Building blocks of local progress

If you want to see progress, just look around. Construction projects in Sikeston/Miner are welcome signs for our area and there's no shortage of major projects under way.

The Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities is well under way with the construction of a new 30,000 square-foot headquarters in downtown Sikeston that is bringing renewed progress to the area. The structure will keep much of the historic appearance of the downtown neighborhood and will tell newcomers and visitors that Sikeston is indeed on the move.

This week Miner city officials accepted bids on a long-awaited convention center for that community. We look forward with great anticipation to this marvelous addition to our area. Once completed, the new Miner Convention Center will attract a host of events to this area.

At the same time, the Sikeston Housing Authority is also nearing the bid process on a new 7,300 square-foot administrative building to replace the 50-year-old building that currently houses the Authority. To be located on the corner of Allen and North streets, near the current site, the new building will house public housing and section 8 personnel.

And finally, the city unveiled plans for a new Public Safety facility to be located adjacent to the new BMU building in downtown Sikeston. Public Safety currently is housed in a downtown building that was once the city's Post Office. The aging facility has long outlived its usefulness and is far too small and outdated.

Four projects totaling nearly $12 million in new construction projects. Now that is progress by any definition.

But aside from the construction projects themselves, the completed new facilities will clearly reshape the appearance of our community. It's easy to envision the day these four projects are fully operational and what an impact they will have on our community.

I can't remember a time in our recent history that offers such promise for a change here. These new structures are much more than brick and mortar. They represent an acknowledgment of progress that will be visible on a daily basis.

Just shut your eyes and imagine how downtown Sikeston will look in just a short time. It will mark the greatest visible improvement here in decades.