BENTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston man will remain on the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority Board of Commissioners while another will begin a new term following their recent appointments by the Scott County Commission.
Rice "Pete" Burns Jr. will continue serving on Semo Port's Board of Commissioners, marking his third term which begins Jan. 1, 2018, and ends Dec. 31, 2021. The new term begins Burns' ninth year serving on the board.
The Scott County Commission also appointed Lloyd Smith to serve the two-year revolving term, which is a member-at-large position that begins Jan. 1 and ends Dec. 31, 2019.
"It really is a good board. These people put a lot of hard work into it, and we appreciate it," said First District Scott County Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn after the appointments were made.
Ziegenhorn commended Burns for his longtime service and also welcomed Smith to the board.
"Lloyd will add a lot of knowledge to the board," Ziegenhorn said.
Burns said he's also happy for Smith to join the board.
"We are really looking forward to Lloyd coming aboard. He has always been active in the community and will be a great addition," Burns said.
Located on the Mississippi River near Cape Girardeau at Scott City, the Semo Port Authority offers slackwater harbor, public terminals, interstate highway access, switching railroad, industrial sites, complete utilities and much more, according to the Port's website. Interstates 55, 57 and 24 are also nearby.
"The Semo Port is the best-kept secret in Scott County," Zieghenhorn said. "It really produces a lot of products moving by the river."
Semo Port Railroad Inc., or SE, is a common carrier switching railroad which serves Semo Port and nearby industries, according to Semo Port's website. It connects with the two major western rail systems, Union Pacific Railroad and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The SE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Semo Port.
Semo Port has ready access to all five modes of transportation: river, rail, highway, pipeline and air. Enterprise Products pipelines for petroleum products and natural gas are one mile away. The regional airport is four miles by direct highway.
Land is available for lease to port-related industries, terminals, and distribution facilities. Team tracks are available for rail-truck transfer of cargo. Several companies operate terminals and provide cargo transfer between barge, rail and truck.
The new year will also bring about some changes for the Semo Port, Burns noted.
For example, longtime Semo Port Director Dan Overbey will be retiring in the near future, and the assistant director, Cary Harbison, will assume Overbey's position.
Physical changes are also taking shape at the port.
"At the present time, we just added to the office building, and we are getting ready to build a maintenance building behind the office," Burns said.
The Port Board is in the process of applying for some grants and loans to build a loop track at the port, which will handle unit trains, Burns said. Unit trains are 110 to 125 train cars, and the loop would be able to handle the large number of cars, he explained.
"We cannot do it right now, but if we are able to get a loan and are successful in getting grants, we can build that loop track and double the capacity," Burns said.
The Port needs all the support it can in trying to secure funds to build the loop track because once it is built, it would provide a number of new jobs for both Cape and Scott counties, Burns said, adding it would also increase activity at the Port.
"Semo Port does not receive any tax funds from Scott or Cape counties," Burns said.
It does receive grants from the Missouri Department of Transportation, but those are used to build roads or assist in road-related projects, Burns said. Semo Port's revenue is generated from the leases it has with its customers, he said.
The Board of Commissioners meets at 1:30 p.m. the second Monday of the month, Burns noted.
"Certainly, I want to emphasize: It is not my port or the board's port; it is both Scott and Cape Girardeau counties' port, and anyone is welcome to come and take a tour at any time," Burns said. "We are proud of it."
Burns' and Smith's appointments were made Nov. 28 during a regular meeting of the Scott County Commission. Also during this meeting, the Scott County commissioners reappointed Mark Deane to serve another three-year term on the Johnson Grass Board. His term will expire Dec. 31, 2020.