Cape Girardeau County Commission seeks grant to upgrade rail spur, prevent flooding

At its Thursday, Aug. 15, meeting, the Cape Girardeau County Commission approved a plan to apply for a grant to upgrade a rail spur at the Mondi Jackson location. Shad Burner of SEMO REDI said the move would protect the spur from flooding.

Southeast Missourian file

The Cape Girardeau County Commission approved applying for a Delta Regional Authority grant to provide an upgraded rail spur at the Mondi Jackson Indian Creek facility in the north part of the county.

Shad Burner, chief executive officer of SEMO REDI, told the commission the existing rail spur is flooded by engorged river and creek water, approximately once per year.

“The county owns some of that rail, P&G (Procter and Gamble) owns some of that land, so, if there’s an agreement between everybody, the county will be going out to pursue a grant to offset part of that buildup,” Burner said during the commission’s Thursday, Aug. 15, meeting.

The county would need to apply for the grant since private-sector businesses are not eligible to apply. Burner said Mondi would provide any funds for the project the grant does not cover.

Additionally, the commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with the City of Jackson, previously discussed at their July 29 meeting, regarding primary power service to the county jail.

It allows for electricity service to the jail to be metered at the pole instead of the building, meaning the county would have to pay for service to the pole and transformer, but guarantees a minimum 2% price reduction for monthly bills.