(June 20, 2023) – The Sikeston community will be celebrating receiving over $9 million in American Plan Rescue Act (ARPA) funds at a ceremony June 29.

The public is invited to the ceremony, which will be held at 11:30 a.m. in Legion Park, 118 E. Front Street. The celebration is part of the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Helping Missourians Prosper ARPA Tour.

Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe along with Director of Federal Initiatives for Missouri Department of Economic Development Shad Burner, Acting Director of Missouri Economic Development Michelle Hataway and Missouri Sen. Holly Rehder will join local officials and grant recipients at the celebration.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Sikeston and the collaboration of our community that undoubtedly led to the successful funding of these very worthy projects,” said Marcie Lawson, president and CEO of the Sikeston Regional Chamber and Area Economic Development Corporation. “I encourage everyone to join us as we celebrate these huge wins!”

The Sikeston community received $9,301,491 in ARPA funds from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Seven projects in the Sikeston community received funds.

• Sikeston Public Schools received $3 million in the Workforce Training Grant Program for the expansion of the Sikeston Career and Technology Center. The money will be used to purchase the vacant building at 1401 E. Malone Ave. The building will be gutted, brought up to code, and updated throughout 2/3 of the space, with space to expand in the future. SCTC will be able to add firefighter training and EMT training along with doubling the current welding program.
• SEMO Food Bank received $350,000 from the Community Revitalization Grant Program to purchase new delivery trucks.
• Grace Community Center received $1,107,424 from the Community Revitalization Grant Program to build the Grace Youth Center at the corner of Compress and Petty. The center will provide a place where youth can go for activities, food programs and educational opportunities.
• Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation (DAEOC) received $1,089,295 from the Community Revitalization Grant Program for a community and cultural center. The Center, which will be known as the Malone Park Academy of the Arts, will offer individual and family-oriented activities along with age-appropriate educational and recreational growth opportunities to residents of the six-county area. Programming will include: music education, production and recording; photography and visual arts instruction, workshops and exhibits; dance, drama, and performing arts classes and productions; academic tutoring; stability and strengthening classes such as Yoga and Pilates; community service learning opportunities and youth-focused after school, weekend and summer activities. Local and nationally known guest speakers, artists, musicians, and performers will be invited to visit the center, share life experiences, perform, conduct demonstrations, and host workshops.
• The City of Sikeston received $770,634 from the Community Revitalization Grant Program for the expansion of Legion Park. The expansion will include turning a parking lot into green space and the addition of a downtown bathroom. An open-air market will be constructed and will hold events like the farmer’s market, along with the purchase of a portable ice-skating rink that will be open seasonally. The project also includes the partial street closure of New Madrid Street from Malone down to Front Street which will be converted to a grass area and be part of the park.
• The Sikeston Regional Chamber and Convention and Visitors Bureau received $484,138 from the Local Tourism Asset Development Grant Program for a visitor center and rodeo museum. The Sikeston Regional Chamber and CVB will revitalize the old post office that was built in 1931 and currently houses offices for Historic Downtown Sikeston. The bottom floor of the building will be turned into an official Sikeston Visitors Center and Sikeston Rodeo Museum while also housing the offices of Tourism, Chamber, Economic Development and Historic Downtown Sikeston. The building will also include additional office space that will be rented to local entrepreneurs to help spur small business growth.
• The City of Sikeston also received $2.5 million in Industrial Site Development Grant funds. These funds will be used for the BMU Wastewater Expansion project.

Representatives from all the projects receiving ARPA funds will attend the ceremony along with a rendering or purchase from the grant funding.