SAHEC change is approved by council

SIKESTON -- SAHEC will become Southeast Missouri State University-Sikeston.

A resolution supporting changing the name of the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center to Southeast Missouri State University-Sikeston was approved 4-2 during the special City Council meeting Monday with Councilman Jerry Pullen and Councilman Jim Terrell voting against the change.

"We just feel like it would be more appropriate to call it Southeast Missouri State University-Sikeston since it is a regional campus," said Judy Buck, director of SAHEC.

City Manager Doug Friend said the name change will not be official until action is taken by the university's Board of Regents which is scheduled to meet at the end of October.

Once approved, "the signage will be changed and everything," Buck said.

"To me, it sounds more prestigious," Friend said of the name change.

Buck said university officials felt "it would be more appropriate, less confusing" if the Sikeston, Kennett and Malden centers changed their names as they are "part of the university."

In other business Monday:

* A change order authorizing sidewalk improvements for Kingshighway between Center and Front streets was approved.

Friend said a Community Development Block Grant application by the downtown merchants group to improve the sidewalks was not approved.

Merchants had expressed an interest in having pavers used for the sidewalks but the Council decided to go with concrete due to the significant cost increase pavers would have incurred with improvements for all the downtown sidewalks planned along with drainage improvements.

"It is the oldest drainage system in town," Friend said.

Friend also said with the ongoing work on removing asphalt from the street bricks in that area, "you'll have plenty of brick in the downtown area."

Steve Lee, street superintendent, said the change order only increases the cost for the street program by about $2,000.

* Drew Juden, director of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, briefed council members on a exercise planned "to evaluate the region and particularly the city" on its preparedness for a major earthquake in the area.

The drill will be held June 19-21 during which time participants will operate in disaster mode.

"There's a lot of things you can learn from a situation like this," Juden said. "We want to try to make it as realistic as we can on our end."

He said it may possibly end up being a statewide exercise.

* Mike Ziegenhorn was appointed to an interim term as an alternate member for the city's Traffic Committee.

* A resolution authorizing the establishment and purpose of the Sikeston Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board of Directors was approved.