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Array of opportunities abound at River's Edge
By VICKI BENNINGTON

   GRANITE CITY - River's Edge, a business, industrial and recreational complex on the grounds of the former Charles Melvin Price Support Center, is a virtual melting pot of opportunity.

   Now owned by the Tri-City Regional Port District, the diversified nature of the property provides a prospective location for a number of different enterprises - including office space, industrial space, warehousing, entrepreneurial incubator space and recreational facilities.

   Executive director Bob Wydra said one of River's Edge's biggest advantages is its convenient, intermodal transportation availability - a vital ingredient for doing business today.

   Tri-City is a major cargo distribution point that feeds ocean ports and transfers products from primarily land-based modes - such as rail and truck to barge - and from barge to rail and truck.

   "We're an intermodal hub," Wydra said. "About four million tons per year of product crosses the docks, with an average (cumulative) annual value of about $600 million to $650 million."

   The Port loads and unloads some 2,500 barges, 40,000 trucks and 35,000 rail cars per year.

   A 752-acre facility that adjoins the Port District, the military base known as the Price Support Center was originally slated for closure in 1995 as part of the Department of Defense's base realignment and closure or BRAC initiative. But thanks to the work of state and local officials, that didn't happen, Wydra said. The transition of the property into the multi-purpose hub it is today became a reality in May 2002.

   "The development is really going well," Wydra said. "We have new opportunities here that we didn't have without this property and without the assets here on the former base. Of course there are challenges, too."

   Some of the challenges include the fact that the military support base was 60 years old; a fair amount of deferred maintenance came along with possession of the property.

   "We initiated a revitalization program in a sequence that allowed us to repair, maintain and improve, while at the same time attracting tenants," Wydra said. "We feel we have really progressed in a short amount of time. People are interested in the fact that a base is being converted. In addition, the many assets that brought the base to this location in the first place are still here."

   Large land mass, the proximity of the Mississippi River and excellent utilities make it very attractive, he said.

   The former military headquarters building is now home to the Tri-City Regional Port offices, and has additional office space that is partially leased with 6,000 square feet still available. The first floor of the building houses what Dennis Wilmsmeyer, senior planner, refers to as a small business incubator.

   "The incubator consists of entrepreneurs who may just be starting out and need only a small space because they have few employees," Wilmsmeyer said. "It was designed to help those businesses with furnished office space and provide services such as copiers and other equipment."

   In total, including additional buildings, about 30,000 square feet of office space is still available at River's Edge, with about 400,000 square feet of warehouse space and 350 acres to 400 acres available for development, Wilmsmeyer said.

   "We can offer a variety of space from less to more expensive," Wydra said. "It gives companies a range of options."

   Taking advantage of the natural assets of the former military base is very important in terms of present and future development, Wydra said.

   "There's major world-class potential here," he said. "There are not that many competitive sites in the Midwest that have the access we have to water, rail, air and highway. It's an unusual site with a lot of vacant property adjacent to it."

   The Port is currently in the process of updating its intermodal facilities to the tune of about $30 million to $35 million worth of construction, including $1.5 million of new rail track.

   "My job is to make sure we use the property to its highest and best use," Wydra said. "This property is ideally suited for companies whose bottom line is dependent on transportation costs. That can include a whole series of companies - from food processors to steel processors to warehouse distributors - and those who are somewhat dependent on Foreign Trade Zone procedures."

   Part of the River's Edge design plan is to make sure there are sufficient transfer facilities for high-speed efficiency.

   High-speed communication is also a priority at the newly reconfigured Port. Wilmsmeyer said during the process of the facility's transformation, infrastructure supporting the latest in telecommunications was included.

   "We knew that for our park we needed to raise the bar for telecommunications," he said. "We brought in a fibre optic cable that provides us 28 T-1 lines and can serve the entire property. We're also able to provide high-speed Internet access. It was an essential investment."

   Wydra said the redevelopment of the property included recreational facilities for the community, including a golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts and a community meeting center. The YMCA will be locating a new facility on the property later this year.

   The U.S. Army Reserves retained about 40 acres of the original site, but utilizes it only on the weekends.

   About 130 families are still living on the former military base. A childcare center also operates on the property.

   The property has a daytime population of about 1,100 people. Wydra said the long-range, 10-year plan is to create about 1,000 new jobs for the area.