SIKESTON, MO — Next week, a city in the Local 6 area will celebrate the more than $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding it has received from the federal government. 

The city of Sikeston, Missouri, is inviting the public to the ceremony set for June 29 at Legion Park, 118 E. Front St. It's part of the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Helping Missourians Prosper ARPA Tour.  

At the celebration, local officials and grant recipients will be joined by Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, 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.

The American Rescue Plan Act was a COVID-19 pandemic-related stimulus package that was passed by the 117th US Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden back in 2021. 

“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,” Sikeston Regional Chamber and Area Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Marcie Lawson said in a statement Tuesday. “I encourage everyone to join us as we celebrate these huge wins!”

Seven projects in Sikeston received ARPA funds. The city sent the following list describing each project and the amount of ARPA funding received: 

  • Sikeston Public Schools received $3 million in the Workforce Training Grant Program to expand the Sikeston Career and Technology Center. The city says the money will be used to buy a vacant building at 1401 E. Malone Ave, which will be gutted, brought up to code and updated throughout two-thirds of the space. The building will allow the Sikeston Career and Technology Center to add firefighter and EMT training and double the welding program, the city says.  
  • SEMO Food Bank received $350,000 from the Community Revitalization Grant Program to buy new delivery trucks.
  • Grace Community Center received more than $1.1 million from the Community Revitalization Grant Program to build the Grace Youth Center at the corner of Compress and Petty. The city says youth will be able to go to the center for activities, food programs and educational opportunities.
  • Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation received more than $1 million from the Community Revitalization Grant Program for a community and cultural center that will be known as the Malone Park Academy of the Arts. The city says the center will offer individual and family-oriented activities and education opportunities in the six-county area it serves. Programs 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 and more. The city says local and nationally known guest speakers, artists, musicians and performers will be invited to visit the center, share life experiences, perform, give demonstrations and host workshops.
  • The city of Sikeston received $770,634 from the Community Revitalization Grant Program to expand Legion Park. That will include turning a parking lot into green space and adding a downtown bathroom. An open-air market will be built to host the farmer’s market. Additionally, the city will buy a portable ice-skating rink that it says will be open seasonally.
  • 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 city says the Sikeston Regional Chamber and CVB will revitalize a post office that was built in 1931, which 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. The building will include the offices of Tourism, Chamber, Economic Development and Historic Downtown Sikeston. The city says the building will include additional office space to rent to local entrepreneurs as well.
  • The city of Sikeston also received $2.5 million in Industrial Site Development Grant funds, which it says will be used for the BMU Wastewater Expansion project.