Saint Louis
CitySide
St. Louis Front Page presents St. Louis CitySide, an overview of the City Government of Saint Louis. From time to time, we will take an indepth look at many of the projects in which the city is involved and how these projects will affect residents and visitors.
 Census Bureau Director and Congressman Clay Launch Missouri's 2010 Census in Schools Program
Central Library: 'Central to Your World' Campaign Is Key to Maintaining Vital Services to St. Louis Region
New Market Tax Credits
to Rebuild Neighborhoods and Create Jobs
St. Louis Named Bicycle Friendly Community
St. Louis City Launches "Hope Is Moving In" Initiative
Schnucks Opens Culinaria Market in Downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis City Garden Is a Big Hit
Old Post Office Plaza Features Extensive Landscaping and Bronze Sculpture "Torso di Ikaro"
City Officials Hope Old Post Office Plaza Will Become the Newest Destination in Downtown St. Louis
St. Louis Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Crews Install Performance Space at Old Post Office Plaza
Registered Voters in City of St. Louis to Receive New 'Notice of Election' Card Containing Sample Ballot
Fountains at Old Post Office Plaza Taking Shape
City Garden Unfolding on the Gateway Mall
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St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay (left) stated that the grant announced by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (right) will help improve economic opportunities and help improve capacity at the St. Louis South Dock.
The 2008 floods and related high-water stress greatly damaged the South Dock, which handles two-thirds of the St. Louis Municipal River Terminal's output. Aerial view courtesy of SLDC
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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Announces $15.6 Million Grant to Restore St. Louis Port
by Bob Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), December 18, 2009 - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced today a $15.6 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to reconstruct the St. Louis Municipal Terminal's South Dock, which was damaged by extensive flooding in 2008.
"Because this is Christmas time, we are mindful of the tradition of giving and so we are pleased to be here with some gifts," stated U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke in his remarks during a press conference at St. Louis City Hall.
"We are here today to unveil a critical investment in St. Louis' economny, an investment that will enable people to keep their jobs and in the process creating new ones, but ultimately laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth for decades to come," stated Locke.
"I'm announcing a $15.6 million Economic Development Administration grant that will help reconstruct the South Dock of the St. Louis Municipal Terminal so that the area's supply chain of river-related commerce will not be interrupted.
As many as 2,000 existing St. Louis Municipal Terminal jobs will be retained because of this reconstruction project.
But it will also help encourage long-term prosperity for St. Louis by revitalizing a crucial piece of local economic infrastructure.
President Obama has spoken frequently of the power that well-conceived infrastructure projects have to stimulate local economies and create jobs. But for too long, America has neglected these building blocks of prosperity.
Earlier this year, the American Society of Civil Engineers released a report evaluating 15 elements of America's infrastructure, from the state of our roads and bridges to our aviation, energy and water systems.
There wasn't a single category of infrastructure that graded out above a C-plus, and overall, America's infrastructure was given a D grade.
This is bad for business. It's bad for job creation. And it's bad for America.
That's why the President ensured that $81 billion of Recovery Act Funding is dedicated to revitalize and improve our nation's infrastructure.
In addition to the grant, the Recovery Act has brought to Missouri some $624 million for 278 road transportation projects and some $37 million for waste water and drinking water system improvements.
As you know communities across America were devasted by floods and other natural last year and that's why Congress stepped up with some $500 million dedicated for repairs to vital infrastucture caused by the devastation. The $500 million is administered by the Economic Development Administration (EDA).
As everybody here knows, the South Dock was badly damaged by the floods last year. Although steps were taken to address that damage, it's been predicted that, without significant repairs, almost a major rebuilding, the dock will fail within two years.
And it's why the Commerce Department's EDA is ramping up its efforts to rebuild and revitalize local anchors of economic growth like the St. Louis Municipal Terminal, and specifically the South Dock.
This funding is not simply going towards making the South Dock whole again, or even better than better. This funding is going to help make the Municipal River Terminal better, and enable St. Louis to play a bigger role in the global economy.
