

At the ceremony, Mayor Larry Forhan announced that Lady Luck, Scott City's gambling licensee, had filed an application with the Missouri Gaming Commission (see story, page 1).

Lady Luck Scott City, Inc. has proposed a $65.3 million project that includes a casino boat, hotel, outlet mall, golf course, athletic center and community center.

"It shows their commitment to Scott City and the project," Forhan said. "It shows their willingness to work with myself, the council and the gaming commission."

The application allows the corporation to be added to the list of candidates for licensing investigation after 1996.