Illinois Business Journal Illinois Business Journal
.
. . . . .

Missouri's brownfield program leaves Illinois in the dust
By ALAN J. ORTBALS

   Since 1999, Missouri has allocated almost six times as much to remediate brownfields as has the state of Illinois. Missouri has topped $95 million over that time period, combining both projects that have been completed and those that are still in remediation. Illinois has awarded just over $16 million in the same time span.
   Missouri's Brownfield Tax [continue]

Private money fuels large transportation projects elsewhere
By KERRY L. SMITH

   Although the Illinois and Missouri Departments of Transportation currently favor scaling back the New Mississippi River Bridge project as Plan B to keep it alive in the face of federal funding uncertainties, The National Council for Public-Private Partnerships says there's another way.
   As the St. Louis region's business and political leadership waits and hopes for close to $300 million annually over the next six years to build the $1.6 billion span and related road work, discussion continues as to whether private sector involvement should be considered. In July, the latest federal transportation reauthorization bill was extended for an eighth consecutive time.
   Rick Norment, executive director of The NCPPP, says the public-private partnership approach is increasingly being used effectively as a means of making large-scale transportation projects happen. Norment says the approach can be an ideal compromise between struggling to fund huge transportation projects all with federal and state dollars and completely privatizing the effort.
   "The Trans-Texas Corridors are a great example of a working public-private partnership," he said, referring to a 50-year, $145.2 billion to $183.5 billion multi-use network of commuter and freight rail, utilities and telecommunications infrastructure across the Lone Star State - one that is in the early planning stages. "This massive effort to realign and expand Texas' transportation system would never be possible without help from [continue]

The ROHO Building, Belleville
(FGM Architects, Holland Construction)

By VICKI BENNINGTON

   Revitalizing an abandoned building to reflect the success of an international company while brightening a blighted spot within the community was a goal for ROHO Group Inc., makers of therapeutic cushioning products and a long-standing Belleville manufacturer.
   FGM Architects Engineers Inc. was up to the task of converting what was a Kmart store in a previous life into what now appears as a totally new structure.
   The ROHO Group wanted to show positive growth for the city while expanding the functionality of its existing facilities. Renovating the old Kmart at the entrance to the west side of Belleville gave it the opportunity to do [continue]


The ROHO Group's new facility at the west end of Belleville is an example of adaptive reuse of an existing building. The structure was formerly a Kmart store that had been abandoned for a number of years. FGM Architects redesigned the building to meet the needs of the longtime Belleville manufacturer.