ST. LOUIS (Oct.16, 2020) – Kirksville Regional Economic Development Inc. (K-REDI) has received a $5,000 grant from Ameren Missouri to offset the cost of preparing a shovel-ready site, making it easier to attract new businesses to the area. The 25.9-acre site, located adjacent to the Kraft-Heinz facility in the Kirksville Industrial Park, is owned by the City of Kirksville. The city is partnering with K-REDI to obtain certified site status.
The matching grant offered by Ameren Missouri is part of the Site Readiness Planning Grant program, which is designed to spur business growth by supporting the availability of competitive industrial sites, parks and buildings. On average, the cost to prepare a site for certification is between $20,000 and $30,000.
”Our goal is to make our community as competitive as possible to win projects," said Carolyn Chrisman, executive director of Kirksville Regional Economic Development Inc. "Site certification is one of the best ways our community can prepare to compete with other cities, regions and states. Preparing a site takes work, however, and the partnership with the City of Kirksville and Ameren Missouri will allow us to move more quickly to certify a second site in Kirksville."
"We know the economic downturn the last few months has presented many challenges for the communities we serve. At the same time, we have continuously worked with these communities to attract and grow business in their areas," said Matt Forck, vice president of community, economic development and energy solutions at Ameren Missouri. "That is why we created the Site Readiness Planning Grant program, which offers matching dollars to help those communities tackle the financial barrier of getting their site certified under the Missouri Certified Sites program. A certified site in the Kirksville area means more potential for economic growth sooner."
Ready-to-go, improved properties have been proven to help communities compete for new business investments and job growth. Since 2016, certified sites in Missouri have resulted in more than $250 million in new investments and 442 new jobs, according to Missouri Partnership.
Ameren Missouri also offers one of the best economic development incentive (EDI) rates in the country for qualifying businesses looking to expand or locate to its service territory. Once approved, businesses can receive up to 40% off their base electric rates. The incentive program is just one of the benefits included in Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan, which is adding increased investments in the state. The EDI and the Site Readiness Planning Grant program benefit both business and residential customers. Everyone's rates stay lower by spreading out the fixed costs of generating and delivering electricity.
About Ameren Missouri
Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years, and the company's electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the quality of life for its 1.2 million electric and 127,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers 64 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit Ameren.com/Missouri or follow us at @AmerenMissouri or Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.
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