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Ground broken for Morehouse Community Center
MOREHOUSE, Mo. – The citizens of Morehouse will soon have a new facility to use for city business but also to rent to host their family-friendly events.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the the new Morehouse Community Center was conducted Jan. 30 at the construction site located at Carrol and Beech Streets in Morehouse.
Among those present for the occasion were officials from the City of Morehouse, New Madrid County, Bootheel Regional Planning Commission, Putz Construction and Smith & Co. Engineers.
The 3,200-square-foot building will include a full kitchen and drive-thru window and be compliant with the American Disabilities Act.
“(Right now) our community building is the old (Morehouse) elementary school cafeteria, and it’s not ADA-compliant,” Morehouse Mayor Joe Brashears said. “That’s a big burden on a lot of members of our community. They can’t access the restroom there because the doors are too narrow. The new building will be ADA-compliant and able to serve everyone.”
The estimated construction completion time for the new center is four to five months, Brashears said, adding completion is also dependent upon the number of suitable working days, which are generally impacted by weather.
Once completed, members of the community will be able to rent the building for their own events such as a family reunion, birthday parties, baby or bridal showers and holidays, the mayor said. City officials will utilize the building for their board meetings, he said.
“The Park Board does dinners and different things to raise money for the park so they can use the center for those types of things, too,” Brashears said.
Currently, the city finds a church to host these events, and while the churches are very accommodating, it will be nice for the city to have its own facility, the mayor said.
In addition, the building will house an area with computers and printers for residents to access. Also there will be a drive-through window for use by health officials for COVID testing and vaccinations, according to the mayor.
The project is funded through a Community Development Block Grant through the Missouri Department of Economic Development, which the City was awarded in late 2022. The total cost of the project is $707,819.80 with the city committing $15,000 in-kind matching funds, according to the mayor.
“We are so grateful to have been awarded the grant,” Brashears said.
He also thanked the New Madrid County Commission for their support and efforts. The City paid $14,000 for asbestos abatement, and the County demolished the building at no charge, he said.
Brashears, who was elected mayor in April 2021, was quick to note one person can’t take credit for the positive things happening in Morehouse.
“I can’t speak any more highly of the New Madrid County commissioners and New Madrid County Mayors Association,” … “Mr. Donnie Brown and those guys have been instrumental in getting about every project we’ve got going – in some sort of fashion — whether writing letters of support or rolling up their sleeves.”
Brashears also praised Morehouse City Clerk Gayle Childs who has been instrumental for enabling the small community to receive grants.
“Everybody wants to thank the mayor but we’re not the ones doing the heavy work,” Brashears said. “ But it’s the city clerks, the Bootheel Regional Planning Commission, the Board of Alderman, the county officials, the Mayors Association — it takes a team to make sure everything is done — and done right.”
In November 2022, Morehouse received a $5 million grant to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility and funded through the Department of Natural Resources by the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act.
“The thing about these grants is you have to put in the leg work and find out what’s available — and if it’s feasible due to matching funds,” Brashears said.
It’s an exciting time for the community with a population of about 750, Brashears said, noting more grants and improvements are underway. This summer, the mayor said, the City is planning to apply for hazard mitigation funding.
“If we don’t get some things turned around, we’re just going to be a dying community,” Brashears said. “That’s something we don’t want to see happen.”