SIKESTON -- A groundbreaking ceremony will be held Oct. 14 for a new Sikeston Area Higher Education Center. It will be held at 2 p.m. in the Sikeston Industrial Park. A reception will follow.

Gov. Mel Carnahan will present remarks. Others scheduled to participate include Southeast president Dr. Dale Nitzschke, Three Rivers Community College president John Cooper, state Rep. Jo Heckemeyer, D-Sikeston, state Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau; Sikeston Mayor William Mitchell and Dr. Kala Stroup, Missouri commissioner of higher education.

The building will house classrooms, technology labs and an interactive television area. It will be built on a 25-acre site donated by Sikeston. In April, Sikeston voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax to help fund its construction

Currently, Southeast and Three Rivers offer classes in temporary quarters at 210 S. Kingshighway in Sikeston.