Completion of Semo Port's latest North Track project celebrated

scottw@standard-democrat.com

SCOTT CITY -- Southeast Missouri Regional Port is on tracks to even greater success.

A grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for Semo Port's 2014 North Tracks was celebrated Tuesday at the Port.

John Thompson, chairman of the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority Board of Commissioners, explains during Tuesday's grand opening for the 2014 North Tracks project how funding from the Missouri Department of Transportation's Waterways program and the Delta Regional Authority, along with a 20 percent local match by the Semo Port Authority, was combined to achieve this latest expansion of the Port's rail infrastructure. (Scott Welton, Staff)

John Thompson, chairman of the Semo Regional Port Authority Board of Commissioners, opened the event by recalling how the Semo Port was created by Scott County and Cape Girardeau County in 1975 and since then has grown through the efforts of the Port Authority, port customers and several grant funding agencies.

In 2006, infrastructure was extended and North Track No. 1 built to the north side of the harbor for a new corn mill and future customers with grant funding from the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Missouri Department of Economic Development's Community Development Block Grant program, the Delta Regional Authority and AmerenUE along with Semo Port funds.

Grant funding was again paired with local matching from the Port in 2011 to build North Tracks No. 2, No. 3 and part of No. 4 in 2011,

This year's project combined $422,000 in funding from MoDOT's Waterways Program, $100,000 from the DRA and $131,000 from the Port Authority to finish Track No. 4 and build No. 4, No. 6 and No. 8.

Thompson described Dan Overbey, executive director of the Semo Port, as a "visionary."

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