We know that once the Panama Canal expansion is complete in just a few years, larger ships from all around the world are going to come eastward through the canal with high-value goods in containers and on barges.
These ships are going to make their way up the Mississippi. And it's critical for St. Louis, and for the region, that the Municipal River Terminal is in a position to handle this cargo. Because with new, more valuable cargo will come new, better-paying jobs.
There are the construction workers who will enhance the port and who will work ont the construction. The freight forwarders and distributers who will arrive to work with and handle the cargo.
And all of these new workers will spend money in the area, which will generate and support new businesses and services that will create new jobs in their own right.
The exciting thing is that the facilities to make intermodal transport a reality are here in St. Louis. They simply need to be upgraded.
Interstate I-70 passes right by us. You have all these railroad tracks that connect St. Louis to the rest of the country.
So what's needed are the resources to get this vision off the ground-and I am confident that the rebuilding of the South Dock can play a big part in the realization of that vision.
You can be sure that people in this community and throughout the state are banking on the South Dock elevating their place in the local and global economy.
Because right now, too many people in Missouri, and states across America, are out of work or wondering if their job is at risk. Too many people are waking up every day having to make impossible choices no one in this country should ever have to make.
Do I buy food or do I buy my perscription drugs?
Do I pay the utility bill to keep the lights on or do I pay my mortgage to hang onto the house?
This is completely unacceptable to President Obama, to me, and the other members of the administration. That's why everyone in this administration is working to get our economy back on track.
As far as the President is concerned, and no matter what the economic indicators say, our country is not in an economic recovery until every American who wants a job has a job.
Like last week, President Obama unveiled an important set of incentives and initiatives to help small businesses that create two-thirds of all new jobs in America.
By offering new tax credits that incentivize small businesses to hire and keep employees and well as incentives to help small businesses raise money, the president is doing everything he can to encourage our businesses to start growing again.
Today's announcement to fund revitalization of the repair of the South Dock is just one more step in President Obama's relentless effort to get people back to work and get our economy moving again.
For the past 150 years this downtown area has been a hub of regional industrial activity. And it's critical for St. Louis that this North Broadway Industrial zone remain an active industrial hub for the next 150 years.
Revitalizing and expanding the South Dock is an important step in making that happen. And I look forward and we at the Department of Commerce are eager to work with you to make sure that this redevelopment continues for the sake of jobs and economic growth and prosperity for the people of St. Louis.
The 2008 floods and related high-water stress greatly damaged the South Dock, which handles two-thirds of the St. Louis Municipal River Terminal's output. A recent study by the St. Louis Development Corporation found that the dock was at the end of its useful life, and if left unrepaired, would cost the port commodity market share, jobs and revenue. Structural integrity has deteriorated so significantly that a "blowout" failure is possible, which would cause injuries and immediately cripple area shipping. The study also indicated that a total collapse was possible in the next several years.
Mayor Francis G. Slay highlighted the potential economic impact of the grant on the future of the city. "St. Louis was founded, grew, and prospered because the Mississippi River is such a great transportation corridor," said the Mayor.
"The city is an optimal place for shipping and distribution. We are within 500 miles of one third of our country's population. Unfortunately due to flooding and aging, our Municipal Terminal has not been up to par," stated the Mayor.
Slay said that the grant will allow improvement to the port, which will preserve jobs. "Transportation by river is one of the most economical and energy efficient ways to ship goods. It is also part of an overall strategy to expand international trade to and from St. Louis, which has the potential to create many more jobs in the region," stated the Mayor.
The St. Louis Municipal Terminal is part of a regional port system that serves barge shipping for St. Louis and other cities, and is the northernmost point on the Mississippi River with year-round, ice-free, open-water navigation. Port commodity shipping generates important revenue for the City of St. Louis, and employs residents of both Missouri and Illinois.
Standing on the South Dock, Nick Nichols, Operations Manager for the City of St. Louis Port Authority, pointed to the crane that loads and unloads heavy equipment and product from barges on the Mississippi to railcars.
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