Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for June 14, 2006 $50,000 GRANT FOR CAIRO

From the Southern Illinoisan...

Cairo receives $50,000 grant for assessment

by andrea hahn, the southern

CAIRO - Cairo, the struggling city at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, has received a $50,000 grant recently for a study to determine if a trans-loading facility along the riverfront would significantly benefit the city.

The study will determine what would be required for the construction and operation of a river terminal with loading and unloading capabilities.

Glen Hall, an area specialist in rural development, said the study will explore the environmental impact and any effects on issues such as historic preservation of the area.

"This is just the first step," he said, noting that approval from a variety of agencies has to precede construction. Other studies have been conducted in the past, he said - but none recently and none of this one's intended scope.

"We're excited about it," he said. "Anything we can do would help create jobs in Cairo."

The trans-loading facility would help the city utilize its location on two of the most important rivers in the United States.

Such a facility would, according to plan, create 15 to 20 initial jobs with the expectation of generating additional. With a trans-loading facility in place, commodities such as rock, silica, fertilizers, grain, and coal as well as steel and containers could be loaded and unloaded in Cairo.

The grant was announced locally Tuesday by U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello. Costello said the facility could also help revitalize Cairo's once bustling downtown.

The Cairo grant is part of a $977,468 package from the United States Department of Agriculture.

"USDA resources are important for economic development in Southern Illinois," Costello said. "I will continue to work to make this funding a priority of the federal budget."

"This investment is targeted to help rural communities working to improve existing infrastructure or create new business opportunities for their residents," United States Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a press release.

"By helping to create new jobs, save existing jobs and produce long term economic benefits, these funds will improve the quality of life for residents of rural America," he said.

The grants were awarded as part of the USDA Rural Development Business Opportunity Grant Program and will be provided to communities and areas that have been designated Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, or Rural Economic Area Partnership Zones.

Hall said he hopes to see the study start within 60 to 90 days. The Rural Development office will be involved in the decision which firm will conduct the study. The study is expected to take about six months.

Cairo is located in the Southernmost Illinois Delta Enterprise Zone. The program is designed to provide funds that support sustainable development and economic opportunity, create community-based partnerships and promote a strategic vision for change.

Other states receiving funding include: Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, New York, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.