July 10, 2009

PERRYVILLE -- Several new contracts will be announced at the July meeting of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission which will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Commission’s offices located at 1 West St. Joseph Street in Perryville.

The Commission has received signed contracts from the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority to prepare a feasibility study for a new headquarters facility; from the New Bourbon Regional Port Authority to provide general administrative, technical assistance and planning services; from the University of Missouri-Columbia to review and update geospacial structures data which is a subset of Missouri’s Emergency Resource Information System (MERIS); and from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. The Commission has also received memoranda of agreements from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for funding to update multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plans for Cape Girardeau, Perry and St. Francois Counties. In addition, the City of Fredericktown has selected the Commission to prepare an annexation plan; the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has approved the Commission’s Fiscal Year 2010 Transportation Work Program; SEMA has authorized an extension to its contracts for the Commission to work with the Areas C and E Homeland Security Oversight Committees; and the Solid Waste Management District has signed a contract with the Commission for the first year of planning and administrative services for the next five years. The Commissioners will also be asked to authorize the staff to contract with the City of Perryville for grant writing, administrative and utility mapping services, and to apply for and accept funding from the Missouri Office of Administration for State Aid to Regional Planning funds.

Kerry Kisslinger of MOPEB (Missouri Public Entity Benefits) will be present to discuss health care coverage with the membership. Those attending will also have an opportunity to meet Mary Beth Hicks, a summer intern working with the Commission.

Under the State and local Review Process, the Commissioners applications will be considered from the L.A.D. Foundation, Inc., the City of Cape Girardeau, the City of Desloge, the City of Annapolis, Southeast Missouri State University, the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, the City of Farmington, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission and East Missouri Action Agency.

All meetings of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission are open to the public, and the public is welcome to attend.